TEGNA Initiates Internal Review of KGW Reporting Leading to Blazers Announcer's Firing
TEGNA, the parent company of KGW-TV, has reportedly launched an internal review into the station's reporting that led to the firing of Portland Trail Blazers' newly appointed TV play-by-play announcer, Braiden Bell. Bell was dismissed by the NBA franchise less than a day after his announcement, following the discovery of offensive social media posts he made as a teenager. KGW reporter Devon Haskins initially uncovered these tweets from 2012 and 2013, which contained racist and misogynistic content. The KGW report noted that no offensive tweets were found from Bell after he reached adulthood. The internal review by TEGNA will focus on whether KGW-TV and its journalists, including news director John Tierney and sports reporter Devon Haskins, adhered to the company's editorial processes in researching and reporting the story. The situation has sparked debate regarding accountability for past social media posts and the role of journalism in such discoveries.
