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A media critique... and then some! Banned in Beijing, Kabul, and at KCAL TV.
Tuesday Letters are UP- More on KCOP dropping traditional sports news...more support for cops who 'arrested' Rodney King...flag pins, and more. Inside LA TV - A Senior Exec Producer seems to have disappeared at KTTV, and more changes at KCBS. Links to Recent Issues 10-01-01 Monday's OTR 10-03-01 Wednesday's OTR 10-05-01 Friday's OTR If you'd like to send a contribution to help keep OTR going, you can send 10 dollars to Ron Fineman, PO Box 42364, Bakersfield, CA 93384 Or you can send $ on-line. Just click on the PayPal Logo. Thanks to our latest contributors.... PR Guru Mike Nash, Bob Gibson*, and Harold Jewett. Your help is appreciated! *Given more than $10 |
To get on the OTR email reminder list, email me at BRUIN74@aol.com. |
AS BAD AS TV "JOURNALISM" GETS
When KCOP has found ratings success, I have been glad to report it. I can respect breaking away from the "same old same old." I think we need a lot more of that mindset in TV news. However, I must draw the line when they warn viewers of a particular criminal problem, and then present NO evidence that any such problem exists. In fact, in the story I'm about to describe, it appears reporter Gina Silva purposely misled the public. I'll tell you what I saw and heard, and you can decide.
The first problem with this story was the deceptive and inaccurate tease earlier in the newscast read by Lauren Sanchez. She said "Boozing bikers out of control. Unit 13 going head on with these motor maniacs." For one thing, Unit 13 never even talked to anyone accused of riding a bike while drunk. For another, the story had nothing to do with motorized bicycles. But hold on, it gets worse.
This was about a supposed problem of drunken bike riders along Venice Beach, where people like to roller blade. In the lead-in to the story, anchor Rick Chambers said "Bodies lining the boardwalks." He also said they were "breaking bones and causing mayhem on the bike paths." Sounds pretty serious, doesn't it? But, in the story we see one person who fell down on her skates, and the story never indicates why she fell. She may've just tripped. The camera was just lucky to catch her after she fell down. The real reason for this story, was that a KCOP production assistant, Jessica Uribe, had recently been knocked off her skates, and broke her arm. She is the only alleged victim of a drunken bike rider who is interviewed in this story.
Uribe says a drunken bike rider knocked her down, but she never gave any evidence that the bike rider was drunk. She didn't say she saw him drinking, she didn't say she smelled booze when he knocked her down and kept going. So all we have is one KCOP employee who was knocked down, who assumes the bike rider was drunk. Yet, reporter Gina Silva actually said the following: "Unit 13 discovered these type of drunken hit and run accidents at the beach are all too common." So what evidence did Silva have to back that up? She continued, "When we visited the Venice bike path we saw the evidence...empty beer cans littering the ground." Hold on! All Silva showed were two shots of a single beer can on the ground. It wasn't clear to me if it was two different shots of the same can, or two different beer cans. But, if in fact they were "littering" the ground, why wasn't there a wide shot to see all of these cans? But far more important than that....how is it that beer cans on the ground are evidence of drunk bike riders? Those cans could've come from anybody!
Then Silva interviewed a police officer. So did the officer explain how serious this problem is? Did she offer any statistics of how many arrests or how many complaints they get about people riding their bike while drunk? Nope. The officer merely says that police would arrest anyone doing that for being drunk in public.
That was the substance of this story! So you tell me. How can you claim there is a problem of drunken bike riders on the Venice boardwalk, and offer no evidence? At best, we've got an example of one drunken bike rider, and even that is questionable. Further how can Silva suggest that one or two empty beer cans are evidence of this? If it is such a problem, how come they didn't talk to anyone else who's seen this? Or since TV is a visual medium, why didn't their camera show a drunken bike rider knocking someone down? If it is a problem which is "all too common", how hard could it be to capture that on tape? I can't tell you the problem doesn't exist. But I can tell you this story never came close to proving it.
Here is what I think happened. Uribe told the folks at KCOP what happened to her. Someone thought, "hey this sounds like a story." A responsible journalist would've said, "sounds interesting, but we don't have any more anecdotal or any statistical evidence to back this up." Instead Silva and company gave us plenty of sizzle, but not even a stale piece hamburger. You have to wonder how something like this makes it on the air in the first place. I don't see how you can judge this story as anything more than a lie, which was plain to see for anyone who watched it, or reported it. I should also add that it was Silva who did a report many month ago claiming there was racial discrimination at a local department story, but didn't back that up either. Of course not everything she does turns out like this. But it would seem like someone should take a close look at her stories before they air. This was embarrassing.
SO THAT EXPLAINS RUSH'S VOICE
I got a email recently from someone who was wondering what had happened to Rush Limbaugh's voice. It reminded that I had noticed how much lower than usual it sounded the last time I heard him. Plus he seemed to have been talking rather slowly. Today I happen to catch him, and the super low voice was gone. In fact, it sounded a little higher than normal. Something had to be up with him. But what?
Today Limbaugh has gone public to tell people that he is going deaf. He acknowledged that some people had expressed concern about his voice, but said he had not consciously done anything different with his voice. But he also said that he has trouble hearing his own voice, so I imagine his attempt to talk without hearing himself very well, resulted is a slower and lower talking Limbaugh. Or maybe, I wonder, if some of the drugs he's been taking to deal with this problem had some side-effect. Because of the concerns about the LOW voice, he said that they've changed the pitch electronically when they broadcast. That would explain why it sounded a little high to me today.
Good luck to Limbaugh as he deals with a very difficult situation. I guess it serves as a reminder to all of us that you can have fame and money, but that never insures good health.
I THINK THEY SHOULD'VE HELD THEM
As it was, the Emmys were going to be low-key last night, and a tribute to America. On a day when the United States began to strike back, it seems like such a show might have been fitting. What happened to the president's advice about trying to go back to normal living? As far as I am concerned, Sunday was a day to be a proud American. Yes an awards show is meaningless compared to national defense, but then so are football games. The NFL didn't stop playing. The Lakers played their exhibition game too.
Based on what I heard on the news today, it sounds like part of the problem was some stars were afraid they might be a terrorist target. But this attitude from the Emmy people that it would somehow be wrong to hand out awards when America is at war, just doesn't ring authentic to me. While thousands of Americans died in Vietnam, did they ever cancel the Emmys? No they didn't. To me, it strikes me as Hollywood bending over backward to say "See we are just as patriotic as everyone else. To prove it, we refuse to have any fun or celebration while our country attacks Afghanistan." I did see a soundbite from the producer of "Malcolm in the Middle" who felt the show should've gone forward, so it's not like everyone agreed with the decision. When it was days after September 11th, and the nation was in shock, the postponement was understandable. But this is different. One good thing about the decision...all that great food for the event was given to needy people. It's hard not to feel good about that.
If you'd like to weigh on this....please head to the Poll section on the menu.
THANKS DALLAS
One of the standard complaints around here is when reporters hold a thermometer in the sun, in order to prove how HOT it is. On KABC, Sid Garcia did that recently, showing a thermometer which indicated that it was 120 degrees. Sid immediately acknowledged that could not be correct. Minutes later, weatherman Dallas Raines said what I've said before, you don't measure the temperature in the sun. Granted this is the same silliness sporting events have done for years. They'll have a thermometer which tells you it is 110 on the field. Of course it only has meaning if you do it in the shade. But then again, that wouldn't give us such high temperatures. Anyway, I'm glad Dallas took a moment to point out the mistake. And he did it with a smile on his face.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS TEASE?
When Jennifer Lopez got married recently to Cris Judd, KABC's Leslie Sykes teased "Just call her Mrs Jennifer Lopez." But, wouldn't she be Mrs Jennifer Judd, or maybe Mrs Jennifer Lopez-Judd? How tough was it to get that one right?
IS THERE ANY OTHER KIND?
On NBC, Jim Miklaszewki reported that the US was sending "unmanned tomahawk missiles." We don't have any manned tomahawk missiles, do we?
REASON FOR HOPE
After the Olso accords, I was hopeful that Israel and the Palestinians could make peace. Then when Arafat turned down the offer last year by Ehud Barak, there went the optimism. As US Envoy Dennis Ross said later, Yasser Arafat only knew how to struggle, he didn't know how to make peace. In fact for those of you really interested, you may want to go back to www.RonFineman.com/010504.html . You'll see quotes from Ross, including the myths that both Israelis and Palestinians had to give up to make peace.
Anyway, suddenly The Palestinian Authority is telling their people to STOP attacking Israel. They're saying these attacks are hurting their own people. (Hey, better late than never). Today, video was smuggled out of Gaza, which shows Palestinian Police fighting Islamic students, who held a pro-Bin Laden march. The police killed a 13-year old and a 21-year old. If it was Israel shooting them, you know they'd be the oppressors. Of course it is always tougher to govern, than to protest. (Ask Newt Gingrich). In this march, Fox News says 45 people were hurt by stones, bullets and tear gas. That includes 10 policemen, one who was shot.
So, are we seeing a Palestinian Authority which is willing to crack down on militants and terrorists? There may be a long way to go, but you have to say there may be reason for optimism. If the Palestinians can do their part (which won't be easy), let's hope Prime Minister Sharon can show the same courage Begin, Rabin and Barak had to make peace, if given the opportunity. Maybe we'll get to the point where the old saying that "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity" can be put to rest.
MOST READERS SUPPORT FLAG PINS ON ANCHORS
The first couple of days of the poll, it was pretty close, with the yes votes holding a narrow lead. But later in the week, a majority of votes were "yes." Interestingly, not one anchor or reporter has answered my call of last week. That was where I asked to hear from one who wears a flag pin, but is opposed to the Bush policy on Afghanistan. Anyway, here are the results.
| For news media members....is it a good idea for anchors and reporters to wear flag pins or ribbons? | ||||
 |
votes | percent | ||
1.) Yes |
46 | 57% | ||
2.) No |
28 | 35% | ||
3.) Undecided |
6 | 8% | ||
| For non-news media members...is it a good idea for anchors and reporters to wear flag pins or ribbons? | ||||
|
votes | percent | ||
|
1.) Yes |
51 | 61% | ||
|
2.) No |
26 | 31% | ||
|
3.) Undecided |
6 | 7% | ||
LITERAL VIOLATION
OTR reader and contributor Jam Sardar tells me he heard a CBS news story about the investigation of flight schools around the nation. The reporter said it would be difficult because some were "literally fly-by-night operations." Jam wrote "I guess this means they only teach flying in the dark."
YOUR OPINIONS
They are always welcome. You can reach me at BRUIN74@aol.com. Unless you say otherwise, I will assume your comments are for publication.
Ron's disclaimer: Like all reporters I have opinions. I do the best I can to make sure that nothing I say here has any effect on my objectivity in covering stories.
OTR's main page IS PUBLISHED MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY. Letters are added Tuesday - Friday.
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