Image by Getty Images via @daylife

One of the more interesting journalism debates occurred over
the weekend when ESPN hockey analyst and former Buffalo Sabre Matthew Barnaby (center) pleaded not guilty in Amherst Town Court to five charges in a domestic incident involving his estranged wife and her friend.

The debate is over whether to mention that Barnaby has been
romantically linked to another ESPN on-air figure.

It’s a tough call.

The Buffalo News took the high road and decided not to go
there.

In an online story, USA Today noted that Barnaby has
been romantically linked with Michelle Beadle, the co-host with Colin Cowherd
of ESPN’s “Sports Nation.”

Of course, the Barnaby-Beadle romance has been the subject of blogs for several months so it wasn’t like the USA Today was breaking new ground.

However, the USA Today’s mention of Beadle legitimized the online stories about the Barnaby romance. If you Google Beadle, an online story will even come up that says that ESPN was made aware of the relationship last fall.

As a newspaper reporter, I would have been uncomfortable with mentioning Beadle unless she was part of the story. It raises more questions than it answers.

Newspapers still operate under different and more conservative rules than online sites. This is especially true when it comes to covering celebrities. Beadle might not be a household name in most Western New York homes, but she is more likely to be known in homes that watch Barnaby on ESPN or who follow sports.

Additionally, a journalist could make the case that knowledge of Barnaby’s romance puts his statement about the incident in perspective. In his statement, Barnaby said “the past few months have been difficult on our entire family, as my wife and I decided to separate and
divorce.”

If Barnaby and Beadle were bigger celebrities, TMZ would be all over this today. It might be anyway.

That’s the media world we now live in.

The Buffalo News decision not to mention Beadle probably was less startling than the headline on an inside page, where the Barnaby story was jumped: “Ex-Sabre could face four-year term.”

While true, that’s not going to happen. After all, authorities confirmed there was no physical violence. If the charges are proven, Barnaby is more likely to be ordered to get counseling than go to a prison penalty box.

The bigger issue for Barnaby is whether he is going to keep his ESPN job.

ESPN has had a series of embarrassing incidents involving its announcers. Barnaby wasn’t even the only one who got in trouble last week. ESPN analyst Kordell Stewart was charged in a less serious incident with driving with a suspended license and speeding in Atlanta.

At some point, ESPN is going to have to make an example of one of its stars who have been charged with crimes. And Barnaby has only been charged at this point.

Being unaware of terms of Barnaby’s current contract, it is hard to guess what discipline he will receive, if any. The incident certainly couldn’t have come at a worse time for ESPN – as the Stanley Cup playoffs are down to the Final Four.

Barnaby originally was hired as ESPN’s hockey analyst after Barry Melrose left the comfort of the studio to return to coaching in the National Hockey League. Melrose didn’t last long as a coach and landed back on ESPN, which has used Barnaby and Melrose since.

ESPN, which doesn’t carry NHL games, relied solely on Melrose before and could do so again. So I wouldn’t be too comfortable if I were Barnaby, who has given the sports network an easy excuse to fire him.

* Back in the days when I was the television critic of The Buffalo News, I loved “upfront week” when the networks announced their fall schedules. I was even sent to New York City once or twice to cover the meetings, in which advertisers were wined and dined.

But times have changed. I picked up today’s Buffalo News and was mildly surprised to see it didn’t carry a story about NBC’s fall schedule. It was announced Sunday, with an AP story about it carried on the Buffalo News website Sunday.

I think it is a mistake to give website readers (who don’t pay) something that newspapers readers (who pay) don’t get.

NBC announced it plans to premiere 12 new series next season.

Here are a few things to note about NBC’s schedule:

It renewed “Harry’s Law,” but moved it to 9 p.m. Wednesdays where it will compete with ABC’s “Modern Family” and CBS’ “Criminal Minds.”

It gave “Chuck” 13 more episodes to end the series and satisfy viewers. Considering how few viewers there were, one would have thought a two-hour movie could have sufficed. I’m guessing some business reason gave “Chuck” more time.

It canceled “Outsourced,” which should help America’s foreign policy.

* Meanwhile, Fox announced its fall schedule today. Notably absent were two canceled dramas that deserved a better fate – “Chicago Code” and “The Human Target.” Some network – broadcast or cable – should find a way to save “Chicago.”

pergament@msn.com

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