Many of us reacted with horror at last week’s grand jury report on
Catholic priests' sexual abuse cases in Pennsylvania. Not so the state’s
largest paper. The Courier-Journal had ZIP about this in its edition
next day. Lexington TV stations seem to ignore the fact that one of the
bishops involved, the Harrisburg one, had moved there from Lexington.
It took days to get local church reaction, and when they did, 27 &
Fox carried reports listing his name as Richard Gainer, not Ronald.
More horror from the murders of a young pregnant wife and her two
daughters in Colorado. The husband became a suspect but before he was
charged, during his “perp walk” a reporter shouted “why did you kill
your wife?” America seems to forget one of our cardinal principles is
the presumption of innocence, and this is why. When I was a local TV
news director had this happened, my staff would have had what one
reporter called “a come to Jesus” session with me. “Did you kill your
wife?” is OK; the other is not. What a difference one word makes, but
that’s what journalism is all about. I was amazed that CBS used the
offending report on its evening newscast---hardly "original reporting.”
My compliments to all area stations who won regional Emmy awards,
but especially to Miranda Combs for her investigative report on a sleazy
local auto dealer who was defrauding its customers. The state took
action against him only after her reports aired.
For years newspapers have sought a “business plan” that would stave
off their shrinking readership. I have one: put the main news on the
front page. My fave Lexington morning rag put the conviction of
Manafort, and Cohen’s guilty pleas on page 6!
I'm just sayin'...
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