Local TV News Is Dying - Wounds Are Self-Inflicted

It was epic. A confused reporter live on Facebook with few facts and much conjecture. 

We're told the "reporter" was Arielle Cadet. Ms. Cadet's first Facebook Live on-the-scene report was cut short during the first minute as her iPhone battery died. A few minutes later, her report resumed, disorganized and confusing. Continually referred to the Heritage Park Nursing home as Heritage Park Apartment on Hobson road, even as posters to the live thread tried to correct her. Another poster to the WPTA ABC21 Facebook page likened the presentation to a Valley Girl telling a friend about her latest shopping spree. The most cringe-worthy comment from Ms. Cadet was her statement that she was near "victims family members" who concluded "must be feeling really, really, sad right now". It is unclear how she knew these were family members. At no time did she have official information from the police, and engaged in speculation, assumptions, and jumped to conclusions not based on official information, but only from her opinion. 

To add insult to injury, a viewer on WPTA ABC21's Facebook page took the reporter to task for a "horrible" report. WPTA ABC21's female lead anchor came to Ms Cadet's defense and chastised the viewer for her comments. 

So, from Krista Miller's response we can gather two things. 

One: Critical comments from viewers are "hurtful", even if they are accurate. The Maven calls this the "Snowflake" response. Off to your "safe space", kids!

Two: WPTA ABC21 uses different journalistic standards for Facebook Live reports. Wild speculation, conclusions not based on fact, and assumptions made based on no official confirmation are totally acceptable. This also includes a lack of common human decency of those "family members feeling really, really sad".

Ms. Miller is really in no position to take the high ground, as her confused and wandering live report from the downtown riot this summer lowered the bar of credibility for the station to an all-time low. Her bout with tear gas seemed to be the highlight of her reporting. 

This is not the first time that WPTA ABC21 has played fast and loose with their news reporting. 

Let's go back to July 7, 2017, the day before the opening of the 3 Rivers Festival. 

Here are 3 tweets that sum up WPTA ABC21's panic reporting, with the last Tweet, from another media outlet, settling the issue. 

Days after WPTA ABC21's  false report and the panic that ensued, WPTA ABC21's female anchor (at the time) Alexis Gray appeared on Pat Miller's WOWO afternoon show for damage control.

Mr. Miller asked about the use of rumor and conjecture. Ms. Gray's response was telling. She said "facts and accuracy don't matter in a breaking news situation". "We feel that our coverage saved lives".

Saved lives? From a shooter that did not exist?

Local Media To The Rescue

This news story is questionable, on more than a few levels.

First is the curious timing of the publication of the story which seems to be a "favor" designed to deflect attention and shield the Henry administration from criticism.

Second, the story can be seen as slanted and faulty making a claim not substantiated by those who were interviewed and appears to include conclusions by the reporter. 

Just days after Mayor Tom Henry faced criticism that his State Of The City Address appeared to only give tepid "lip service" to Fort Wayne's homeless situation, WPTA ABC21 publishes an emotional story advancing the premise that the majority of homeless people in Fort Wayne are children, specifically under the age of 10 years old. A coincidence? Or did the City public information flacks plant this story to divert attention from the Henry administration's apparent view that homeless people are nothing more than an inconvenience to the redevelopment of downtown and are someone else's problem. 

Now, about the story itself. It is defective, making conclusions not supported by those interviewed. 

While that assertion may be true, none of the "advocates" that WPTA ABC21's Krista Miller interviewed provided those figures or that conclusion. Clearly it's an opinion offered by the reporter as a "fact" designed to tug at heart strings and deflect criticism.

As for those interviewed, it appears that WPTA ABC21 was directed toward hand-picked "advocates" who are closely aligned with the Henry administration and receive some sort of benefit from the City. Note the quote from Ms. Fabian mentioning the City's funding involvement (including adding an additional day to the month of April). 

WPTA ABC21 seems to ignore other organizations that provide food, clothing, guidance, and other assistance to the Fort Wayne homeless population. Why were they not interviewed, and who provided WPTA ABC21 with the names of those to interview? 

The Maven wonders if Krista Miller and WPTA ABC21 had reached out to those other advocates and organizations, then their public relations effort to rehabilitate the image of the Henry administration would have crumbled, and the truth would be known. Fort Wayne's very own humanitarian crisis is only viewed by the City as an inconvenience to downtown redevelopment. People living and sleeping on the streets in freezing weather...not the optics the City wants or desires.

For sure, John Perlich has Krista Miller on his speed dial and WPTA ABC21 in his pocket.

The story is here:

https://wpta21.com/2021/02/11/most-homeless-people-are-children-according-to-fort-wayne-advocates/

WANE-15 Refers to Local School System As A Gritty Survival Tool

"First reference" is the first time a person, thing, or entity is identified in a news story. 

An "acronym" is formed from the initial letters of a person, thing, or entity that is too unwieldy for everyday speech, or is unfamiliar to the general public. 

Modern journalism style teaches that the full name of an entity be presented using it's full name on first reference. For example, "National Weather Service" is correct on first reference. "NWS" on first reference is not correct style usage and might tend to confuse listeners, readers, or viewers. 

Fort Wayne TV stations have a bad habit of identifying entities using an acronym on first reference in their news stories. Whether this is ignorance or just plain laziness remains to be seen. 

The most common example is using or saying "FWCS" instead of spelling out or saying "Fort Wayne Community Schools". To be fair, the use of "FWCS" on second and subsequent references makes perfect sense. 

WANE-15's Sierra Tufts has taken this laziness a step further. Tonight, in reporting on Northwest Allen County Schools, Ms. Tufts abbreviated the acronym (NACS) with a nickname: "NAX" on first reference. In each and every subsequent reference, NACS was renamed "NAX". Not once did she use N-A-C-S or Northwest Allen County Schools as an alternative. No, each time the school system was referred to as: "NAX". 

Tonight's presentation was more than just annoying. The Northwest Allen County teacher, who brought this to the Maven's attention, regarded it as an insult and a slight to her, her students, and the school system. 

In case you wanted to know what a NAX really is: