Months ago, former NFL insider Dianna Russini publicly claimed she talked her way out of a texting-while-driving ticket in New Jersey by letting a police officer FaceTime the head coach of his favorite NFL team.
While The New York Times reported on the incident as part of a broader investigation into Russini's conduct while she worked for The Athletic, which the Times owns, The Center Square obtained police body-cam footage proving her account of the incident was grossly exaggerated – raising questions about whether the Times, one of the most powerful newsrooms in the country, did basic verification work before publishing her personal account.
The Center Square did the work. Investigative reporter Adam Herbets confirmed what actually happened. There was no FaceTime call. The officer let her off after she showed him text messages on her phone.
But the story was bigger than one driver getting a warning. The New York Times had already published a lengthy investigation into Russini that opened with her own account of the ticket. The Times called the move “unacceptable.” But they never obtained the bodycam video to fact-check her account, which NFL Podcaster Tony Farmer noted is “journalism 101.”
The article – and video reporting – went viral. The X post drew 2.9 million impressions, and the story was picked up by countless outlets including NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk, USA Today, and The New York Post, pointing readers back to The Center Square’s exclusive reporting. Even the Times cited our coverage in their follow-up of the piece.
This is not just a sensational video about a sports reporter – it hits much deeper.
As NBC Sports’ Mike Florio put it, "Why didn't the Times get the bodycam video before publishing the Russini article? Adam Herbets of The Center Square got it. The New York Times essentially got caught flat-footed."
Watch our reporter's breakdown here.
As you know, The Center Square is a mission-driven organization with the goal to promote fact-based, accountability journalism. This story articulates the need for that work.
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