Forbes: On Phil Mushnick's July NY Post column re: Mr. Steinbrenner

James Brady in Forbes on Phil Mushnick's July 2 NY Post article in which he revealed the seriousness of Mr. Steinbrenner's condition and chided other reporters for hiding it:

• "The truth is, according to Mushnick, much of the media knows very well that "there has been little-to-no evidence the last two years to believe Steinbrenner has the capacity to run the Yanks in the same manner he had run the team since the 1970s," when he bought the club from CBS (nyse: CBS - news - people ).

And then Mushnick wallops the reader with this passage:

• "All reasonable signs indicate that his dementia--he turned 77 on July 4--is now so profound that he is being carefully hidden from public view, appearing in only occasional, circumspect quotes issued by his longtime personal public relations man, Howard Rubenstein."

I've actually met Steinbrenner several times at Elaine's, one of his favorite hangouts, and I've long followed the Yankees as a fan, but to me this was stunning news."

• From Forbes article by James Brady, 7/12/07, "A Steinbrenner Dilemma."

Brady later adds:

• ""It's understandable," wrote Mushnick. "A delicate, respectful and sensitive approach had been taken." Then, in a rap on media covering the sporting scene, he added, “What isn't understandable is the continued and perhaps conditioned take of media members who would have us think that Steinbrenner is laying low as a matter of changed philosophy, yet, pushed too far by this year's team, will muscle up and resurrect his former self, That won't happen, as it can't happen."

(Brady) What Mushnick is really asking is the fundamental question of a reporter's priorities. Does he or she owe a first allegiance to the editor paying his salary, to the reader who buys the paper or watches the evening news, or to the privacy and other personal concerns of the newsmaker or his kin?

• This is typical of Mushnick, a thoughtful professional who thinks things through. But should he himself have revealed Steinbrenner's condition? There I'm conflicted. I think The Boss' illness and incapacity are news. But I fully understand and in a way empathize with the family's desire to keep the old man's condition guarded."

• Via Poynter.org/Romenesko, 7/12/07, "Brady: Should Mushnick Have Revealed Steinbrenner's Condition?"

I suggest the word "respect" be exhumed and used to examine every question.

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