As a journalism student, the first thing we are taught in school is ethics. Not accepting bribes, remaining a neutral observer and avoiding conflicts of interest are a few concepts that get drilled into us from day one.
Many people in the journalism world seem to forget these concepts the moment a gambling agency offers to cut them a check. Gambling, specifically sports betting, has infested the world of journalism, which is odd because this is one of the main industries that it should have no place in.
In June 2023, Shams Charania, an NBA reporter working for The Athletic at the time, posted on Twitter, now known as X, to his millions of followers in which he reported that Scoot Henderson was “gaining serious momentum” to be picked second by the Charlotte Hornets in that year’s NBA Draft.
While normally there would be nothing wrong with him reporting on a scoop he caught wind of, Charania had a partnership with FanDuel Sportsbook at the time. This creates an obvious and unavoidable conflict of interest. Because of this, it was no surprise that Henderson’s odds of becoming the second pick of the draft on FanDuel shifted drastically.
This ended up costing money for many people who had placed bets on the draft, as Henderson did not get drafted second. The second pick was Brandon Miller, who had been the consensus favorite to get drafted by the Hornets up until Charania’s tweet.
Whether or not you believe that Charania maliciously claimed to have gotten wind of something in order to change the betting lines and make his FanDuel employers millions of dollars is up to you. All of this speculation was completely avoidable. Charania should have never been associated with FanDuel to begin with.
As journalists, it is impossible to appear as a reliable source when one of the premier sportsbooks in the United States is writing you checks.
This is not the first time the worlds of journalism and sports betting have intersected, particularly with the NBA draft. Just a year prior to the Charania incident, there was a similar occurrence of a prospect’s draft odds shooting up after one post. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski claimed the Orlando Magic were set to take Paolo Banchero first in the draft after sportsbooks had Jabari Smith Jr. as the odds-on favorite for weeks.
Though Wojnarowski is not employed by a sportsbook and was eventually vindicated, as Banchero did indeed get picked first, this is further proof that sports betting and journalism need to stay as far away from each other as possible. The fact of the matter is that whether they realize it or not, journalists have the power to make dramatic shifts to betting odds.
The obvious takeaway here for everyone, not just journalists, is that it is probably not a good idea to spend money betting on the NBA draft. Sportsbooks are insanely predatory and that is by design.
According to AP News, young men are the at-most risk group of developing a gambling addiction. Gambling is marketed to them as a fun way to make the sports game more exciting, and for many of them, by the time they realize how destructive gambling can be, it is already too late. Add this to the emergence of placing bets on mobile apps from the comfort of your own home, and it has never been easier to destroy your livelihood before getting out of bed in the morning.
Sports and gambling are already two forces that, for those involved, are diametrically opposed. Anyone involved within major sports organizations is not allowed to make bets, yet they and the leagues themselves seem to have found a cash cow by promoting sports betting to their audiences.
Journalists remain essential in sports, and it is up to them to remember journalistic ethics. As the gatekeepers of information, it is their responsibility to share information they get in the least destructive way possible. There is no good reason for any of them to get involved with any kind of sports betting organizations
