The Official Home of Terry Meiners
TwitterFacebook

Tag Archives: media

When any news outlet can be labeled by its political flavor, that’s Dereliction of Duty

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

A study from Northwestern University lays bare the obvious political bias Google foists on people searching news stories. Google algorithms slant heavily toward liberal flavored news accounts.

Yawn. We know Google pursues liberal causes. That’s not the real story here.

What the hell happened to an industry that’s primary mission is supposed to be centered on objectivity? Look at how easily we can assign a political flavoring to various news outlets. That’s pathetic.

What kind of jellyfish are journalism schools pumping out into the world?

Does no one have the integrity to see both sides of an argument? If you’re a liberal or conservative activist journalist, you are a fraud and a disgrace to the basic principles of news gathering and dissemination.

There’s no such thing as an activist journalist. A journalist compiles facts and dispenses them with an overriding sense of balance featuring opposing viewpoints.

An activist is a hype man, a carnival barker who is convinced that shouting down others makes their viewpoint correct.

If you’re an embedded activist pretending to be a fair journalist, go do something else for a living.

Journalists (1) present both sides of a story, (2) do not bury stories that they find personally unappealing, and (3) do not promote fool’s gold “stories” that are created just to further a journalist’s personal bias.

If you “hate” such-and-such politician then you shouldn’t report on politics. You’re a hack who’s delivering personal bias masked as “journalism.”

If any of these sources: CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fox News, MSNBC, HuffPo, USA Today, or The Courier-Journal seem objective and balanced to you, then you are a partisan idiot. Any “news” outlet that constantly hammers one political viewpoint while offering glowing updates on the opposing viewpoint is just a political pawn.

Demand more from partisan people who are merely masquerading their emotions as facts.

They see you as a sea of suckers. If you blindly believe their spun partisan presentation, you are.

At least Hillary and Barack tweeted the word Easter, CNN reporter lances Trump with ham-handed “small stuff” reference after hundreds are killed

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

With approximately 300 Christians killed and 500 more wounded in Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama struggled to find the right word to describe the victims.

Some of the victims were surely non-Christian but the targets were Catholic churches and hotels that cater to western tourists. So, yes, mostly Christians.

It was one of the most severe mass casualty terrorist attack series since 9/11.

At least twenty four people were arrested following the bombings. What flavor of terrorists brought these horrors? Mum’s the word by many media outlets.

Labeling the perpetrators is tricky business in an ultra-sensitive news environment where accusations against the “marginalized” are unwelcome. Only a few media references about the Sri Lanka bombing reports use the word Muslim. NBC News used the word Islamists.

Police in Sri Lanka are identifying the bombers as Thowheeth Jama’ath, a small sect of Muslims who officials suspect were assisted by a global terrorist network. Thowheeth Jama’ath (unity of God) has been known to terrorize Buddhists as well as Christians.

But media outlets will quickly tell readers how tough it is for all religions in Asia.

Now what’s that word that Hill and Barack couldn’t muster up?

Christians, Barack! Christians, Hillary! Christians were killed by Muslims.

American media has no filter in describing terrorism created by white males. The headlines and story content spotlight race when terrorists are white males.

Making note of race and ethnicity is absolutely necessary in telling the complete story. CNN’s Don Lemon noted that America’s terrorists are mostly “white men” and that “there is no white guy ban so what do we do about that?”

Lemon is a commentator and his opinion on this matter is spot on. How do we thwart white males (and all other people) in America from inflicting terrorism on others?

News reporting demands factual accounting of details, even if political correctness must be pushed aside. America’s two Muslim members of Congress responded to the Sri Lanka tragedy in completely different ways. Both women frequently comment on matters related to their claims of mistreatment of Muslims both domestically and globally.

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar remained silent about Muslims killing Christians at Easter services, an ironic twist after re-tweeting about Christian hypocrisy just one day before the bombings.

Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib tweeted multiple times after the Sri Lanka bombings, damning hatred for heightening human distrust.

Civility is paramount. Facts are necessary to fully comprehend the challenges that separate humans of different spiritual callings.

Rep. Tlaib gets it. Barack, Hillary, and Rep. Omar seem to think that feelings supersede facts.

As for CNN, the killing and/or injuries to nearly a thousand people created another chance to deride Trump.

Petty politics and skewed news aside, high quality human beings rise above it all with an eye toward the betterment of humanity.

Interfaith Paths 2 Peace official statement, April 22, 2019

Toughest job in America? The one held by Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

Is there a double standard when it comes media treatment of conservative women vs liberal women? Is the Pope Catholic?

Reverse the roles above and show a white woman comedian torching a woman of color at the White House Correspondents Dinner. You already know that the OUTRAGE machine would be in overdrive.

Selective feminism creates exaggerated fawning coverage of liberal women and guaranteed derision of conservative women. We in the media should own this truth but most journalists will contend that they’re fair.

Want to know any journalist’s personal political views? Read their twitter feed. The truth shines through in topic selection and omission. Which dart is always thrown? Which topics are never raised?

Schiff Happens – Liberals bamboozled again as “Russian to judgment” pays no rubles

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

“I applaud you, Donnie! NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, and The New York Times worked it as hard as they could yet came up with a nothing burger. I am heartbroken but still powerful, Donnie! Go ahead and shoot someone on Fifth Avenue. Apparently no one can do anything about it!”

Poor sad Liberals. Our lefty media spoon feeds them hope every day that “it’s the beginning of the end” for Donald Trump because “the walls are closing in.” Breathless media reports of BOMBSHELL BREAKING NEWS stories that declare “there’s no way out” for Trump.

Hahahahaha. Nope.

There is much fresh sadness in Liberal Land. After months of hysterical news reports about the Mueller investigation into Donald Trump’s OBVIOUS collusion with Russians, the report was a yawner.

It’s noteworthy that NBC News sent its New York based TODAY Show anchor to Washington DC to conduct one story and then call it a day. Savannah Guthrie represents the overall media attitude toward the Trump administration with her curt and pointed inquiry with Trump’s mouthpiece Sarah Sanders. No love on either side.

Now the pushback between Liberals and Conservatives moves to the nah-nah-nah-nah-naaaahhh stage over whether Trump was engaged in obstruction of justice. Give it rest, partisans. Go do the work of the people…providing security and infrastructure for those who pay for it.

No indictments of Trump or his family. No Russian collusion to interfere with the 2016 election. No impeachment. No crowing from the Rachel Maddow crowd. Just nothing.

What now? Ohhhhhh…it’s a cover up! Mueller was in on it all along! Trump likely paid off Mueller and his entire family!

More HYPER-ANIMATED lead stories about the COLLAPSE of TRUMP! Because we, the American people, are a sea of suckers. Media bashing of Trump (as a return volley for his constant media bashing) will now pivot to some other red herring to try to topple the Trumpster.

“He’s not running for president. He’s running for ‘Keep Me Famous.'”

Here is the legendary TRUMP CAN’T WIN compilation. Ann Coulter is the only voice who got it right.

But never fear, Liberals. Socialism will win the 2020 election. Oh, yeah! The walls are closing in on capitalism. Hahahaha.

Represent.us — Welcome to the Jennifer Lawrence civics class and the things she left out

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

For over two years, America’s news anchors have been breathlessly declaring that Donald Trump’s presidency “is near the end” with daily BOMBSHELL reports of “the walls closing in” toward impeachment.

Louisville actor Jennifer Lawrence and her politically active friends claim they’re offering a nonpartisan solution to America’s hysteria-driven news cycle.

Jennifer Lawrence and Represent.us have a strategy to change our political system. Will it fly?

What Jennifer is not acknowledging is that too many megaphones with differing opinions all monetize misery. MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, et al. make a living by siding with liberals on virtually every issue, always demonizing the conservatives. Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Breitbart, et al. do the same thing in reverse.

THere’s money in them there arguments! That’s why the represent us pipe dream is mostly fantasy. Why unite when there is profiteering in discord?

Jennifer is oft quoted throwing shade at the current president. Now for some balance, here is President Donald Trump’s speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference gathering on March 2, 2019

…and Trump’s battles with the media mean they will breathlessly report that “the walls are closing in” until the next president is in office.

Take Trump out of the conversation for a minute. Research coverage of Barack Obama vs coverage of George W. Bush. Do the same research comparing coverage of Jimmy Carter vs. Ronald Reagan.

You already know the answers.

The tone of the news media’s general reporting on the next president can be determined in advance. All we need to know is the next president’s party affiliation and the tone of media reporting can be predicted with accuracy right now.

Media is really individual people and people are not objective

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

There is no shortage of public discourse about biased media. I’ve spent 40+ years in media with hundreds of colleagues in radio, TV, and print. Media is absolutely staffed with at least 85% liberal leaning people. That’s not a slam, just a fact.

When liberals are asked about this imbalance, they immediately reply “FOX NEWS!”

OK, yes. Fox News, Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh, and a host of smaller conservative outlets still only make up that one piece of pumpkin pie seen above. The rest of the pie represents the liberal influence in the delivery of news products.

Journalism instructors are supposed to teach critical thinking and discipline for objectivity but human behavior ultimately prevails in everything we do.

Former CBS news journalist Lara Logan spoke recently about liberal media bias. It’s completely correct. That’s why it irks delusional liberal journalists who believe they’re fair even though the lion’s share of their work lauds liberal principles. Logan’s comments affirm conservative complaints about seeing their heroes torched daily with nary a mention of their policy successes.

Attorneys for Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann have filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Washington Post after the kid was widely demonized in a media rush to judgment in D.C. His “crime” was staring down a grown man Native American who had walked up to Sandmann and beat a drum in his face.

Nick Sandmann, a high school sophomore, smiles as Nathan Phillips continues drumming in his face

The wider story was significantly different than initial media reporting. But the damage had been done.

Most of America, just like the remaining intact pie above, agree that President Donald Trump is a caustic jerk. He needlessly tweets acerbic comments about private citizens and debases liberal politicians. Instead of using diplomacy, he throws tantrums to get his way.

And Trump loves assigning demeaning names to opponents. Pocahontas, Lyin’ Ted, Crooked Hillary, and Bag Lady Bernie all get griddle time. Most observers expect a fresh label is coming for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC. Perhaps he’ll call her A.O. C-word.

Trump’s constant taunts of “fake news” are tough for journalists to swallow. Comedian Jon Stewart correctly points to media narcissism for taking the bait instead of trying to deliver fair reporting.

We get it. He’s an abrasive New Yorker. The media despises him and shows no restraint in leading every news feed with a “Trump is an asshole” story. The TODAY Show, CBS Morning News, and Good Morning America all deliver a healthy dose of “Trump is evil” news off the jump.

No slant in that headline, right?

Journalists will tell you that they are “holding power to accountability.” Cool. But where was the accountability factor when President Barack Obama was in office? There was certainly accountability pressed upon George W. Bush, including fake stories that got Dan Rather fired.

But Barack Obama remains teflon to media. He and Michelle Obama are portrayed as perfect creatures. That’s media bias through intentional oversight.

Truth is subjective when it’s pushed through a partisan lens. And it always is because the pusher is a human. In the media, there’s an 85% (or higher) chance that person is a liberal.

Media people think they’re working with pure hearts, that their personal vision is what’s best for America. Therein lies the problem. Individuals determine what gets reported and what gets ignored and the sum total is an overwhelming blast of liberal perspective disguised as news.

At the 2009 White House Correspondents Dinner, Obama was lauded with standing ovations and breathless laughter at his quips. Obama sarcastically “introduced” himself to the loving throng with “Most of you covered me…ALL of you voted for me.”

That’s the most truthful quote ever delivered from a president to the assembled journalists.

Good for Obama. Bad for the news consuming public that deserves seemingly impossible objectivity.

Why are youthful identities masked by media reporting capital crimes?

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

Kyle Yorlets

Five teenagers between ages 12 and 16 allegedly robbed Nashville singer Kyle Yorlets as he stood in his back yard. They demanded his car keys. Yorlets refused.

One of the teens then shot Yorlets and all of the assailants fled in a stolen vehicle. The singer dragged himself back into his home and died a short time later.


screenshot vis The Tennessean

The 12-year-old criminal detailed for police the details of their crime spree including the murder and various car thefts, one from Oak Grove, Kentucky.

The Nashville newspaper refused to identify the teens because of their “young age(s).”

screenshot: The Tennessean

Is this responsible journalism? Shouldn’t the public be informed of the identities of murderous citizens? What if any of these criminals somehow makes bond and is released? Wouldn’t the publication of their identities inform the public to steer clear of any of their associates who may or may not have been involved but are not yet charged?

The Associated Press stylebook addresses this issue without providing definitive direction. It’s open to local interpretation.

A community has the right to know if some of its citizens participate in assaults, thefts, rape, violence, murder, or any other mayhem that is dangerous to the rest of the community. Age is no factor. If a human violates community order with any of these heinous crimes, the public should be informed.

A friend of Yorlets describes the reverberation of pain through the dead man’s circle of family and friends.

Kyle Yorlets

People choose to live in a community to support each other through common use infrastructure, enlightenment, education, and protection. The basic understanding is that any dangerous citizens are to be removed so that they can no longer threaten the law-abiding majority.

The Louisville community has suffered noteworthy acts of violence perpetrated by youthful offenders who are then protected with a cloak of obscurity by some media outlets. This is depraved dereliction of duty.

My own 28-year-old son and a female friend were accosted on Cherokee Road in the Highlands on a summer night in 2017. Two youths put a gun to my son’s head and made him beg for his life as they robbed both victims.

No biggie. Youthful indiscretion. No one died. Forget about the emotional trauma inflicted on my son and his friend.

Let’s protect the identity of these depraved youths because, well, they could become upstanding citizens some day! Never mind that they might cross paths with your kid tomorrow night on a Louisville sidewalk.

Local media’s mission is to inform the public of inherent danger. Media steps up with BREAKING NEWS if there is a gas leak, wild animal on the loose, dangerous weather approaching, etc. but often masks the names of young criminals.

The thought is that the youth will rehabilitate and mature to become a helpful members of society. Reality can’t be hidden. Just like a dated tweet or an outrageous high school yearbook post that comes back to haunt politicians or celebrities, youthful crime must be included in a person’s resume.

There is no defined aging moment that launches potential acts of depravity. In the case of “underage” terrorists, media has a duty to alert the public when killers or violent, deranged, sociopathic offenders live nearby. They’re still terrorists, capable of creating mayhem on innocent citizens in any community.

Just like smoke detectors, media has a duty to alert otherwise uniformed society that predators are on the prowl.

Some media outlets, particularly broadcast and online, did the right thing by informing the public with images and names of at least 3 of the Nashville suspects because they were 14 or older. But most of the Nashville TV stations limited their information to ages of the suspects without using names or photos.

Society has the right to know the names and images of predatory terrorists who use violence against others. Do your job, media. Inform the public.

Other than the few publications that value community safety above outdated notions of childhood innocence, most media are coddling criminals instead of informing the law abiding citizens of youthful terrorism.

Worldwide media showed very little restraint in naming and demonizing 16-year-old Nick Sandmann, the Covington Catholic student whose crime was smirking at a grown man beating a drum in his face after a group of other grown men hurled homophobic and demoralizing slurs and threats at Sandmann and his classmates.

CCH student Nick Sandmann and native American performer Nathan Phillips

Hedge hogs ready to gut Gannett, newspaper business fiddled while Rome burned

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

Proofreaders? We don’t need no stinkin’ proofreaders!

Nor do most American newspapers. Two more editors were among the newly RIF’d at The Courier-Journal in Gannett’s slash-and-burn strategy.

A few weeks ago, a Courier-Journal employee told me that the scant few remaining employees were shuddering at the prospect of a hedge fund takeover of CJ parent company Gannett. Sure enough, Gannett made another massive reduction in force across America this week as if to prepare for its unholy marriage with Alden Capital.

Gannett slashed 400 jobs. Other media outlets also sent the Grim Reaper through employee break rooms. Even the snarky HuffPo kids took a hit.

The Courier-Journal losses were light this time but it could be just a preview of more consolidation that leaves local news customers clueless about anything that happens after 6 PM.

from the Washington Post, January 27, 2019

READ: THE WASHINGTON POST ON GANNETT’S CONSOLIDATION OF TENNESSEE NEWS

Ever notice how the final score of a UK game that ended at 9 PM isn’t reported in the next morning’s newspaper? All we get are early crowd photos and a partial score, e.g. “At the time of publication, UK was leading Kansas 31-29 early in the second half.” What?

That’s because Gannett forces the Courier-Journal to print its final edition early each evening so that it can print other papers later. The Lexington Herald Leader, owned by a Gannett competitor, pays to have its final edition printed in Louisville AFTER the Courier.

Gannett makes money printing competitors’ papers but the later press run gives those competitors more precious time to include fresher news.

Nearly all of America’s newspapers put up paywalls, limiting non-subscribers to scanning only headlines. Most of them beg for subscribers but by far the #1 problem for news publishers is runaway advertisers. Newspapers are no longer effective in cost-per-thousand metrics. Ad money is much more effectively spent online, embedded in Facebook and Google ads. Even broadcast and podcast radio delivers far more effectively than do newspapers.

The Courier Journal, Jan 2019

And, it’s OK to say “ass” on the radio. One year ago, the Courier Journal was trying to be edgier by using words like “dick” and “shit” in online copy. The public never noticed the CJ’s feeble attempt to be Howard Stern lite. Sales and readership continued to slide.

How did the industry get here? College professor and journalist Jeremy Littau walks us through the timeline of news publisher greed and arrogance that led us to empty newsrooms and unchecked power in cities and small towns nationwide.

BOTTOM LINE: There is no longer investment in local reporters, feature writers, and investigative reporters who hold public officials accountable for their use of public money.

Courier Journal Sunday Magazine, May 1985

I’ve been lucky enough to be featured in lots of newspapers and magazines over the years. Former Courier-Journal writer C. Ray Hall spent parts of three days with me and photojournalist Pam Spalding shot photos of me during two of those days.

All of that for ONE feature article in the Saturday Scene in 1990. The snippet pictured above involved multiple conversations with writer Mary Dieter and a photo shoot where items were glued to the wall to make it appear that Ron Clay and I were 90 degrees askew.

This required an enormous amount of work in the pre-Photoshop era to properly illustrate a story about local radio personalities. The refrigerator is on its side and the table, clock, dish towels, radio, and broom were glued or bolted to the sidewall to create the image.

Today writers are expected to do profiles of people in a few hours by collecting quotes and photos from Google and then getting one fresh comment from the subject. There’s no time for creative photography or long form interviewing. It’s cut and paste and then move on to the three other tasks that involve advertisers and reader complaints.

Terry Meiners & Ron Clay, WQMF (1985)

Here’s a small segment of a 1990 Lexington Herald Leader profile of me at work. Writer Glenn Rutherford (father of Ramsey & Rutherford co-host Mike Rutherford) spent half a day with me, did several follow up phone inquiries, and sent a photographer to shoot pictures of me with voice actor Randy Davidson.

Lexington Herald Leader, 1989

That was for a page and a half profile on a random day 30 years ago. Newspapers today have aggregated staff in remote cities that compose much of the next day’s paper in all of their markets. These are people that don’t know anything about the local characters in the towns they serve. They are tasked with churning out something generic to accompany their few remaining display ads.

The hometown paper is no longer from home. The Alden Capital hedge fund is about to make that situation even less personal.

Let’s have a Happy News Year, media peeps

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

President Trump calls CNN’s Jim Acosta “a rude, terrible person.” November 2018 photo: Variety

Ever since Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president, much of the news media universe has pounded him. And he hates them back.

He brings it on himself.

Trump is rude, arrogant, thoughtless, narcissistic, and ill-tempered. He uses Twitter to insult political enemies and even some private citizens with whom he disagrees.

Certain media people are rude, arrogant, thoughtless, narcissistic, and ill-tempered. But they’re not the president. That’s the difference.

Trump’s war with media has been his biggest conundrum and an odd victory for his supporters. With the President of the United States constantly declaring any criticism as “fake news,” it has weakened the overall perception of the media business even if it has bolstered the subscription rates and TV ratings of the some obviously liberal outlets. That’s a short term gain juxtaposed with a long term business meltdown.

Media egos are bruised. Jon Stewart nailed it in a CNN interview where he described Trump’s ability to deflect attention from real issues by hurting media members’ feelings. Forget issues, “it’s all about the fight.”

The pure-hearted, noble, nonpartisan media was angered by Jon Stewart’s assessment of their fragility. Remember too that Stewart was an actual fake newsman that millions of TV viewing idiots considered their primary nightly news source.

Let’s get honest. The massive majority of American media is liberal. People want to argue with me about how impartial and objective their reporting is but the proof is in their work.

What determines if something is a story in the first place? News gatherers, particularly those in charge, do the story selection.

All humans are biased because all humans have their own frame of reference. Training and education shine a light on impartiality but human nature overrides everything. News decisions are ultimately based on personal intentions.

There is no math in journalism. Engineers and scientists fail if their math doesn’t add up. Journalists instinctively wade through feelings to come to their conclusions. There is no math chart for feelings. They are interpreted individually.

Biased human beings pick the stories and biased human beings sidestep other stories that they feel are unworthy of illumination. These same biased people also select story placement…is it a LEAD story, a website header, or BREAKING news? Potential interview subjects with whom the journalists disagree may not be woven into the narrative.

Lewis and Clark Bridge spanning the Ohio River (2017)

In a city the size of Louisville, there are hundreds of gatherings of people in small groups to, say, volunteer at the mission, help the homeless, and clusters that create some type of problem (vandalism, shoplifting, selling drugs).

But most media companies will fill airtime by repeatedly running to one loudmouth politician or fame ho who constantly pitches some singular issue that the news manager agrees with. Forget highlighting the community helpers, let’s go talk to Billy Blowhorn one more time about how his neighborhood suffers from airplane noise.

We’re DOING THINGS! Not REPORTING THINGS, we are DOING THINGS! We are THE MEDIA! Hooray for us!

Just ignore that we cherrypick our pet projects. How many other news topics could have been covered if not for human deflection of potential stories? That’s where Trump gets his Fake News fuel.

It’s not Fake News. It’s just skewed news.

Media companies undoubtedly cover compelling stories that improve cities, help distressed people, and force changes for the betterment of all. That’s a column for another day.

This post addresses how media gets pulled into Trump’s spin cycle and stupidly fights instead of reporting. We have not seen this level of media vs. incumbent acrimony since Nixon.

Does this font size scream “fair & balanced” or “we hate this jackass and can’t wait until he’s out!” What’s old is new again.

I’ve worked in media outlets for four decades. There are lots more Democrats than Republicans in positions of influence. So instead of keying in on these hysteria-powered Trump days, let’s go back in time to compare media coverage of previous administrations.

Here’s some long form math: Go online and search media coverage of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter. That’s 40+ years of newspaper front pages, nightly TV news, late night comics, pop culture references in music and TV shows, animated commentary, and magazine covers regarding these presidents and their administrations.

Clips from TV shows, musicians, LeBron, late night comedians, and actors are inserted into news shows, giving cover to the news managers who’ll say, “Not my words, just the words of this popular person.”

Bruce Springsteen charged you $300 to go to his concert but he spent 25 minutes railing on Trump. That’s the clip on the next day’s news. Instead of Born to Run we get Born to Rant. Another slanted message embedded into the skew. Mission accomplished.

Photo of LeBron being mistreated by a ruthless conservative referee or hateful team owner or someone who doesn’t understand that WE ALL MUST LOVE LeBron.

Even without a first research click, you already know how this collection of news items will lean. So just stop with the notion of impartial coverage in the vast media universe. The only reason Fox News and Rush Limbaugh are so popular is because they are representative of the few conservative gladiators in a colosseum filled with liberal media counterparts all waving THUMBS DOWN!

Any time Limbaugh or Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity is mentioned in the so-called mainstream media, they are labeled as a conservative. How often is a liberal labeled in a news story? Almost never. They are called pundits, commentators, influencers, or newsmakers. Never just liberal.

When a politician gets in trouble, take note of where in the story the person’s party affiliation is mentioned. Hilariously predictable.

Electronic, print, and digital coverage of Barack Obama’s presidency was 8 solid years (plus the 2007 campaign year) of kissing his ass. Fawning, loving, breathless, boot-licking coverage of anything that Barack & Michelle do or say even today is GLORIOUS.

A recent Courier Journal column declared NO ONE AND (NO TOPIC) IS OFF LIMITS to its cartoonist Marc Murphy. The piece noted that Murphy could remember one cartoon where he took a shot at Obama. But it’s just one out of thousands drawn, mostly vilifying conservatives. At least Murphy is honest about his partisan venom.

The Lexington Herald-Leader’s Joel Pett mirrors Murphy’s one-party political fervor.

by Joel Pett, Lexington Herald Leader, December 23, 2018

Trump won Kentucky. So did both Bushes and Reagan. It’s as though the state’s two largest newspapers are still touting My Space when the majority of their potential customer base long ago moved to Instagram. (Bill Clinton won Kentucky once).

The media mantra is that we are “holding power to accountability.” Check that. It should be “holding conservative power to accountability.” Dems are scrutinized on a case-by-case basis but almost always lovingly. Pants dropping Dan Johnson was a rare Democrat skewered by local media.

Remember how Barack Obama himself chuckled at the White House Correspondents Dinner that “most of you covered me, all of you voted for me.” (followed by huge applause from assembled media and guests)

Just take a minute or two to search for coverage of George W. Bush, Obama’s predecessor. Same tone? Same fawning? Same lovefest? Please.

Now that George H.W. Bush has passed away, suddenly the impartial network scribes are gushing with praise for the entire Bush family. Journalists are lovingly reflecting on both Bush presidencies and the family’s grace and honor.

These hardworking journalists are finally seeing Bush family nobility whereas when they were in office, both President 41 Bush and 43 Bush were war mongering, cruel, clueless, rich white guys. George W. was a cocaine addict, spoiled idiot whose daddy must have paid off Ivy League schools to get his boy’s fake degrees from Harvard and Yale validated.

I learned all of that from our fair and balanced mainstream media. I also learned that many “impartial” journalists go on Twitter regularly to trash politicians. Again, go deep diving and see if they were harsh with the previous president back in the day. Nope, not likely.

Do the math. The imbalance is embarrassing for our media business. The proof is available online for those who are so partisan that they cannot see it through daily living.

All that aside. Donald Trump is a dimwit, rude, caustic prick. But he is still the President of the United States. Dealing with him is the same challenge bullfighters experience; no one quite knows what will happen next.

Get in the ring, ask your questions, but don’t try to make yourself the story. The only worse sin for a “journalist” who pushes a personal agenda is one who showboats to insert herself into the story.

Trump is the POTUS. You are the questioner. You’re not equals. That’s verifiable, too.

Let’s all try to do our media jobs with more balance and less partisanship & hostility in 2019. Our customers deserve to hear all sides of stories.

The voters will determine who’s next at the podium.

——-

Conor Friedersdorf in The Atlantic, February 2013

BREAKING HEARTS: two iconic Louisville news anchors depart with polar opposite storylines

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized

Louisville news viewers lost two pillars of the local media on Friday, December 21, 2018. WHAS-11’s Rachel Platt, above, had long planned for her smooth departure.

WAVE-3’s Scott Reynolds had no chance to make his own plan. He was informed in October that his contract would not be renewed at year’s end. It’s a money squeeze induced by the merger of WAVE owner Raycom and Gray Television. This blending of Gray’s 93 stations and Raycom’s 63 stations would only happen if Raycom reduced the payroll at certain outlets.

Raycom operators had hoped to keep the RIFs (reduction in force) quiet but former WAVE news anchor Cheryl Case broke the Reynolds story on Facebook in a December 19 post.

Affable Scott Reynolds, a 61-year-old sitting at the top of the payroll chart when the company is trying to tighten its operating costs, becomes the bullseye. WAVE told Reynolds that his position was being eliminated by RIF. That strategy makes an age discrimination lawsuit nearly pointless. Age was no factor, they’ll say. It was simply a body count issue.

Reynolds was crying on the phone one day before his departure, unable to piece together his farewell message for viewers. His first draft was edited by WAVE management, purging a veiled reference to the fact that the company was forcing his ouster. Raycom hoped to make it sound as though Reynolds was leaving by his own choice.

Platt’s 29 years of solid journalism and community service were celebrated with multiple parties, on air celebrations, and loving support from WHAS-11 management.

Terry Meiners, Emily Stillwell, and Rachel Platt (2018)

Rachel loved her co-hosting role with the WHAS Crusade for Children, generating stories about children with physical and mental challenges to heighten awareness to their needs.

Reynolds earned the same respect over 22+ years of great field reporting, anchoring, and community service. He was given a WAVE-3 newsroom celebration that was seemingly cut short after a few co-workers spoke of their love and concern for Reynolds.

from Curtis Tate on Facebook

Raycom execs have sidestepped inquiries about merger metrics or why many anchors were being released. In a business that demands transparency from newsmakers, media companies rarely offer answers to questions arising from their own business practices.

The merger received its official FCC blessing a few days ago.

Scott Reynolds delivers his farewell message to viewers after editing by WAVE3 management, December 21, 2018

Here are the official statements of the WAVE-3 general manager and news director:

OLD NEWS = TODAY’S NEWS

Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day with former WAVE3 news anchor Jackie Hays (2016)

In 2009, WAVE-3 management essentially forced the departure of Jackie Hays, a Louisville favorite, by downsizing her salary. That move provided short-term help in accounting but the station’s prestige and ratings glory soon slid away.

The entire terrestrial broadcasting business is under pressure from a new universe of digital news competition. Nonetheless, local news and analysis of community issues gives hometown media its raison d’être.

It’s yet to be seen if Gray/Raycom’s current dismissal of popular news talent in at least 7 other markets will hinder ratings or local impact. We shall see.

Platt is celebrating the holidays with her husband, sons, and other family and begins her new job as director of community engagement for Frazier History Museum on January 14.

Reynolds does not know where he will eventually work but he is hoping to stay in broadcasting. He has a nine month non-competition clause that evaporates next September.

As for his immediate future, Reynolds texted that he will “focus on the kiddos with all my heart and the birth of our Savior.”