Andrew Jennings Tribute – The Collectors’ Item From Sport & Politics With A Key Note On The Meaning Of Journalism

2022-01-26 Reading Time: 6 minutes
Andrew Jennings - the tribute edition of Sport & Politics - image, courtesy of Jens Weinreich, Sport & Politics

The great investigative journalist Andrew Jennings passed away early this year and the first month of 2022 was not allowed to go by without a bumper 80-page tribute to the slayer of the corrupt at FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and elsewhere in the ranks of governors that include the silent going along to get alone.

In his collectors’ item of an edition at Sport & Politics, Jens Weinreich, with the help of Bonita Mersiades, has produced a gem for anyone who seeks understanding of the grand investigator, his work and why it was & remains so important; anyone who aspires to the truth someone would rather you didn’t know about, let alone tell the world about.

That kind of truth will not be told in an official press release that seeks to defend the doper; nor that that sells a suit when that suit ought to be sunk. That kind of truth will not be4 found at the niche media outlets that fail to insist on absolute transparency and honesty in governance; it will not be found among those who feel unable to write about conflicts of interest, abuse, silence in the face of abuse, attempts to undermine and discredit those seeking to tell the truth because that truth is awkward, tainting, shaming for a governor, an organisation, an individual, a culture and even a whole Movement.

As Sports & Politics editor Jens Weinreich notes in his editorial in the tribute to Andrew Jennings:

With The Lords of the Rings research was established in the field of sport politics. Many journalists still misunderstand research today – and believe that it is research to find a telephone number or an email address; or that it is research to obtain information from the press offices of the IOC and FIFA in order to disseminate their fabricated propaganda postulates unfiltered. In the past, this was called collecting material. Today, collecting material is called googling.

Research, however, begins at the moment when one compiles and publishes information that others do not want published. Whether IOC members, FIFA presidents, managers of sports marketing agencies, politicians, sheikhs and emirs or world federation presidents. Sometimes, that is perhaps the high art, often also connected with luck, but in any case with knowledge, courage and perseverance, as lived by Andrew Jennings, you can then call it investigative journalism.

You don’t earn this honour by parroting press releases or publishing meaningless answers from press offices.

It is not about publishing what the powerful, the influential, the crooks want the media to publish. It’s about publishing what they don’t want to be published! If that is combined with deep knowledge and first-class analysis – all the better. 

That is journalism.

Jens Weinreich – image, with Andrew Jennings, left, at the Play the Games Conference, screenshot courtesy of Sport & Politics, photo by Thomas SØNDERGAARD, Play the Game

To support the work of those who seek to expose corruption and bad practice that harms athletes and others in sport, buy the truth!

Andrew JenningsThe Collectors’ Edition of Sport & Politics, is here – and just 9,90 €

It was an honour to contribute to the tribute alongside so many others who have worked hard to find and publish the truth someone, somewhere would rather you didn’t, for nefarious reasons.

Among the gems:

Richard Pound, screen courtesy of Sport & Politics

Andrew Jennings Some thoughts on our simple craft
Jens Weinreich Let’s get on with it!
Vyv Simpson How it all began
Richard W. Pound “He did not hesitate to boldly go where no one else had ever gone”
John Hoberman Collusion with the evil
Jens Sejer Andersen The Incomparable
Sepp Blatter “… I would be glad if Andrew Jennings was still here”
Bonita Mersiades To everything there is a season
Graham Dunbar Tick. Tick. Tick.
Grit Hartmann “Go for the bastards!”
Roger Pielke The truth matters
Andreas Selliaas “Go to Brazil!”

A note from the editor and investigative journalist Jens Weinreich

Dear subscribers, readers, friends, ladies and gentlemen.It has unfortunately taken a long time again – and then this newsletter is also a sad occasion.

To kick off the year 2022, I am pleased to present issue 3 of SPORT & POLITICS magazine. It is a unique issue – entirely in English – in honour of the greatest investigative Olympic journalist of all time, my friend Andrew Jennings, who passed away on 8 January 2022 at the age of 78.

Magazine 3 – The Andrew Jennings Edition
SPORT & POLITICS 3, January 2022
SPORT & POLITICS 3, January 2022

Please read the list of contributorsmore than 50 from 17 countries, who pay tribute to the life and work of Andrew Jennings in magnificent texts. Such a collection of expertise and journalistic depth has rarely been seen in the sporting political profession.

And yes, some might expect this of me, Joseph Blatter has contributed to this issue – writing about his greatest enemy outside FIFA. Says Sepp:

“When I look at what is happening in FIFA today, I would be glad if Andrew Jennings were still here.”

Sepp Blatter

This magazine is a tour d’horizon through 30 years of sports history and journalism on the questions:

  • What must journalism do in the sports business? 
  • What must we do, what would Andrew Jennings do – in 2022, the year of sports rogue states China and Qatar?

Among other things, I noted in the editorial (worth repeating from above): With The Lords of the Rings research was established in the field of sport politics. Many journalists still misunderstand research today – and believe that it is research to find a telephone number or an email address; or that it is research to obtain information from the press offices of the IOC and FIFA in order to disseminate their fabricated propaganda postulates unfiltered. In the past, this was called collecting material. Today, collecting material is called googling.

Research, however, begins at the moment when one compiles and publishes information that others do not want published. Whether IOC members, FIFA presidents, managers of sports marketing agencies, politicians, sheikhs and emirs or world federation presidents. Sometimes, that is perhaps the high art, often also connected with luck, but in any case with knowledge, courage and perseverance, as lived by Andrew Jennings, you can then call it investigative journalism.

You don’t earn this honour by parroting press releases or publishing meaningless answers from press offices.It is not about publishing what the powerful, the influential, the crooks want the media to publish. It’s about publishing what they don’t want to be published! If that is combined with deep knowledge and first-class analysis – all the better. That is journalism.

But enough of the preface. I firmly believe that anyone who reads this magazine, written by people who have experienced it on many fronts, will understand the past 30 years in the sports-political journalistic business a little better. I learned a lot, and many texts moved me to tears, again and again, even on the tenth reading. I laughed far from just out of sadness – many episodes, quotes and whole contributions are just terrific.

Andrew JenningsThe Collectors’ Edition of Sport & Politics, is here.

Andrew Jennings wants us to laugh – and to continue in his spirit!It is a one-of-a-kind magazine that we present to you here. You know where to buy the magazine and to support investigative journalism.

Andrew Jennings Tribute – The Contributors & Contents

  • Andrew Jennings – Some thoughts on our simple craft
  • Jens Weinreich – Let’s get on with it!
  • Vyv Simpson – How it all began
  • Richard W. Pound – “He did not hesitate to boldly go where no one else had ever gone”
  • Frank Brandsås – The Orange Skier
  • Albert Knechtel – “Sincere, courageous, conscientious”
  • Patrick Nally – How we will miss him
  • Mathew D. Rose – Rebel with a cause
  • John Hoberman – Collusion with the evil
  • Jan Jensen – Advantages of Christiana
  • Jay Coakley – The experience of hosting an investigative reporter
  • Alan Tomlinson & John Sugden – Hunger for documents
  • Thomas Kistner – The legend remains
  • Jens Sejer Andersen – The Incomparable
  • Sepp Blatter – “… I would be glad if Andrew Jennings was still here”
  • Bob Munro – Uniquely rambunctious, uniquely resolute
  • Ezequiel Fernández Moores – The muckraker who always had hope
  • Pablo Vignone – Face to Face
  • Craig Lord – “Slayer of the Corrupt”
  • Lars Jørgensen – Trips to Lausanne and Washington
  • Lars Werge – The future of sports journalism
  • Drew Sullivan – “That disrespect for authority”
  • Declan Hill – Why we need Andrew more than ever
  • Juca Kfouri – Fearless, ironic, ferocious, funny
  • Henrik H. Brandt – How sport officials redefined the term bad company
  • James Oliver – Master of the doorstop
  • Romário – “An inspiration, tireless, fearless”
  • Lasana Liburd – “Part-journalist, part-activist”
  • Jean François Tanda – Empowering, encouraging
  • Dominik Schmid – “A gentle giant”
  • Christer Ahl – He had a cause
  • Hans-Joachim Seppelt – “A role model for me”
  • James Corbett – That famous mane of white hair
  • David Triesman – “There is no rest for the wicked”
  • Bonita Mersiades – To everything there is a season
  • Katarina Pijetlović – Unforgotten
  • Rosa López de D‘Amico – “It’s time to start digging”
  • Bob Mackin – FOI, please!
  • Steven Berryman – A life-altering article
  • Alex Phillips – “Get it done!”
  • Afonso Morais – The tricks of Tricky Ricky
  • Lúcio de Castro – “It was worth it!”
  • Graham Dunbar – Tick. Tick. Tick.
  • Søren Bang – Well-founded, fact-based
  • Grit Hartmann – “Go for the bastards!”
  • Dominik Sinnreich – “Find those decent guys!”
  • Laura Robinson – “Walk his path”
  • Nikki Dryden – From naïve Olympian to critical writer
  • Roger Pielke – The truth matters
  • Andreas Selliaas – “Go to Brazil!”
  • Alejandro Wall – Professor punk

All subscribers, buyers and those who booked the Tokyo Pass six months ago will receive the magazine today.

Kind regards!
Jens Weinreich

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