Why?

Why do the kids in the WOWO news room think that a preview of Netflix June offerings is "local" news? 

Answer: Millennial over-think logic: "I live in an apartment, I can't afford a $400,000 downtown condo since I work in the media, but I can afford $9.99/month! A great discovery, thus, it is news. Since my apartment is in Fort Wayne, it's local news!"


Why, if the Indy 500 was Sunday, and millions of people saw the Ruoff Mortgage car win the race, are local media only now, days later uncovering this fact? WANE TV on Tuesday, and the Journal Gazette on Wednesday.....

The answer to "why" works better as a multiple-guess question. 

A) The media did not know that Ruoff was a local company or understand the connection until a cranky salesperson or manager started hollering. 

B) The media, running bare-bones staff during the holiday didn't have anyone who could write an understandable news story. 

C) The media held the story until more eyes and ears were available to read or see the story, since media does not think anyone watches or reads during a holiday. 

Only the Shadow knows......

Apparently.....

Working overnights is not easy, and Chris Darby deserves a lot of credit for his hard work. 

So, this is not a slam on Chris, but rather, an illustration of how TV-speak and Cop-speak intersect and give us moments like this. 

Chris' first tweet: 

Quick, concise, basic details and a promise to follow up. Good. 

His second tweet:

Added details, personal observation of the scene. Again, a good report.

Chris' third tweet:

OK. Here's what's confusing. In the first tweet, it's a shooting. Not an alleged shooting, not an apparent shooting. The second tweet indicates bullet holes in the car and a man taken to a hospital. 

Yet the third tweet says it's an apparent shooting. It walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, but WANE TV, for reasons unknown, tell us it's an APPARENT duck. 

Well, at least they didn't say it was an ALLEDED duck, er, shooting. 

Media Putting Lives At Risk

Apparently local TV news operations have little regard for the safety of their reporters. 

Who at WANE TV thought it was a good idea to put their cute reporter-ette just steps away from a downed power pole, complete with downed power lines? 

The Maven wonders what the station's Worker's Comp insurance carrier thinks of this....

But the idiocy is not limited to WANE TV. A few years ago, a reader sent a cellphone picture of a reporter and camera set up in a narrow median area of Coliseum Boulevard during a snow event. (that's the reporter on the left, the camera on the right)

The Maven is always astonished that TV news operations go out of their way to show you what not to do.....while doing exactly what they warn against. 

Media and Shovels

Will Rogers is credited with the political quip: "when you find your self at the bottom of a hole, quit digging". 

Not to be cruel to Councilman Didier, but he and his City Council colleagues should take Mr. Rogers' advice, and quit trying to explain their controversial vote to rezone 6-odd acres on West Jefferson for C-2 commercial development. It was an unpopular decision that many political observers fear may cause one councilman their seat during the next election cycle. So, why keep talking about it? Quit digging!

While the media found no interest in pursuing the story of politically-connected Republicans greasing the wheels for other politically-connected Republicans, all under the watchful eye of the third-most powerful Republican in the state.....the media has had no problem offering a forum for council members to revise and extend their excuses/explanations of why they torpedoed the city's Plan Commission "do not pass" recommendation on the rezoning. 

That's how the game is played. Media is giving cover to those they wish to protect. 

Who Is Tom Crawford?

Apparently the kids in the WOWO news room think he's a city councilman, or something. 

A moment of silence, please, as WOWO's credibility slips a little more.....

Maybe It's A Mistake, Maybe It's Not

Moving along from contentious Council meetings and former County commissioners reciting fairytales......let's try something really fun. 

The kids in the WOWO news room have been at it again, misidentifying a local school while recognizing them for a good deed. 

Uh, did you mean INDIAN Village school?

Now, before we jump to the conclusion that the kids at WOWO screwed this up, please consider this:

Fort Wayne Community Schools worked very hard to demonize the North Side REDSKINS nickname...shaming then into accepting the new, politically-correct nickname, the Legends. 

Could it be that FWCS has quietly renamed Indian Village to Indiana Village? Maybe the name changed in the middle of the night at New Years, and no one told us, in order to prevent an uproar. 

Hey.....stranger things have happened when Fort Wayne media and FWCS are left to their own devices. 

Media Ignores Republican Elephant In The Room

Story time: (hint, it's about the media, not the players in this drama)

A developer want to develop 6 acres on West Jefferson. The land will need to be rezoned and will mean an increased sales price for the family that owns it. However, residential owners near and adjoining the property fear a substantial loss in the value of their homes. 


 
Simple story. Until one looks a little closer and realizes a common denominator for all involved (except the neighbors, poor bastards).

The current owner of the property is related to a very well-known Republican politician. Sounds fine. No issue there. All above board.

The buyer of the property and developer is also a politically-connected Republican, having served as a member of the Allen County Council. Gee, now that's a coincidence. 

And finally, the majority of the men who will make the YES/NO decision on City Council are also influential Republicans. Gosh, who'd a thought?

Simple coincidences, right? 

So, why hasn't our illustrious local media, voice of the people, protectors of the little guy spoken up and connected the dots or even asked about Republicans helping Republicans? When was the last time that the Journal Gazette, for example, passed up an chance to screw Republicans?

Either this is lazy journalism, or they don't want to be left off Steve Shine's Christmas card list this year.