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The 2015 Media Overreacting to Standard Park Procedures Thread


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Or it's just called b roll....

Picture gets sent in, they decide to run the story. Producers decide to angle the story to talk about the situations all year. Pictures are boring and video is best. They either a) sent a photog out to the park to get some quick video B) they had footage already on file.

You throw the video on their and then loop the sequence 2-3 times just in case.

So no not a problem with journalistic integrity.

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My comments regarding journalistic integrity were solely related to the usage of Intimidator footage/picture(s) when referencing Flying Ace Aerial Chase.

 

However, one might argue there is an issue with journalistic integrity when rushing a story to the media without 1) making good faith effort to get comment from all parties involved, 2) making a big thing out of something minor that poses no threat to guest safety, 3) making any attempt to confirm the validity of the reported information...

 

If I wanted to know what random people are saying on Twitter, I'd go to Twitter.  When I go to the news media, I expect stories that have had at least some verification go into them.

 

Picture gets sent in, they decide to run the story. Producers decide to angle the story to talk about the situations all year.

 

Deciding to run a "story" based on a couple pictures that people decide to post on social media?  Where's the journalism?  Angling a story? Again, where's the journalism?  At best you end up with an editorial.

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My expectations and assumptions are not aligned.  I assume that any information presented in the media is highly suspect at best.  I expect, meaning that I believe they should, however, report verified stories only.  Now, some stories will be little more than a source who wishes to remain anonymous, and so long as 1) that's made clear, and 2) the party about whom the story was written is consulted for comment, that's tolerable.

 

expectation: "a belief that someone will or should achieve something"

assumption: "a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof"

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News has become, to most media outlets, a profit center. The less spent producing it, the more money to be made--to a point.

The oldtime network news types would turn in their graves at the state of the Fourth Estate today. Well, some of them would. See also Yellow Journalism.

Things are more like they are now than they were when I got here.

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News has become, to most media outlets, a profit center. The less spent producing it, the more money to be made--to a point.

The oldtime network news types would turn in their graves at the state of the Fourth Estate today. Well, some of them would. See also Yellow Journalism.

Things are more like they are now than they were when I got here.

And this is one of two reasons why I'm not in the field of my degree. I do believe that there is still good journalism out there. It is just harder to find in the world where station/network owners are focused on the profit and not the message. 

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In related news, Travel Channel named Carowinds one of its top 10 amusement/water parks this year: http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article20326470.html

 

(The State is "South Carolina's most honored newspaper" in case anyone's wondering)

 

Apparently the media hype over rides stopping at the park wasn't enough to keep the park from being recognized.

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I'm not going to comment on how the owners of stations look at the news as I never worked with the owners.

Let me go into more detail about my earlier comment. Someone sends it pictures of the ride stalled to the station. The nightly producer looks at them and calls the station. The station confirms it stopped for safety reasons. The put the story on the white board.

The producer and anchor talk over the stories and build the newscast with stories that the majority of the general population would enjoy and want to know about. They decide to run the story. They need it to cover 30-45 seconds. They call the park opening to get sound on tape. The goal is to run it as a VOSOT. The park declines or is not available. They run it as a VO and go through their previous notes about the park. They talk about Aerial Chase as well. They need video to cover up the person talking (VO) and go to the file to get video from the park.

Stories like this either run for 1 of two reasons.

1: the station had time it needed to fill. If the show runs long these are the type of stories that are killed.

2: the producer/anchor thought it was interesting enough for the general pop to enjoy.

The news media doesn't over hype these stories. They present them because people are generally interested. It may make them not go to the park this weekend if something isn't working.

I have worked (previously) at the lowest markets and in the top 30 TV markets. The news all works the same. The producer/anchors do not care about profit margins. They care about getting eye balls on their newscast so they can be #1. They want to win awards. They want to move to the next bigger market.

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Here is a second thought as well.

In most of the stories they mention that ride stopped for safety. The biggest complaint I have seen (besides wrong vo) is they don't tell people why it's stopped. So if they are telling people why it's stopped, are they not educating people and saying its a safety thing?

Also we talk about the media overreacting. Well what makes this any less of a news story than say an accident or a robbery? News is to inform and educate. So if they are educating the public that the ride is down for safety, is that wrong?

In all forms of media, you are driven by your audience. What your audience wants is what you deliver.

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Also we talk about the media overreacting. Well what makes this any less of a news story than say an accident or a robbery?

False equivalency. The "news" about theme parks' ride stoppages are typically more equivalent to "an accident was avoided because both drivers were alert and their brakes worked properly," and "a man walked up to a closed store and tried to open the door, finding it locked he moved on." Reporting non-dangerous non-events isn't typical of news coverage of accidents or robberies, only of things that happen at amusement parks. Probably because amusement parks are of interest to the public, but actual incidents are exceedingly rare.

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Also we talk about the media overreacting. Well what makes this any less of a news story than say an accident or a robbery?

False equivalency. The "news" about theme parks' ride stoppages are typically more equivalent to "an accident was avoided because both drivers were alert and their brakes worked properly," and "a man walked up to a closed store and tried to open the door, finding it locked he moved on." Reporting non-dangerous non-events isn't typical of news coverage of accidents or robberies, only of things that happen at amusement parks. Probably because amusement parks are of interest to the public, but actual incidents are exceedingly rare.

 

 

Disagree.  Im not saying that the ride stoppage is in the same category of an accident or robbery.  I am saying that an accident/robbery/ride stoppage is of interest to the general public.  If there is a broken down on the way to work you may avoid that route.  If a ride stopped you may want to know about it to monitor the situation.  WindSeeker stopped for safety but left riders up there for a long time. 

 

The news reports on many things.  From reporting of fatalities to near misses.  How often do you hear in the news that 2 jets were on a collision course but the warning systems gave the pilots adequate time to miss and they did. 

 

Agree or disagree the level of newsiness of a story about a ride stopping at the top, the general population still wants to know about it. 

 

Plus these stories are again usually the filler stories of the newscast first to be cut last to be added.  To many, a roller coasters doing anything but running is a unique experience. 

 

 

 

My comments regarding journalistic integrity were solely related to the usage of Intimidator footage/picture(s) when referencing Flying Ace Aerial Chase.

 

However, one might argue there is an issue with journalistic integrity when rushing a story to the media without 1) making good faith effort to get comment from all parties involved, 2) making a big thing out of something minor that poses no threat to guest safety, 3) making any attempt to confirm the validity of the reported information...

 

If I wanted to know what random people are saying on Twitter, I'd go to Twitter.  When I go to the news media, I expect stories that have had at least some verification go into them.

 

Picture gets sent in, they decide to run the story. Producers decide to angle the story to talk about the situations all year.

 

Deciding to run a "story" based on a couple pictures that people decide to post on social media?  Where's the journalism?  Angling a story? Again, where's the journalism?  At best you end up with an editorial.

 

All news stories/articles/etc are presented with a bias.  The angle is a journalism term for hook.  Whats the angle whats the hook?  This means what about this story can make it interesting to viewers.  A ride stops, not that big of a story.  A ride stops for the 4th time in 4 weeks, along with 2 other rides stopping, now thats a story.  As a journalist your job is to ask questions and let the facts answer them.  In this case, the question asked was "Why does this seem to be happening a lot at your park?" The answer was "its a safety feature and something must be setting off the sensor."  The hook can be "is the park safe" or it could be "new rides sensors are too touchy" or it could be "park takes safety as a priority."  Depending on the history of the park, the ride, the people and the concerns in the area, and people at the park you talk to determines the angle/hook you are going to go with.  You asked where is the journalism.  I would say that paragraph is 99% right on how that story was developed. 

 

 

 

News has become, to most media outlets, a profit center. The less spent producing it, the more money to be made--to a point.

The oldtime network news types would turn in their graves at the state of the Fourth Estate today. Well, some of them would. See also Yellow Journalism.

Things are more like they are now than they were when I got here.

And this is one of two reasons why I'm not in the field of my degree. I do believe that there is still good journalism out there. It is just harder to find in the world where station/network owners are focused on the profit and not the message. 

 

 

I would be interested in what the other reason was.  I left radio/tv but I left it so I could settle down.  The media lifestyle is too frantic to raise a family....

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**Not arguing but trying to discuss**

 

 

 Sorry, info-tainment is not "news". 

 

What do you consider info-tainment?  Like the Royal Baby and the Kardashians?  Or more like when people want to know why something is happening (such as the stuck train?)?  I mean Bob Herzog on Channel 12 could be considered info-tainment... Or when they do an interview at a bar with a Bengals/Reds player... Or even attending a media day....

 

 

 

 

Im very passionate  about defending the folks in the media.  Over my years working and keeping in contact with media members (as professionals and friends), I have met some of the hardest working folks in my life.  Not one have I met (from market 214ish to market 30) have been in the business of creating a story out of nothing.  These people put their best into their pieces and work hard to present something that is informative and entertaining to the viewers.  Media members have a special obligation to the people who watch/listen.  You let them into your home, your car, talk to your kids, and anywhere else.  This obligation goes to provide factual stories with as much information as possible.  The people ruining the media are not the people on tv, or even the people who work hard to make sure it gets on air and stays on air (I once had to direct a news cast with a switch board that needed a wire held in place by a hand to stay on air).  Sometimes I feel we as a community assume way too much.  We act like knowing the difference between a Vekoma and a B&M is common knowledge or the history of accidents on Intamins is common knowledge.  Its not.  TV people are not lawyers, they are not all powerful and knowledgable beings who know a lot about everything.  They know a little about a lot and a lot about nothing. 

 

A normal news day goes like this for many reporters/anchors:

 

12/4/5/6 PM News Cast

 

8am: News Meeting - discuss what is happening in the area (trials, construction, human interest, stuck roller coasters, etc).

9am: Anchors/Reporters/Producers break from the meeting and start calling their leads.  To either get interviews or to drum up new stories

10am: Reporters and Photogs leave the station to gather VO and interviews.  Reporters write their stories on the road, often on a phone. 

10am Anchors and producers are preparing for the noon news. 

11am: Directors/Editers are making finishing touches on the noon show, Noon show not finished being written yet.

1130am: News team assembles for noon cast.  Show being finished.  Promos are being shot.  Live shots being established.

12-1235: News Cast!!!!

1235-1: Lunch

1-3: Shooting Stories, 10/11 News Cast meeting, Editers working on show pre. New stories are being pitched.  Stories being written for the 4/5/6 shows.

330 News Team Assembles

4-630, News Casts, live shots, etc.

7PM some reporters leave for the day, etc. 

730-8 Dinner

8-930 prep for evening shows

10-12am News. 

12-1215 shooting promos. 

1230AM: Morning Show news meeting

1230-4 show prep

4-7: News

7:30AM Off call for the nightly crew.

8am News meeting for the next day, etc.....

 

 

So sometimes, it gets very difficult to just drive over to a park (that may or may not be 40 minutes from the station) to shoot cover footage for a 5 second sound bite.  Especially if no one is available or willing to stand up and give an interview....

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The park stated that the issue was a safety feature of the ride but the news anchor continued to give the idea that the park has a rash of issues by stating that this is the 3rd time this operating season that rides have been shut down (including Flying Ace Aerial Chase which wasn't even the ride shown, talk about journalistic integrity). 

 

So when a cash register goes down at a Starbucks should we call our local media demanding attention and expect it to be on the evening news?

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The park stated that the issue was a safety feature of the ride but the news anchor continued to give the idea that the park has a rash of issues by stating that this is the 3rd time this operating season that rides have been shut down (including Flying Ace Aerial Chase which wasn't even the ride shown, talk about journalistic integrity). 

 

So when a cash register goes down at a Starbucks should we call our local media demanding attention and expect it to be on the evening news?

 

1. Is it a fact or not that a ride is shut down for the 3rd time?

2. See above about VOs on the Flying Ace Aerial Chase video

3. Does that Cash Register being down, cause park guests to either a: sit in a coaster X number of feet off of the ground b : does broken register cause guest patrons to exited a coaster or potentially have them leave the coaster?

 

 

I just re-watched the video.  He says: Another ride stuck again.  A ride is stuck for the 3rd time in 3 weeks.... 

 

Not sure he is implying anything but asking the question: What is going on at Carowinds?  The facts give the answer and he reports it: Safety Sensors are triggering the stops.  40 seconds of a newscast....

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I would be interested in what the other reason was.  I left radio/tv but I left it so I could settle down.  The media lifestyle is too frantic to raise a family....

 

 

Had my demo tape, was working and saving money so I would be able to move...then life happened. I had to stay in Central Ohio which is not a market you break into right out of college if you want to be a reporter. Then I wanted to stay in Central Ohio...then we had to...and now, while I don't have reasons to have to stay, I don't want to enter the field. I'm at a point in my life that I want to have a stable career and life that isn't at risk to the whims of a new GM or ratings. I have a few friends that are still in broadcasting and the things I hear make me sad. It isn't what they signed up for...but it's the nature of the changing business. I'm just not willing to jump into that fire anymore. 

 

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