Far be it for me to publicly criticize members of my profession (I don't think I've ever done it), but I can no longer keep from sounding off when it comes to the obsession by the national media with what I consider purely "local" stories.
One of the latest examples, of course, is the runaway bride story.
It's a legitimate Georgia story and a legitimate Gainesville story because of Jennifer Wilbanks' connections to both places. But, does it really warrant the obsessive coverage by the national media? The same is true of the Laci Petersen and Jon Benet Ramsey stories - and the missing college student in Wisconsin, whose disappearance, like Wilbanks', turned out to be a hoax. More recently, the missing kids story out of Idaho.
My journalistic mind tells me these are purely local stories.
What in heaven's name is CNN, FOX, MSNBC, and so forth doing devoting so much time and manpower to these stories? The same can be said of the mainstream TV and radio networks as well as the wire services, national newspapers, and the national talk shows - radio and TV.
It appears there's a simple explanation.
Competition.
Such stories start out as a 'local' story but the 24/7 cable networks get wind of them, and, with all that time to fill, they are off to the races. But, if you notice, they are selective, for whatever reason, in which stories they pick to run with.
For competitive reasons, ABC, CBS, and NBC then decide that since so much time is being devoted by the cable channels to the story, they must pick it up and run with it.
The supermarket tabloids - if they are not already on it - pick up the story, as do all manner of national talk show hosts and so-called news web sites - not that I'm at all implying that any of them are true journalists.
So, enough already!
It's time for the big guys to butt out - and leave the local stories to us local guys.
Ken Stanford is the News Director for radio stations WDUN NEWS TALK
550, 1240 SPORTS RADIO THE TICKET and MAJIC 1029 and Editor for
accessnorthga.com.
Friday
May 17th, 2024
1:25AM
