Here is a copy of the email I sent to OLN TV here in America which is
providing live coverage of the Tour. I'd like to know what you think,
or if anyone knows if OLN has in fact done a better job of covering
the doping issue than I have seen.
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I was watching your broadcast of the Tour yesterday evening, enjoying
the suspense of the final 40 k. I wondered whether the peloton had
the will to catch up to the two men in the break. It was noted by the
broadcasters that one of those men, Felippo Simeoni, had filed a
defamation suit against Lance Armstrong in Italy. Mysteriously, the
announcers had no explanation for why Simeoni had filed the suit. I
believe that Mr. Roll said something to the effect of "he hasn't
stated the reasons for his filing of the suit."
Curious, I went searching. Sussed it out with the internet; read a
few articles, quickly pieced it together.
Why did Bob Roll not report the nature of the ongoing situation
between Simeoni and Armstrong? I'm sure that he must be aware of it,
given the degree of attention that is focused on Armstrong, the
atmosphere that must be engendered by a 3 week tour with journalists
chumming it up in hotels along the route (or does Bob not chum?).
Mr. Roll called himself a journalist during the broadcast, so why
doesn't he behave like one? He should have been more honest about an
incident that has been widely reported (The first article I read on
the Armstrong-Simeoni issue was published on a Pakistani web site), or
acted more like a journalist and kept himself abreast of this issue.
Or is it that he fears alienating a big sponsor of your Tour coverage
(right now I'm looking at a banner ad promoting the "Ride with Lance"
campaign). Does he fear that discussing Simeoni's testimony about his
relationship with Dr. Ferrari, who has been Armstrong's personal
doctor since 1995, might unduly tarnish Armstrong's image ?(upon whose
back, or legs, rather, your coverage is being carried). Questions
are raised concerning Mr. Roll's treatment of the issue when we see
him in a commercial pining for a ride with Lance.
And why do your reporters continue to insist how 'clean' this Tour
will be? In a recent Dateline report a scientist was quoted as saying
that the science of testing is at least ten years behind the science
of doping. Many international governing bodies of sport will attest
this problem as well, though perhaps not as plainly.
I hope that your coverage this morning will be more fair and honest,
and that you will actually discuss the defamation suit. You can
google it if you like, but a link is provided here:
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/tourdefrance2004/story/0,14667,1259042,00.html.
Respectfully,
Peter -