Journalism Showcase

ESPN’s “Journalism Showcase” – June 9, 2017

Sam Borden, who joined ESPN in February as a global correspondent, tells his first story on E:60 with an in-depth and emotional documentary on Brazil’s Chapecoense soccer team whose plane crashed leaving 71 dead.

In collaboration with E:60, ESPN The Magazine, and ESPN Brazil, Borden traveled to South America to share the incredible stories of strength, survival, and pain.

“The emotions were still so raw for everyone. It’s been about six-and-a-half months since the crash happened and that may feel like old news to those of us who didn’t have a connection to it, but for somebody that’s trying to go on without a father, or a husband, or a son it’s still very fresh,” Borden said. “We were trying to be sensitive to that and not wanting to impose or demand a certain kind of emotion from the people we were talking with.”

More on Chapecoense

Borden said the biggest challenge for him personally was putting his emotions aside throughout the interview process so that the interviewees felt comfortable sharing their experience.

“It was hard. When we went to Aline Machado’s [widow of Filipe Machado] house, her and Filipe’s daughter is 3 years old and I have a 3-year-old that has princesses in her room and loves Paw Patrol just the same way Antonella does,” he said. “Those were really emotional interviews to do but I felt like the whole crew was really committed to being open and allowing these people to tell their stories however they were comfortable.”

Along with the E:60 piece, Borden’s written story has been translated to multiple languages including Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin and will be featured in the upcoming issue of ESPN The Magazine on newsstands Friday, June 16. ESPN Brazil and ESPN Deportes will also air the documentary.“I think that the focus and attention that ESPN has shown towards storytelling is one of the things that attracted me the most about the company,” he said.

“Not just writing, but also the ability to tell stories on multiple platforms is something that was really appealing to me. The chance to go and do this story in such an expansive fashion with ESPN was a great way to start my time here.”Borden says he hopes that this story helps others who are overcoming grief, dealing with tragedy and rebuilding their lives. Although the story took place in a foreign town, the message is universal.

The E:60 will air on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN.

E:60 collaborates with ESPN Brazil to tell the story of the Chapecoense tragedy

ESPN Brazil reporter Gabriela Moreira covers the arrival of Alan Ruschel, one of the players who survived the Chapecoense tragedy in Colombia.
(Márcio Cunha/Mafalda Press)

ESPN Brazil’s production team collaborated closely with the E:60 team to tell the story of the Chapecoense tragedy. Gabriela Moreira, one of ESPN Brazil’s top investigative journalists, traveled to the city of Chapecó to uncover new details and to interview survivors and relatives of the victims.

“My involvement with the story was personal because I lost two great friends in the plane crash and I felt encouraged by them to keep seeking information,” Moreira said. “I was proud of the sensitivity and the investment in the work that my ESPN International colleagues had while telling this story. The exchange of views, discussions, and reporting on this story was a great example of collaboration from people around the world.”

Moreira investigated the relationship between LaMia, short for Linea Aerea Merida International Aviation, the Bolivian airline chartered by the Chapecoense soccer team, and Conmebol, the entity responsible for the organization and governance of South American football’s major international tournaments. ESPN Brazil’s Paulo Cobos and Antonio Strini also helped produce the piece and obtained information from the family members of players on the flight. Renata Netto, Regiane Wohnrath, Claudia Custodio, and Leandro Carrasco also took part in the production of interviews and provided support to the E:60 team.

ESPN Brazil’s Lucas Diniz and Guto Francischini contributed to this post.
-By Ardi Dwornik

Journalism on Display

  • With the Stanley Cup Final in full swing, Sunday’s SC Featured segment on SportsCenter will tell the story of Craig Cunningham, an Arizona Coyotes minor league hockey player who has a new lease on life following a pre-game heart attack and a subsequent partial leg amputation. “Life or Limb,” narrated by Tom Rinaldi, will debut in the 10 a.m. ET edition of SportsCenter on Sunday, June 11, and will re-air in other editions of the program throughout the day.
  • The Golden State Warriors already have made history but tonight they have the opportunity to sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 and take home the 2017 NBA championship. Marc J. Spears writes about the demeanor these two teams have going into tonight’s game and why no one is getting comfortable yet on TheUndefeated.com. NBA Countdown begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN followed by Game 4 on ABC at 9 p.m. ET.
  • espnW writer Deb Williams tells the story of Virginia native Brehanna Daniels, the woman who recently made history as the first African-American female to pit a vehicle in a national NASCAR series race. Daniels shares her story of confidence and strength with espnW.
  • Investigative reporter Paula Lavigne was awarded a New York Press Club Journalism Award for her report on Baylor and sexual assault. Caitlin Stanco also contributed to the award-winning report.
  • Senior writer Allison Glock visits with U.S. Olympian Ryan Lochte for the first time since his incident at the 2016 Rio Olympics. As part of the ESPN World Fame 100 issue, Glock gives readers a glimpse of who Lochte really is. The father-to-be has a new outlook on life and shares all in this piece on ESPN.com.
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