Overview
- Michael Wilbon told The Awful Announcing Podcast on Wednesday that Stephen A. Smith is "not a journalist anymore" and described him as "a show" because he no longer does day-to-day locker-room reporting.
- Hours later on his SiriusXM program Smith rejected Wilbon’s label, saying his decades of reporting, source work and high-profile interviews still qualify him as a journalist even though his medium and responsibilities have changed.
- Wilbon framed journalism as requiring on-the-ground reporting and direct accountability to subjects, and Smith countered that he cultivates sources, makes reporting calls, and conducts interviews with figures such as NFL and NBA commissioners.
- The exchange renews earlier criticisms of Smith’s role in sports media, including May comments by Jaylen Brown questioning Smith’s journalistic integrity, and it has been amplified across outlets that covered both Wilbon’s original remarks and Smith’s rebuttal.
- The spat underscores broader industry tensions about how ratings-driven debate shows reshape incentives for accountability and credibility and it sets up further attention to a full Wilbon podcast episode scheduled for Friday that may add context.