Don’t look now, but the carefully managed image of the National Football League continues to take major hits after the likes of San Francisco back-up quarterback Colin Kaepernick (and now other players) are deciding to disrespect the National Anthem by sitting/kneeling while it is being played.

The NFL, which has wrapped itself in the American flag and patriotism for decades, might be facing its largest branding/image issue ever. It has successfully withstood players committing murder, rape, domestic violence, child abuse, dog fighting, et al, but the current issue slaps the military and police in the face, which goes to the heart of its loyal fan base.

During a recent pre-season game Kaepernick (left) knelt during the Anthem while the San Diego Chargers were holding a “Salute to the Military” night. The NFL seems impotent to take action due to political correctness.

The Dallas Cowboys wanted to put stickers on their helmets to honor five policemen who were gunned down. However, the NFL demanded the helmets could only be worn at practices and not during pre- or regular-season games. However, Kaepernick has even started wearing socks that portray the police as pigs.

However, Kaepernick has even started wearing socks that portray the police as pigs.

The NBA, according to broadcaster Dan Patrick, demands its players stand for the National Anthem or face fines. So far that seems to keep the players in check.

This Anthem flap follows on the heels where it was revealed the NFL actually had charged the military (taxpayers) to perform at stadiums over the years. In fact, the NFL charged the Department of Defense $5.4 million to honor soldiers during games (link) the past four seasons.

Although the NFL had to return some of the money after the scandal was revealed, it still did not factor in the millions of dollars in expenses for jets to fly over stadiums prior to games.

“Our standard line was we were flying over stadiums as part of training exercises so it didn’t cost taxpayers any money,” a retired Navy pilot who has flown over several stadiums revealed to Bottom Line. “That was BS. Do you really think you would fly training missions over stadiums with 80,000 people? You fly them in unpopulated areas.”

So far many media outlets (including USA Today and ESPN) seems to be supporting the players under the guise of free speech. However, in this politically charged election year, the majority of fans and social media pundits seem to be responding in the opposite direction.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump weighed in on the Kaepernick controversy and suggested Kaepernick might be better off leaving the country if he is so dissatisfied with it (link). As expected, Hillary Clinton is trying to play it safe and not comment on the Anthem issue. Ironically, Kaepernick has remarked that he believes she should be put in prison (link).

The NFL might be the most powerful league in sports, but the constant barrage of negative publicity could eventually take its toll.

As long as sponsors and advertisers continue to shell out money the NFL will continue to thrive. Only when the NFL is hit in its pocketbook will it take action.

Until then-and only then- the fans can boo all they want and nothing will change.

It has been called “appalling journalism.”

That might be considered a positive comment regarding an editing trick inserted into a documentary on gun ownership that has come to light.

Long-time NBC Today Show star and anchor at all three major networks, Katie Couric, now with Yahoo! News, is being severely criticized for highly questionable editing in her documentary titled “Under the Gun” after it was revealed an eight-second pause was inserted to make it look as if the people interviewed could not answer her question (LINK).

Luckily for the individuals being interviewed, one person was wise enough to record the Q&A (LINK TO AUDIO). Otherwise, questioning the bubbly media icon would have been virtually impossible and fruitless.

Couric was executive producer, host and narrator of the piece. Anti-gun activist Stephanie Soechtig produced and directed it.

In the documentary, a group of Virginia gun owners was asked by Couric: “If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorists from purchasing a gun?”

Not only did Couric/Soechtig insert a pause (8-10 seconds), but they also inserted “B” roll of the gun owners taken before the interview even began. There is little doubt the editing was clearly designed to make it look as if Couric’s tough question made them speechless and uncomfortable.

Couric is now calling the edit an “unnecessary mistake,” according to an individual with knowledge of her thinking (LINK).

In an official statement, Soechtig countered, “my intention was to provide a pause for the viewer to have a moment to consider this important question before presenting the facts on Americans’ opinions on background checks. I never intended to make anyone look bad and I apologize if anyone felt that way.”

Couric now says she supports Soechtig’s statement “and am very proud of the film.” However, a few days later she admitted she regretted how she portrayed gun activists (LINK).

However, the National Review and Washington Post now say Couric should be fired over the deliberate misrepresentation (LINK).

This is a classic reason why at Bottom Line Communications we strongly advise clients to always record media interviews. Without actual audio evidence (below) the Yahoo! crew would have denied inserting the pause.

However, with the evidence journalism takes another huge credibility hit.

In Journalism circles, having a degree from the University of Missouri was often a ticket for success. It is not only the nation’s oldest Journalism school, it is also one of the most prestigious.

When rankings for the best “J” schools in the nation are posted the University of Missouri is almost guaranteed to be in the Top 10 or Top 5. However, that may have all changed due to the actions of a single media professor during the recent student uprising at the school.

A Mass Media Professor, Melissa Click, is shown in a video asking for “muscle” to remove a student photojournalist, Tim Tai, who was working for ESPN and in a public place. It is a horrible act by a college professor and shows a total disregard for the Journalist’s First Amendment rights, which is against what the school has taught for decades.

“Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here,” says Click.

A video of Click’s actions against Tai has gone viral and has well over 500,000 views (LINK) on a single site. The New York Times has written an extensive story about her actions.

What was once a sympathetic media for the protesters has now changed with the actions of students and faculty against them.

Technically some have pointed out Click works in the Mass Media Division of the Department of Communications in College of Arts & Sciences, which is separate from the J-school. However, she is listed on the School of Journalism’s site (LINK), which tars the entire Journalism program whether it deserves it or not.

Click had earlier Tweeted out that she she was looking for coverage of the event by Journalists. Later on she is clearly leading the charge against other Journalists with total disregard for their rights to cover the event.

With the resignation of the school’s President and Chancellor the University of Missouri is clearly being painted as a college where the inmates are running the asylum. Rather than act like a Professor, Click and other faculty members have clearly shown they were behind the student protests against the administration.

If the University of Missouri doesn’t hire a crisis communications team immediately its entire image for producing quality Journalism graduates could likely be tarnished forever. If the school was wise it already had a crisis communications plan in place for such an incident, but that is unlikely.

The first move would be to remove Click. But that would be a stop-gap measure since a faculty member helping foment the disturbance was an indictment on all the faculty. The school hired her, and whether tacitly or not, approved of her actions.

A statement issued today by the Dean of the Journalism School denied she was part of the faculty and sounded as if her days as a professor at Missouri were numbered. Click has also been forced to apologize in an attempt to save her job and resigned her “courtesy” appointment to the J-School.

However, a Kansas City reporter told BLC that the protesters are refusing to speak with local reporters and will only do interviews with national media outlets. That is the kind of move that will turn sympathetic local media against them now and in the future.

It’s a bad move.