Having been home for a few weeks, I’ve had the displeasure of watching the news. I have to admit, I’ve been absolutely abhorred by the poor excuse for journalism on the local evening news. The extreme bias on the conflict between Israel and Lebanon has been unbelievable. "Well," I thought, "what else can one expect from an overwhelmingly conservative community with more right wing radio programming than anywhere in the state?" Case in point: Mark Fuhrman's new radio show on KGA AM1510, the same station that provides the podium for Bill O’ Reilly and Michael Savage's rubbish.
This week I was utterly disgusted by the "coverage" on Typhoon Saomai, the storm that struck China, killing more than 100 people and adversely affecting millions of others. I was finally inclined to write a letter of complaint to the station:
10 August 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
I was very disturbed by the so-called "coverage" of the recent Typhoon Saomai in China, announced by Charles Rowe, this afternoon, on the 5pm newscast, August 10, 2006. Apparently, representatives of your organization find the death of more than 83 people and the destruction of entire villages, unworthy of being reported. Instead, Mr. Rowe limited the details to a lone reporter who was attempting to make a report in the middle of the worst storm to hit China in 50 years. Mr. Rowe described his efforts as a futile attempt to imitate Dan Rather and that rather than doing so, ended up screaming like a 'scared woman.'
This poor excuse for journalism is disgraceful. Mr. Rowe's callus statements lacked any consideration for the suffering and loss of life caused by the typhoon, nor for the victims' loved ones residing in the United States. Mr. Rowe's comments were not only irresponsible, his comparison of a young man in fear of losing his life to that of a scared woman was misogynistic. As a responsible news agency, Mr. Rowe ought, in the very least, issue an apology for his irresponsible comments and lack of decency.
Regards,
Zain Christopher
Did I really expect they'd issue an apology? Based on the reporting I'd seen on other events, not really. The producer did respond, however, (I guess it was too far below the anchor to pay any attention to a perturbed member of his audience). Here's what she had to say:
Zain,
I would like to apologize for offending you with the story about the Typhoon reporter. We missed the mark when it came to reporting the meat of this story. We should have focused on the devastation that country is dealing with. I will make sure this does not happen again.
Thank you for writing and sharing your concern.
Sincerely,
Kate Derning
KREM 2 News 5pm producer
Oh, wasn't that nice? She apologized for his "missing the mark." And I'm sure it will "not happen again." What about the families who lost loved ones and tuned in to hear this tragic event being reduced to slap-stick journalism? Can anyone imagine what the response would be if China- or any other country for that matter- presented Hurricane Katrina in the same light? KGA voices would be calling for regime change! This really illustrates the cold distain representatives of the establishment in the United States have toward the international community (as if that’s news to anyone paying attention).
One last note: KGA and KREM 2 News are run by the same corporation. What a surprise.
This week I was utterly disgusted by the "coverage" on Typhoon Saomai, the storm that struck China, killing more than 100 people and adversely affecting millions of others. I was finally inclined to write a letter of complaint to the station:
10 August 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
I was very disturbed by the so-called "coverage" of the recent Typhoon Saomai in China, announced by Charles Rowe, this afternoon, on the 5pm newscast, August 10, 2006. Apparently, representatives of your organization find the death of more than 83 people and the destruction of entire villages, unworthy of being reported. Instead, Mr. Rowe limited the details to a lone reporter who was attempting to make a report in the middle of the worst storm to hit China in 50 years. Mr. Rowe described his efforts as a futile attempt to imitate Dan Rather and that rather than doing so, ended up screaming like a 'scared woman.'
This poor excuse for journalism is disgraceful. Mr. Rowe's callus statements lacked any consideration for the suffering and loss of life caused by the typhoon, nor for the victims' loved ones residing in the United States. Mr. Rowe's comments were not only irresponsible, his comparison of a young man in fear of losing his life to that of a scared woman was misogynistic. As a responsible news agency, Mr. Rowe ought, in the very least, issue an apology for his irresponsible comments and lack of decency.
Regards,
Zain Christopher
Did I really expect they'd issue an apology? Based on the reporting I'd seen on other events, not really. The producer did respond, however, (I guess it was too far below the anchor to pay any attention to a perturbed member of his audience). Here's what she had to say:
Zain,
I would like to apologize for offending you with the story about the Typhoon reporter. We missed the mark when it came to reporting the meat of this story. We should have focused on the devastation that country is dealing with. I will make sure this does not happen again.
Thank you for writing and sharing your concern.
Sincerely,
Kate Derning
KREM 2 News 5pm producer
Oh, wasn't that nice? She apologized for his "missing the mark." And I'm sure it will "not happen again." What about the families who lost loved ones and tuned in to hear this tragic event being reduced to slap-stick journalism? Can anyone imagine what the response would be if China- or any other country for that matter- presented Hurricane Katrina in the same light? KGA voices would be calling for regime change! This really illustrates the cold distain representatives of the establishment in the United States have toward the international community (as if that’s news to anyone paying attention).
One last note: KGA and KREM 2 News are run by the same corporation. What a surprise.
