The Athletic’s review of Dianna Russini’s work concludes she was ‘noncompliant’ with standards
The New York Times • • sports
Key Points:
- An inquiry by The Athletic found that reporter Dianna Russini violated company standards by failing to disclose her relationship with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, though the full nature of their relationship remains unclear.
- The investigation reviewed nearly 1,000 of Russini’s pieces and 300 media appearances, concluding that only about 5% involved Vrabel or his teams, with little evidence that her reporting was biased or promotional.
- Russini resigned from The Athletic in April after photos emerged showing her and Vrabel in close personal situations, and the report criticized her delayed disclosure of the relationship to editors and inconsistent explanations given to the public.
- The Athletic recommended adding clearer conflict of interest guidelines and enhanced onboarding training to prevent similar issues, while also suggesting editor’s notes be added to some of Russini’s past content related to Vrabel.
- Despite the policy violation, the inquiry found most of Russini’s work was fact-based and sourced broadly within the NFL, but acknowledged that the undisclosed relationship compromised audience trust in her impartiality.
