Journalistic Economics

A possible gang-related shooting at the Glenbrook Square Mall parking lot. Both TV news operations covered the story and did a fairly good job - heavy on details, and light on conjecture. Well done. 

But, the contrast between WANE-TV and WPTA/ABC21 coverage shows a sharp difference in their follow-up stories. 

WANE-TV plays it straight, adding new information and getting a usable response from mall management. 

Read the WANE-TV story here:

http://www.wane.com/news/local-news/1-person-shot-outside-glenbrook-mall/1242118336

WPTA/ABC21 takes a different approach. 

Read the WPTA/ABC21 story here: 

http://www.wpta21.com/story/38448264/new-details-released-in-shooting-outside-fort-wayne-mall

Relying heavily on the media press release from the police spokesman, as WANE-TV did, WPTA/ABC21 fills in the blanks of who, what, why, where and how and then offers something additional. The WPTA/ABC21 story uses their news product to go out of the way to reassure and comfort viewers that the malls are safe and secure. Besides the obvious ass-kissing, WPTA/ABC21 appears to be doing their best to protect the lucrative advertising contracts from Glenbrook Square. 

That, kids, is the economics of "journalism" in Fort Wayne TV news.