Rumor
03-24-2001, 07:24 PM
I had read other articles about what happened with Jr and the interview. Here's a good article on the subject
Dale Jr. exploited in name of Christianity
By Monte Dutton
Gazette Sports Reporter
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Prince Machiavelli, meet Scott Ross.
Ross is the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) commentator who interviewed Dale Earnhardt Jr. a couple of weeks ago. One would expect the last place to find the end justifying the means would be "The 700 Club," but that’s what happened when the show featured Earnhardt Jr. on Thursday morning.
On the surface, it was an inspirational story of Earnhardt Jr. dealing with the loss of his dad. The advance publicity included the following: "In his first interview since the tragic death of his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals what sustained their family during their darkest hours. The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) will air an exclusive interview with the son of the legendary NASCAR great. Dale Jr. reveals how he is re-evaluating his life, and how the death of his father has changed his life forever."
The trouble is that the entire piece was produced under false pretenses. Since his father’s death, Earnhardt Jr. has granted no interviews. He only consented to talk to CBN because the piece was supposedly a profile of Dale Beaver, the Motor Racing Outreach chaplain who counseled Earnhardt Jr. following the tragedy. The chaplain and the 26-year-old driver are friends, and Earnhardt Jr. agreed to answer questions about what Beaver’s advice has meant to him.
According to Earnhardt’s press representative, Jade Gurss, the driver only consented to answer "two questions" about Rev. Beaver, and under the condition that no additional questions would be asked about his father or the Feb. 18 accident. Instead, reporter Ross and his crew immediately pressed Earnhardt Jr. with questions and produced a show that only dealt with the MRO chaplain in passing. Earnhardt Jr., with the camera running, graciously answered the questions, knowing that a refusal would put him in a bad light.
As if that were not enough to leave Earnhardt Jr. feeling exploited, as soon as the camera stopped rolling, according to Gurss, representatives of the show cracked open a large backpack of souvenir merchandise for Earnhardt Jr. to sign.
"I’m afraid it left us with a very bad taste and it saddens me to see them promoting this as some sort of ‘exclusive’ interview," said Gurss.
Clearly, the "700 Club" reporter exploited his subject to get his story. No other group would have been able to get away with it. Ross used the guise of Christianity to break the rules that had been agreed upon in advance and badgered Earnhardt Jr. with questions he did not want to answer.
Furthermore, the reporter’s comments reeked of hypocrisy during the actual airing of the Earnhardt Jr. profile.
"Doors opened for us that we didn’t shove or kick open," Ross said at the beginning.
Afterward he stared piously at the audience, lowered his head thoughtfully, and said, "We almost didn’t run this story," without specifically saying why. He said that he and others had "prayed together on the phone and talked about this."
Finally, of the subject matter, Ross said, "You don’t exploit that ... you don’t play with that."
Beaver, by the way, is profoundly embarrassed by the way the CBN crew behaved and upset by the way it was handled. He expressed those feelings in a brief conversation on Friday. He also had thought the story was to dwell on the MRO ministry and found himself being exploited for his cooperation.
Admittedly, if a secular TV crew behaved in the same manner, it would be just as unethical but not so compelling as to warrant the writing of this column. It is also true, though, that no such crew would have been granted the access CBN got. By their presumed sanctity, they were trusted.
Yes, they are held to higher standards. And they should be.
Contact NASCAR beat writer Monte Dutton at tug50@aol.com
Dale Jr. exploited in name of Christianity
By Monte Dutton
Gazette Sports Reporter
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Prince Machiavelli, meet Scott Ross.
Ross is the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) commentator who interviewed Dale Earnhardt Jr. a couple of weeks ago. One would expect the last place to find the end justifying the means would be "The 700 Club," but that’s what happened when the show featured Earnhardt Jr. on Thursday morning.
On the surface, it was an inspirational story of Earnhardt Jr. dealing with the loss of his dad. The advance publicity included the following: "In his first interview since the tragic death of his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals what sustained their family during their darkest hours. The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) will air an exclusive interview with the son of the legendary NASCAR great. Dale Jr. reveals how he is re-evaluating his life, and how the death of his father has changed his life forever."
The trouble is that the entire piece was produced under false pretenses. Since his father’s death, Earnhardt Jr. has granted no interviews. He only consented to talk to CBN because the piece was supposedly a profile of Dale Beaver, the Motor Racing Outreach chaplain who counseled Earnhardt Jr. following the tragedy. The chaplain and the 26-year-old driver are friends, and Earnhardt Jr. agreed to answer questions about what Beaver’s advice has meant to him.
According to Earnhardt’s press representative, Jade Gurss, the driver only consented to answer "two questions" about Rev. Beaver, and under the condition that no additional questions would be asked about his father or the Feb. 18 accident. Instead, reporter Ross and his crew immediately pressed Earnhardt Jr. with questions and produced a show that only dealt with the MRO chaplain in passing. Earnhardt Jr., with the camera running, graciously answered the questions, knowing that a refusal would put him in a bad light.
As if that were not enough to leave Earnhardt Jr. feeling exploited, as soon as the camera stopped rolling, according to Gurss, representatives of the show cracked open a large backpack of souvenir merchandise for Earnhardt Jr. to sign.
"I’m afraid it left us with a very bad taste and it saddens me to see them promoting this as some sort of ‘exclusive’ interview," said Gurss.
Clearly, the "700 Club" reporter exploited his subject to get his story. No other group would have been able to get away with it. Ross used the guise of Christianity to break the rules that had been agreed upon in advance and badgered Earnhardt Jr. with questions he did not want to answer.
Furthermore, the reporter’s comments reeked of hypocrisy during the actual airing of the Earnhardt Jr. profile.
"Doors opened for us that we didn’t shove or kick open," Ross said at the beginning.
Afterward he stared piously at the audience, lowered his head thoughtfully, and said, "We almost didn’t run this story," without specifically saying why. He said that he and others had "prayed together on the phone and talked about this."
Finally, of the subject matter, Ross said, "You don’t exploit that ... you don’t play with that."
Beaver, by the way, is profoundly embarrassed by the way the CBN crew behaved and upset by the way it was handled. He expressed those feelings in a brief conversation on Friday. He also had thought the story was to dwell on the MRO ministry and found himself being exploited for his cooperation.
Admittedly, if a secular TV crew behaved in the same manner, it would be just as unethical but not so compelling as to warrant the writing of this column. It is also true, though, that no such crew would have been granted the access CBN got. By their presumed sanctity, they were trusted.
Yes, they are held to higher standards. And they should be.
Contact NASCAR beat writer Monte Dutton at tug50@aol.com