Friday, May 31, 2013

Credible News Outlet(s)? Not Really

Media, especially the electronic kind, is mired in a search for relevance and credibility. True to form, Fort Wayne media does everything it can to sabotage it's once stellar stranglehold on the hearts and minds of their audiences. Wrong facts, spelling and grammar errors, poor writing, and the ever-popular "copy and paste press release dodge" all contribute to a sense that they really don't care. 

Here are two examples from WPTA/WISE/IndianasNewsCenter, etc. 

First, a complicated and important story where the writer has no problem spelling "jaundice" but can't seem to master the word "restaurant". 


Earlier in the week, we were told of a "huge" sinkhole at the corner of "Cody and Pemberton Streets. Credibility takes it in the shorts again, as most school children in Fort Wayne know that Cody is an Avenue and Pemberton is a Drive. Note also that "huge" means 10 feet wide. If the hole were 20, we might be told it was "giant". 



Some may blame budget cuts, other may point to a more relaxed presentation style. The fact of the matter is that no one seems to care. At this writing, both of these stories are still live on the station's website. This must be acceptable to the station ownership, management and advertisers and viewers. Remember, this is Fort Wayne, where most TV reporters are simply biding their time until Channel 8 in Grand Rapids or Channel 8 in Indy calls. Then, it's off to chase stardom and bright lights of TV showbiz, once called Journalism. 

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