Following pushback from sports fans, ESPN unveiled new guidelines requiring their reporters to write their tweets at a first grade reading level. Previous guidelines instructed staff to write their tweets at a reading level around eighth grade and with an emphasis on accuracy.
The memo that went out Friday included this example of how a current post could be reworked to align with the new policy:
Current Tweet
“”Nick Nurse said Joel Embiid is “getting better all the time” and “I think he’s gonna give it a shot here, but we’ll see.” Embiid is still questionable for Game 3 at this point. Nurse intimated that Embiid was going to get checked again before final decision is made”
Revised Version
“Nick Nurse is a coach. Joel Embiid is a basketball player. Nick Nurse does not know if Joel Embiid will play basketball today”
According to the National Literacy Institute, 54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level[1]. CEO Jimmy Pitaro says the move is part of a broader push toward accessibility. “I talk to kids all the time and they tell me they follow Shams [Charnia] online but don’t have the ability to read anything he writes. How are they supposed to get an edge on their sports bets”?
The shift in policy also appears to be welcome among older, slightly more literate readers. “I don’t like it when they use words that create a scene in my head. I hate using Grok to teach me words every time I want to watch the game” wrote one commenter under the Tik Tok post announcing the change.
Other illiterate people appear more skeptical “The AI that make my email sounds like Stephen ASmith and i’m worried this gonna make him change” wrote another commenter.
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