A media critique... and then some! 11/02/01 - Friday Friday Letters  are UP - How do you say Nguyen? Coming Monday - A sexy photo of a local TV reporter on the cover of a magazine, and more feedback on the new ND at KNBC. Links to Recent Issues 10-29-01 Monday's OTR 10-24-01 Wednesday's OTR 10-26-01 Friday's OTR OTR can use your help to keep publishing. If you like it, feel free to send ten dollars to Ron Fineman PO Box 42364 Bakersfield, CA 93384    OR you can send $ electronically by clicking on the PayPal logo   Thanks to our latest contributor...Ross Becker Your help is very  much appreciated! Send your opinions to BRUIN74@aol.com.

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A FRIGHTENING PROSPECT

An article in the LA Times on Thursday mentioned a national poll which shows that a majority of Americans would like to see more government control of reporting on the war in Afghanistan. Of course no one thinks that reporters should reveal troop movements ahead of time. So just what do these people want to be protected from? Do they not want to know when a US bomb accidentally kills civilians? After all that always happens in war.  Are they afraid Americans will stop supporting the war if they learn from a free media that it is not going as well as hoped?  IF true, aren't we better off knowing the truth?

Would people rather be lied to like we were during the Vietnam War? Or how about when the government lied to us during the Persian Gulf War about how effective the Patriot Missiles were (they weren't)?  Or would they rather just not know anything? Just let us know when it is over?

Remember it is our men and women who're being put on the line, and it is our money which is paying for the effort, which is being done to protect us. Given the government track record about honesty during a war, it is always troubling when they restrict information beyond what is needed to protect troop safety. It is even more troubling to me that excessive secrecy may be what the American people want. This is no time to stop supporting a free media because of past and ongoing excesses in other avenues. The American people should be mature enough to handle the truth.

IS THAT WHAT THE US GOVERNMENT IS FOR?

It had to seem ironic. The American flag was draped above the entrance into the Cannabis Buyers Club in West Hollywood last week.  This was a place that appeared after voters passed prop 215, allowing the use of marijuana for the sick. Even though the US Government has never recognized prop 215, they had always looked the other way with this place, until last week.  DEA agents raided the place and shut it down.  So you had federal agents walk under the flag of freedom, to shut down a place which provides needed help for people with cancer and aids, many who are dying. That's ironic.

The mayor of West Hollywood couldn't understand why they weren't spending their time cracking down on meth or heroine dealers. After all, this marijuana is used to make life just a little more bearable for nearly a thousand sick folks. But the law is the law.  Or I should say the federal law is the federal law. The local Sheriff's Department was well aware of the cannabis club, and they had no problem with it.  Ah but the feds know better.  Exactly who suffers when sick people smoke marijuana, they didn't say. 

The day after the DEA closed it down, I happened to drive by the place. The flag was still up, but this time, it was upside down.  You hate to see that, especially when the flag should be flying proudly in this time. But I really couldn't blame them. Because hurting the sick and infringing on people's personal freedom is NOT what our country is supposed to be about.  

PART  THREE OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH HAL EISNER

(8) OTR - Do you think it makes sense to interview Osama Bin Laden, if that were possible?

Hal - Absolutely! On this one I couldn't agree with you more! In your edition last Friday you wrote and I'll quote you:

"The fact that he's a bad guy should not deter the effort. It's because of his hatred and evil that makes him someone we should hear from."

Ron, reporters have always tried talking with the famous and the infamous! How many reporters tried scoring an interview with Timothy McVeigh? In this ongoing, tragic and very frightening story, we talk about this guy every day. If given the chance we ought to talk with him!

(9) OTR -  I see where a recent poll showed most people believe that US Government should have MORE control over reporting on the war. Do you find that disturbing?

Hal - It's very disturbing. I know folks are feeling the jitters. I know everyone I've come in contact with would like to wake up and find out it's really September 10th and this has all been a bad nightmare!  I also know that a lot of people believe that those in Washington leading the war effort can't tell us all that's going on for fear they'll tip off the enemy. That's a legitimate concern, but so is reporting accurate information about what's happening in the conflict.

Let's not forget that Constitutional First Amendment that protects free speech! It also protects the free press from Government so that we don't end up like countries that have a Government controlled media.

Recently, I was chatting with someone about this very thing. To her (and I'll quote her here) "...media is oftentimes sensationalist ... a free press is important, but not to the extent that is causes grief during times of crisis."

To me, it all comes down to this: In a free society, it's important to have a free press. There are times when restraint is appropriate, but if the US Government exercises MORE control over war reporting you have to wonder -- what's next?

(10) OTR - As you may've seen in an OTR poll, a large majority of readers think TV news has overplayed the anthrax story. Do you agree? And do you believe that the news media have been targets made a significant difference in coverage?

Hal - That's a tough one. Sometimes it feels like it's overplayed, but this anthrax issue is so new to us it's hard to know what's too much.

I did my own totally unscientific survey. After work Thursday night, I made my usual stop by the grocery store and struck up a conversation with a clerk I see all the time. I asked him if he thought the anthrax coverage was overplayed afterall, he's a viewer. He surprised me. He said the coverage has been "wonderful." Wonderful? Strange response. "What's wonderful about the coverage?" "If each time a story airs one person's learned something about anthrax they didn't know about -- that's a good thing"  he says.

Frankly, I think he's right. Just a few weeks ago if you asked someone on the street about anthrax, they might not have known anything about it. Not everyone watches TV at the same time. Not everyone watches the same channels, but I'll bet anything you won't find anyone who doesn't know a lot about anthrax now. People are more knowledgeable about this thing we've come to know as "white powder" and, pardon the cliche, but knowledge is power!

Overplayed? It feels like it. Has it hurt anyone? I think we're all a little smarter and a little more vigilant these days because of the coverage.

NFL PICKS (13-13-2)

For the first time since I began these predictions about a year ago, I went four for four last week! That's right, I finally nailed it, bring my season average to .500. Since we don't know when this will happen again, I thought it would be wise to show you last week's winners.

Saints vs Rams  + 12 1/2

Panthers vs Jets  +2 1/2

Dolphins vs Seahawks - 2 1/2

Steelers vs Titans - 3

Things looked so bad last week, back before I was a proven whiz at this, I had considered letting The Amazing Christina return with her picks.  I figured I needed someone I could beat. Now, in the spirit of fair play and an exaggerated sense of confidence, I will let her pick four games too.  Oh, below is the most recent photo I could find of her.

Saints vs Jets  - 6 1/2

Steelers vs Ravens - 2

Lions vs 49ers + 8 1/2

Giants vs Cowboys - 10 1/2

MY PICKS

Browns vs Bears + 5

Redskins vs Seahawks + 2 1/2

Bucs vs Packers  + 5

Broncos vs Raiders + 5 1/2

ABOUT THAT WORLD SERIES

Maybe they should put the entire D Back team on suicide watch.  One out away from winning two nights in a row, and then losing both? That is tough, especially for the pitcher who gave up the homerun balls. But the good news is, Randy Johnson is starting game #6 and Curt Schilling will start game #7...in Arizona.   Remember, I predicted Diamondbacks in seven.  That still looks good to me. But what do you think?

ANOTHER ENERGY QUESTION FOR MR KABC

OTR - An appellate court is considering a challenge to the Edison settlement.
What is your take on this latest development?

Mr K - I'm excited by the prospect of another failed bailout plan.  This one forces
ratepayers like me to pay between $3.3 and $4.9 billion to Edison to cover
the company's alleged deregulation debt.

Governor LowBeam's PUC secret dealmaking with Edison probably violated the
state Constitution and clearly denied ratepayers a voice.  It is shameful
that not one state agency or state official is representing the interests of
ratepayers or taxpayers in the litigation.
Unfortunately, I predict that TURN's court challenge will fail and Edison
will get their bailout (settlement).

OTR ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK (11-01-00)

ABUSING THE TECHNOLOGY

This is a common problem for those TV stations with helicopters, and I can't imagine a worse example than what I saw yesterday on KNBC. The anchors announced "breaking news" as they went to Bob Pettee who was over the scene of a house fire.  There were no flames....there was no smoke.... and Bob reported there were no known injuries. He said that there had been smoke earlier, but to his credit, he didn't try to make it any more than it was. I don't believe that every fire in progress is news, even with visible flames.  But you tell me...if all you have is a partially damaged house, nothing to see beyond some fire engines and a charred roof...what is the news value? Once again, a story which no one would likely cover if it happened at other time of the day, is not only news, but it is breaking news, because it happened during a newscast. I wonder...do TV stations have any guidelines for what they will call "breaking news?" If not, it would certainly be a good idea.  I imagine many viewers realize they're being scammed.

THE DEATH OF A GREAT TALENT

I am so sorry to hear about the death of Steve Allen.  When I was I kid, I used to stay up late to watch his late night syndicated talk show on KTLA. The man was so funny, and so talented in so many ways. Some of the style you see from David Letterman, actually comes from Steve Allen who was the original host of the Tonight Show back in the 50s on NBC.  Just a few days ago, I was thinking about him, and wondered if I'd ever have the chance to meet him before he goes.  Earlier this year, I covered an event in which Steve was taking part. I was right outside the room he was waiting in before going on. I asked if I could go in and interview him, but I was told that he wanted to rest. I think I knew then that I might not get another chance.

On another night, Steve and Jayne Meadows were presenters at the LA TV local Emmys. I was a little surprised and disappointed that they didn't get a standing ovation. I had the feeling that many in the crowd didn't appreciate was an icon this man was.

I must give credit to Ana Garcia (which I don't do often) for how she read the breaking news on KNBC that Steve Allen had died. You could see that she felt something, and it wasn't fake.  David Cruz ad-libbed that there would be a lot more said about him, and they couldn't possibly say it all then.  So true.  I wish I had tried harder to meet Steve that night.  An interview wouldn't have been important as just letting him know how much I appreciated him.  I have a job where I meet a lot of famous people. Sometimes they are also people I admire.  I am saddened to know that I'll never have to chance to tell him what an influence he was on me and what a fan I was. He was one of those people, like Vin Scully, who's "always" been around.  But not anymore.  Fortunately,  his influence and the memories live on.

THE POT CALLS THE KETTLE BLACK

In this case the pot is me. Longtime readers know that I'm not likely to win anyone's spelling bee. But I can't let this one pass. On KNBC's coverage of the death of Steve Allen, Ed McMahon's last name was spelled McMann! When you consider Ed McMahon worked at NBC for some 30 years, that makes it even more embarrassing.  

WHAT'S WITH THE WALKING PROMOS?

I noticed that a promo for Gideon's Crossing shows the cast walking toward the camera. It looks very much like a KCBS promo in which the news staff is walking toward the camera. (The way things are at KCBS, I think there may be more people in the cast of Gideon's Crossing than on their news staff, but I digress). I'm not saying they're bad promos, but I wonder just what they're supposed to be telling the audience? We need exercise? Don't we look cool when we all walk together?  Or, if this doesn't work out, we're going to start a drill team. 

I'LL AVOID THE SECRET HANDSHAKE

Every now and then, I like to give you a little glimpse of OTR behind the scene.  Not too long ago, I told you about all of the good looking TV women whose names have been entered in search engines, which led people to this website. My counter will also tell me what website readers were visiting right before they clicked onto this one. A couple of times now, I've seen that someone had been visiting The Bakersfield Masturbation Club. Sounds to me like a good example of the kind of club I wouldn't want to part of, if they would have someone like me for a member, so to speak.  I write this not to criticize, but to remember what a diverse group we have out there. As the saying goes, different strokes for different folks.

ARE YOU SURE THAT HELPS?

A former Fresno TV anchor is running for Congress. His detractors suggest he doesn't have much depth. Sound familiar? Plus he's never held political office. But, I wonder if Rich Rodriguez helps himself when he said that his success in broadcast journalism shows that "I do have the intelligence to be a congressman." 

I don't know if Rodriguez was considered a real smart anchor or not. I think we all know you  get both types in the business. So if Rodriguez is suggesting that a successful anchor automatically means a very smart person, I imagine many OTR reader would take issue with that.  This is one of those races where Republicans are throwing in a lot of money to beat the incumbent Democrat.  I don't think Rodriguez will win, but one poll shows he is leading. Stay tuned.

A WHOLE FIVE MINUTES?

On a KCBS promo, they said they're doing a "whole five minutes" of election news each night. Naturally, I had to wonder how that differs from just an ordinary five minutes. It actually sounded like the promo was written by Beaver Cleaver. "Gee Wally, why should I study the ballot propositions when the election is a whole three days away?"

REWARD OFFERED

According to the Boston Globe, some Alabama Vietnam Veterans are offering a 35 hundred dollar reward to anyone who can prove that George W Bush did service at the Montgomery air guard unit during 1972, as Bush claims he did. Bush was part of the Texas Air National Guard, but was allowed to go to Alabama to work on a political campaign. If you read the whole story, it seems pretty clear this is another case of a rich kid getting special treatment.  Check out this brief excerpt from the article:

Jesse Brown, the former Veterans Affairs secretary who was seriously wounded while serving as a Marine in Vietnam, said he is irritated that Bush's military service lapses have not become part of the campaign debate.

''It goes right to the heart of the character issue,'' Brown said. ''If you served on active duty during that time, you knew that people went into the Guard and Reserves so they wouldn't have to put their asses on the line. But once they made that decision, they should honor the obligation, do their duty and do it well. Bush did not.''

Retorted Bartlett, Bush's spokesman: ''Jesse Brown served honorably, but you mean to tell me he has no problem with Bill Clinton's avoidance of military service?''

Since Republicans have long bashed Clinton for his character and getting out of the draft, why would the Bush campaign want to defend Bush, by in effect saying "Bill Clinton was even worse!"

For new OTR readers, I don't much like Bush or Gore and don't plan to vote for either.  But I think there is a certain amount of hypocrisy coming from Bush on all this, which I feel should be given more attention by national media.

 HALLOWEEN

Is it right for parents to collect candy for babies, while trick or treating? Last night, after giving candy to a child, the kid's mom stuck out a second candy basket for her baby.   I told her I though the baby might have a rough time with a mini-mounds bar, as I put it in her pumpkin candy basket.  It was obvious to me that the candy wasn't going to be eaten by a baby. It's pretty nervy, don't you think?

A FIRST NAME BASIS

On Monday's KTLA Morning News, a reporter named Emmett was on set, telling us about how much fat and sugar are in various popular candy bars.  Just as an aside, I think they should've introduced him using his last name, because I didn't know who he was, and I didn't catch his last name until the next day, when it came up on a super during a standup. I think TV newsfolk need to remember that we don't know them nearly as well as they know each other. If I just hear the name Emmet, I'll assume it's the guy with the fix-it shop in Mayberry.  I'm sure they're going for informality, but I think a last name on an intro is still a good idea.

Have a great weekend!

YOUR OPINIONS

They are an important part of OTR. Please send them along to BRUIN74@aol.com. Unless you say otherwise, I'll assume it is for publication.

OTR IS PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY   Letters to the editor are updated Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

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.