Lukas Podolski: ESPN Needs to Address Poldi's Interview Fabrication Claim

ESPN must act to restore their credibility after publishing an article containing an interview with Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski.

The problem for their credibility is the fact that Podolski is saying he never gave the interview—at least not all of it. Podolski offered up the following on his Facebook page.  

Hey guys, on the ESPN website there is an interview published I never gave. It contains parts, which are completely made up. Please ignore it! 

As you can probably imagine, this is a slight problem for any place that relays information and wants to be taken seriously. That problem will only grow if ESPN does not address it. 

Simply removing the article, which they did, is not addressing it. 

Perhaps Podolski's claim isn't even true, and he did supply ESPN with the quotes in question. This seems unlikely, but stranger things have certainly happened. In that case, the response is simple: ESPN simply provides evidence that the article was legit and move on. 

However, even if Podolski's claim is true, ESPN can limit any damage to their credibility. Fabricated stories and interviews are nothing new in the journalism world. 

The prestigious New York Times had a problem with this with reporter Jayson Blair. They concluded he posted many fabrications, including quotes, and after an investigation, they came out and publicly acknowledged the fabrications and moved on. 

Things like this can happen. There are only so many resources any employer can dedicate to checking up on their employees, and sometimes people are going to take advantage of that.

The fact that an article, like the one in question involving Podolski, could make it to publication is understandable. What isn't, would be ESPN trying to sweep it under the rug after it was called into question. 

They need to make a statement stating their credibility is important to them, and they are making aggressive steps to ensure that the information they offer up is legitimate.