...don't even ignore 'em.
-- Samuel Goldwyn

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, KOMO-TV STYLE.


Seattle's a pretty good TV news town. There, I've satisfied my vestigial fairness doctrine urge. Weeks ago, October 8, to be exact (God, I love Google), the Seattle Times published an editorial about a failed city experiment -- placing slick, automated public toilet kiosks around downtown, hoping to get street people to clean up their acts. Seems the cybercans have become convenient privacy stations for other street pursuits. As of this morning, that editorial, and other token stories on the subject in other token media, ran at least three weeks ago, and are long dead and gone. But who sent out their crack "investigative" team to visit the toilet kiosks for the purpose of nabbing perps, in the act? Why, KOMO-TV, apparently now going for Cheesiest News Operation in the November Sweeps "Cheesies" awards competition. I saw a promo for their piece this morning -- plenty of quick cuts, fearlessly coiffed female reporter chasing assorted street folk, shouting uncharacteristically penetrating questions. "Is that crack you're blowing out of your mouth?" The promos, as you know, run many more cumulative minutes than the "package" runs in the newscast it's supposed to hype. KOMO's current positioning slogan: "Working 4 You!" It's the last locally-owned TV station in Seattle. In case you haven't noticed, local ownership means nothing in TV and radio. We can also retire the word, "investigative." In fact, while you're at it, scratch "news" from the broadcast operators' lexicon.

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