Deja Vu at 101.5
By Debbie HoltzIt’s no surprise when shock jocks display poor behavior. The problem starts when their antics infect the newsroom.
At the recent 101.5-incited Statehouse rally protesting the Gov’s EZ Pass to getting the State out of debt, we saw both extremes.
It’s fair game when commentators want to use their airtime to grumble about government. It’s probably even OK if they want to stage a protest rally with their rabid listeners as a Greek chorus.
The real question is: how should the station’s newsroom cover it? After all, it’s a self-promotional event designed to increase ratings and advertising revenues for the broadcast corporation.
You know the line is blurred – more like trampled -- when a partisan legislative leader thanks the station’s news director during his turn at the podium paid for by 101.5, as one observer commented.
There’s even more static when Bob Ingle, Gannet’s Trenton Bureau Chief – as in news, not advertising – becomes part of the story by gushing about the rally for the station’s video camera. But then again, should we be surprised given Ingle’s 101.5 moonlighting gig on Friday afternoons during drive-time.
(On second thought, maybe that wasn’t really Ingle in the video, just a digitally inserted image. . .)
After this piggish display, are we supposed to believe the news staff at 101.5 and Gannett will present balanced reporting on the Governor’s debt restructuring plan?
There’s a clear difference between making news (if you want to call it that) and reporting the news.
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Republican Controlled Media In The US
Everybody by this time should be aware of the fact that only five Republican media companies control all of our radio, TV and newspapers in this country. They all got George Bush elected twice by slanting the media spin on our airwaves and in print media. Now that Gannet and 101.5 are powerful in this state, and controlled by these same forces, of course they are going to go after Democrats and lift up Republicans. They are doing the same thing to Hillary Clinton's campaign right now and poisoning the minds of the electorate towards her. To a lesser extent, they are slowly going after Obama too. But if he gets the nomination, they will back up their right-wing dump truck of smears and swift-boating and dump that on him also. It's time that our media is called out just like Chris "Tweety" Mathews and David Schuster on MSNBC have recently been for their awful statements that are condoned by our society because they are brainwashed by this constant conservative slant and negative attacks all day long in our media. Good for you Debbie, it shows your an independent thinker who can see what is true and what is just political spin to further their political agenda.
In all fairness, Ingle is a
In all fairness, Ingle is a columnist, not a reporter. He's putting his opinions out there every day, whether they're biased or not.
our very own Fox News
the blurred lines between Commentator and Reporter at 101.5 and Gannet have been pretty obvious for years.
Gannet's first problem was having a Columnist be its Statehouse Bureau Chief....that just doesn't make any sense. Its a fine line, but its one they've crossed. Same at 101.5 with Eric Scott. He lets his personal politics seep in a little too much.
Line has been blurred for years
Debbie:
I have news for you....this has been going on for years. The onset of cable TV news in the late 70s and its explosion in the 90s have forced more of the "infotainment" format. You're right, its all about ratings, and everyone does it.
Independent studies have shown that most outlets, like ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN along with the NY Times and Washington Post all lean to the left while Fox News leans right. That evidence cannot be argued, despite what others say on this forum. But while many on the left scream about Fox News, the reason it gains in popularity is because people right of center identify with the station, something they never had when the big four controlled the news.
I would ask, given the NY Times track history, how ANYONE thinks they can write an unbiased story. Same with the Philly Inquirer, a paper that wrote 20 straight editorials in 2004 excoriating George Bush. While many disagree with Bush, the unprecedented run of editorials was over the top, but showed the bias of the newspaper.
I know you're shocked, Debbie, but I'm not. When Columbia Univeristy journalism students are asked why they want to be journalists, their very scary answer was "to make a difference." That's not what a journalist is supposed to do. They are supposed to inform and let the reader/viewer decide.
Well Casey and Rossi are not
Well Casey and Rossi are not reporters, neither is Ingle. These people are paid to give their opinions. Eric Scott can not help if he is covering an event and gets thanked from the podium.
Whoever is being attacked always seems to attack the press. It is the media's job to go after whoever the party in power is and that is what the news department of 101.5 is doing. They are asking the tough questions to the Corzine administration that the mainstream outlets are not doing. The Corzine administration and the Dem's are not used to this because network media focuses too much on NY, and the NJ TV media (NJN and News12) are too concerned with being friendly to politicans and obtaining access rather than asking the tough questions.
Granted, the "ralley" was a PR stunt, something all radio shows do. However, I do not see NJ 101.5's coverage of this event as biased in any way.
This is more than a blurred line.
This is no line at all. Neither man can be in charge of any news operation that claims to be even remotely objective. Leaving them in their positions destroys the credibility of both organizations.
The Flying Pig Rally was the best! With the constant
suffering from B.O.H.I.C.A. day after day this event was massaging for the soul!