How many mistakes do the national TV news shows make?
By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
In Chicopee last week, an era of sorts came to an end the official death of an effort to put a strip club in a deserted area of Shawinigan Drive.
None of the various people associated with the club gave anyone any confidence the club could be run correctly from the first group of people with whom the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission found serious faults with their liquor license application to the next group that decided it could sell booze without a license.
However the building will be utilized in the future will undoubtedly be more welcomed than the Gold Club.
Now the only problem on the morals front in Chicopee is the new buildboard for the VIP adult store on Interstate 391.
It seems the ante has been raised with the substitution of a head shot of a porn star with a full body shot.
Knowing the billboard company is aware of the community's objections one wonders why they would allow their client to do something that will just irritate people even more.
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Here's one of the great "unsaids" in this business: it's probably true that most print journalists secretly wish they were on television.
It doesn't matter that print journalism can cover a story in greater depth. There is glamour to being on the box that far exceeds even a front-page headline for many people.
As someone with a face and figure built for print and radio, I will admit to occasional envy of my television colleagues. I enjoyed those appearances on WGBY's "Watercooler" show a few years back. It seemed to impress people that I was a talking head on a local chat show.
A bartender at my local watering hole did a double take when she saw me and said she had seen me on television.
"Are you somebody?" she asked.
When I told her what I did, she seemed less impressed. In fact she has never brought up my profession again.
Most elected officials I know (there are exceptions) will not hold up a press conference to wait for a print reporter. Most of them will readily wait until the TV crews turn up.
I'd like to have that kind of power!
But then I see something as I did early last week and I'm glad I'm just a lowly old newspaper guy. I was watching TV22's newscast when they ran a story about a Holyoke convenience store clerk who foiled a robbery when he whipped out a machete from behind the counter. The 3 a.m. encounter was caught on video.
TV22 interviewed the clerk who said the robber had told him he had a gun and the clerk admitted that brandishing the knife wasn't the best thing he could have done as he could have been shot.
The clerk's boss expressed understanding about the clerk's reaction and his use of the machete.
What made the story were the surveillance camera video and then the clerk's admission of the possible outcome of his reaction.
The punch line was the robber was trying to rip off some adult publications.
Now this little crime story wound up on "Today" as part of their newscast. It was the final story of one of the half-hour newscasts and Ann Curry breathlessly described how the clerk had prevented the robbery with the machete while the video footage was shown.
At no time did she include the clerk's statement nor was the wisdom of trying to match a gun with a big knife ever questioned. It was the dramatic looking footage that clearly impressed the producers.
The story was designed to be one of those "lighter" tales designed to elicit comment from Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira and Al Roker you know some of that splendid "happy talk" we all know and love I'm being sarcastic here.
TV22 got the story right. "Today" didn't.
Print reporters would be hauled by the flagpole if they had done the lousy job the folks at "Today" did.
This little insignificant urban incident makes one wonder how many times a national newscast gets things wrong.
When we make typos we have people send in the clipping to the publishers. If we make a factual error, there are angry e-mails and phone calls. We're the local guys, though, and people know their complaints will be read and heard.
And truth be told, I wouldn't have it any other way as that is a necessary check and balance in this business.
Do you think anyone called "Today" and said, "Hey, you millionaires! You missed the ever-loving point of the story."
The larger question is whether or not they would care.
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Speaking of media I want to congratulate Heather Brandon who is doing a splendid job covering Springfield with her "Urban Compass" blog over at http://myvalleyadvocate.com/.
Her daily reports are the type of journalism we need more of in every community.
This column represents the opinions of its author. Send your comments to mdobbs@reminderpublications.com or to 280 N. Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028.
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