Ten Things I Learned From Local Media

1. Indiana Legislators are now personally arresting and prosecuting brick and mortar structures for selling cigarettes to kids. 

 

2. Someone has been prosecuted for murdering a vacant house.

3. Days of the week Wednesday and Thursday are interchangeable when it comes to weather forecasts.

4. Shootings are so commonplace in Fort Wayne, they are now rated as "horrible" and "non-horrible.

5. Andy Beckman is still trolling for a co-host. What's wrong with Andy? He's a great guy!

6. Did you know that the Embassy theatre is 900 years old?

7. WFFT is not aware of any plans to contain the COVID 19 virus and the Maven is unsure what Fort Wayne streets have to do with it.

8. WPTA ABC21 is confused as to who owns the Indiana Toll Road. (Hint, it's owned by the State of Indiana and has been leased to an operating company).

9. Pretty little anchors are not in tune with the priorities of their audience and must lecture them on what's important.

 

10. Unlike most reputable media outlets, WANE TV names the victim of a suicide. Family and friends must be thrilled. 

But wait! There's more coming soon!

Reserve the Cuteness For Babies, Kittens, and Puppies

 

WANE 15's consultant must have told the kids writing the news to be more "creative" and to "engage" their viewers. 

On tonight's 6pm "show" (their word, not the Maven's) WANE 15 featured a story about Indiana's State Senate blocking a bill that would have allowed residents to carry a gun without having to buy a permit. 

As the anchor dutifully read the package intro they eluded to the legislation being "shot down" by the lawmakers in Indianapolis. 

Picking up the toss from the anchor, the reporter-ette presenting her package report used the same, trite, phrase. In her sing-song, Bob Dylan-esque speaking style she informed us all that the bill had been "shot down" by the Indiana State Senate. To add emphasis, she added, a few adjectives later, that the bill was "dead" for this legislative session.

So, just why does the Maven have his BVDs in a bunch? 

First, gun violence, and the government's efforts to eliminate it are serious and divisive political topics. Today, President Biden issued executive orders impacting gun owners. And WANE 15's own broadcast of the CBS Evening News featured a breaking story about a mass shooting in Texas. 

Not cute and fuzzy topics or outcomes. 

The Maven prays that someone, anyone will be adult enough to remember that "cute" belongs in feature stories, not hard news stories. 

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. 

This is how it looked on Twitter: