The Washington Post’s lengthy profile on LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey drew a national spotlight in March after she preemptively addressed the then not-yet-published piece in a fiery press conference.
Mulkey, who was preparing LSU for a second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Middle Tennessee the following day, led her press conference March 23 with a rare opening statement, calling the story by reporter Kent Babb (whom she did not name) a “hit piece” and saying she had lawyered up, threatening to sue the national publication “if they publish a false story about me.”
The Washington Post’s story published a week later, while LSU was gearing up for a Sweet Sixteen game against UCLA in Albany, New York. Mulkey said at that time that she had not read the story, but that she would have her attorneys do so.
What had Mulkey talking about The Washington Post’s story before it published? And what was The Post seeking to report?
The Daily Advertiser has obtained via an open records request e-mail correspondence between LSU officials and The Post, including Babb, for a span of 30 days predating Mulkey’s press conference. Those emails uncover details that shed light on the line of questioning the outlet had for Mulkey for its profile and LSU’s response to those inquires. Those emails also give insight into what The Post had planned to report against what ultimately published.
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