Someone literally went batsh*t crazy in Colorado...

[Kevin M.]

Watching breaking news of multiple shots fired (at least 10 dead and
39 taken away by ambulance) and some sort of gas used on theatergoers
during a Dark Knight Rises midnight showing in Aurora, Colorado. If I
may ask an exasperated rhetorical question: What the hell is wrong
with people?

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/20/12850048-at-least-20-hurt-after-shooting-during-dark-knight-screening-in-aurora-colorado?lite

--
Kevin M. (RPCV)

[Bob in Jersey]

Kevin M.:

Watching breaking news of multiple shots fired (at least 10 dead and
39 taken away by ambulance) and some sort of gas used on theatergoers
during a Dark Knight Rises midnight showing in Aurora, Colorado. If I
may ask an exasperated rhetorical question: What the hell is wrong
with people?

It's an autoimmune imbalance, Kev. Different people believe in different ways to address it. 'Nuff said.



--
BOB

[Kevin M.]

Every aspect of the coverage I saw has been a shining example of
everything wrong with "breaking news" journalism. They don't know, but
they are on the air live so they speculate. They put a voice on the
air who says he was in the theater without verification. This morning
ABC News reported someone with the same name as the shooter is
registered with the Tea Party but they couldn't confirm it was the
same guy but George Stephanopoulos felt obligated to report the rumor
(rumor turned out to be false, by the way). And in what may be the
most crass and exploitative thing I've seen since George Bush told
Brownie he was doin' a heck of a job, I watched as TV news put
teenagers on camera to talk about the nightmare they had just
witnessed. One kid said he could talk about it but his girlfriend was
off cowering in a corner somewhere. Do I need to repeat that? Instead
of comforting his girlfriend, the kid was reliving the horror on
camera. Not the kid's fault -- he's a kid. But the TV reporter who
interviewed the kid needs an ass-whooping. The TV reporter who doesn't
say "You know what, you guys have enough to deal with, take care of
yourselves, here's my card. Maybe once things have calmed down we can
talk" needs to be run out of town.

It happened. We don't need to see the aftermath. We need to know what
happened, how it happened, and what the proper response ought to be
(nobody in local news is qualified to explain why it happened).
Instead we get another pointless non-debate on guns (I say non-debate
because neither side listens). Instead we get reports of police in
cities across the country sweeping movie theaters for weapons which
provides the illusion of safety without actually making anybody safer.
Theater shootings will be the next boogeyman. And the media will hype
every fistfight over a box of popcorn to play off of people's fears.

> --
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--
Kevin M. (RPCV)

[Kevin M.]

Roger Ebert is among those who have written about the gun-related
aspect of the tragedy. It is a well written piece, but again it
ignores the real problems in our society.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/21/opinion/weve-seen-this-movie-before.html

I've written about this on other social media, but to me the trifecta
of blame is placed squarely on the state of education, the state of
health care (including mental health), and the lie that is the
American dream. Yes, the boy holding the gun caused the deaths, but
I'd surmise the picture is larger than that.

I've been schooling KNBC's Facebook page all day... the Los Angeles
O&O sent a reporter to Aurora... because there is no other news
affecting Southern Californians, and there are no other means by which
they could access this story. They've had stories about how police are
tightening security on public venues, thus heightening the paranoia.
Oh and the conspiracy theories are also flying through mainstream
media -- of course they won't lend credence to the theories, but they
will comment on them and give them airtime (including the one alleging
Warner Brothers arranged the shooting as a publicity stunt, just as
they arranged for Heath Ledger's suicide).
--
Kevin M. (RPCV)

[Bob in Jersey]

A LOT of O&Os are doing this (I personally spotted that Dann Cuellar of WPVI Philly is en route) and the only good reason they should is if someone verifiably proved to them that a local was among the victims, which I doubt much.



--
BOB

[stannc]

The news channels on Friday demonstrated that "breaking news" coverage hasn't changed one bit since the "Buckwheat Has Been Shot" days on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s. They hit every cliche, including NBC Nightly News already having a name, graphics, and sad theme music ready for the 6:30 broadcast.

[Kevin M.]

I frankly don't expect much out of Denver -- not exactly a proving
ground for TV journalism. But to see what was done at a network level,
to say nothing of how LA had to inject itself into the story, then get
details wrong, then run with rumor as though it were fact, then
heighten the level of fear... just reminded me of the Atlanta Olympic
Park bomb and how grossly mishandled every aspect of that was.

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 9:19 PM, stannc <sta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The news channels on Friday demonstrated that "breaking news" coverage hasn't changed one bit since the "Buckwheat Has Been Shot" days on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s. They hit every cliche, including NBC Nightly News already having a name, graphics, and sad theme music ready for the 6:30 broadcast.
>

[stannc]

You think LA injecting itself was bad? This is an actual headline from WBTV Charlotte's website:

 

"Charlotte man headed to Colorado theater, changed plans last-minute"  http://www.wbtv.com/story/19078442/charlotte-man-narrowly-escapes

 

So what now, he writes a cartoon comedy show and signs a multi-million dollar deal with the FOX Network?

 

 

 

In related news, SCG replaced tonight's monologue, which had a Batman joke, with an explanation for why he replaced tonight's monologue, which was recorded Thursday night.

 

 

On Saturday, July 21, 2012 12:42:31 AM UTC-4, Kevin M. (RPCV) wrote:

I frankly don't expect much out of Denver -- not exactly a proving
ground for TV journalism. But to see what was done at a network level,
to say nothing of how LA had to inject itself into the story, then get
details wrong, then run with rumor as though it were fact, then
heighten the level of fear... just reminded me of the Atlanta Olympic
Park bomb and how grossly mishandled every aspect of that was.

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 9:19 PM, stannc <sta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The news channels on Friday demonstrated that "breaking news" coverage hasn't changed one bit since the "Buckwheat Has Been Shot" days on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s.  They hit every cliche, including NBC Nightly News already having a name, graphics, and sad theme music ready for the 6:30 broadcast.
>
> --
> TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People!
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "TV or Not TV" group.
> To post to this group, send email to tvor...@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to

> tvornottv-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

[Mark Jeffries]

For the most part, BBC World News did a restrained job on the story, if only because they didn't go wall-to-wall with it (they were considering what's going on in Syria just as important if not more important).  They were dependent on KMGH in Denver for most of their pictures and a KMGH anchor did live phoners for them (KMGH is an ABC affil and the Beeb has an exchange agreement with ABC).  I can't imagine that they will send Katty Kay out to Denver to do standups outside the movie theater this weekend.

[David Bruggeman]

Yeah, the cold open and monologue were yanked. I'm guessing his concern about seeming insensitive/clueless for material recorded pre-shooting was several minutes of Batman material rather than a single joke.

The bumpers were edited down for time, and we got a celebrity book reading segment.

David

---

From: stannc <sta...@gmail.com>
To: tvor...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2012 12:59 AM
Subject: Re: [TV orNotTV] Re: Someone literally went batsh*t crazy in Colorado...

tvornottv-...@googlegroups.com

[RSG]

Rather than getting the local perspective secondhand across the pond,
I would recommend, for any who are interested in the story, going to
the Internet presence of Gannet's KUSA-TV (sister station of WUSA-TV)
at 9news.com and watching the local newscasts. As the story gets
older, more minutia will be presented rather than an quick overview,
but it is also a good way to continue following the story once it
drops off the national radar (or becomes polemicised).



_____

[RSG]

> the Los Angeles
> O&O sent a reporter to Aurora... because there is no other news
> affecting Southern Californians

Unless Riverside isn't part of the Southland media markets, there is a
'local' connection, since the shooter grew up in Sandy Eggo and/or its
burbs and later lived and/or went to college in the Riverside area. So
I think there's a more valid reason for them to do a local angle on
the story (even sending a crew to Denver), than if a former intern's
cousin's boyfriend knew someone who saw "The Dark Night Rises" in a
theater just down the street from the Century 16 and that was the
hook.



_____

On Jul 20, 7:06 pm, "Kevin M." <drunkbastar...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Roger Ebert is among those who have written about the gun-related
> aspect of the tragedy. It is a well written piece, but again it
> ignores the real problems in our society.
>

> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/21/opinion/weve-seen-this-movie-before...

[RSG]

> I frankly don't expect much out of Denver -- not exactly a proving
> ground for TV journalism.

That's a bit of coastal we-do-it-better elitism that really isn't
fair, or relevant to the issue. All things being equal, I will always
trust local media to get a local story [more] correct than some
seagull journalist who flies in from somewhere else, preens & struts &
squawks & craps all over the place, then flies out. Yes, I've seen
Denver TV media do the same when they travel to the hinterlands to
cover a story, but when it's in their backyard, they get it mostly
right.

That said, a special Singapore-style caning should go to Justin ?
Johnson? (can't seem to locate his name now), who was the first media
responder for KDVR-TV "FOX31", which shares a news operation with
Tribune Co's KWGN-TV, and who provided the breaking news anchor for
FNC their initial information on the story. When asked what type of
community Aurora was, he hemmed and hawed when a simple "It's the
largest suburb of Denver." would have sufficed. Ditto when reports
were being fielded on a possible gang connection [as was the shooting
at Eaton Centre in Toronto a few weeks ago] and asked if Aurora had a
gang problem, the response was "...that depends on who you ask..."---
despite the fact that the Aurora Police Department has the second
largest police gang unit in the state and that the former name of the
Town Center at Aurora--the Aurora Mall (which is how he also labeled
the theater location)--was notorious for gang activity in its previous
incarnation. That same theater also had off-duty police security on
weekends, also not exactly an indicator of sleepy, peaceful times.
Whether this was a desire not to have his car tires slashed or simply
wanting to be a community booster in a time of crisis, only he knows
for sure, but does lend credence to the perception of local news
hiring bimbos of one degree or another (and of either gender).


_____

[Kevin M.]

On Sat, Jul 21, 2012 at 12:54 AM, RSG <pede...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> the Los Angeles
>> O&O sent a reporter to Aurora... because there is no other news
>> affecting Southern Californians
>
>
> Unless Riverside isn't part of the Southland media markets, there is a
> 'local' connection, since the shooter grew up in Sandy Eggo and/or its
> burbs and later lived and/or went to college in the Riverside area.

Problem is their local "reporting" consisted of, "we tried finding
someone who knew him in San Diego and couldn't find anyone" and "UCR
refused to comment."

--
Kevin M. (RPCV)

[Kevin M.]

On Sat, Jul 21, 2012 at 12:46 AM, RSG <pede...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I frankly don't expect much out of Denver -- not exactly a proving
>> ground for TV journalism.
>

> That's a bit of coastal we-do-it-better elitism that really isn't
> fair, or relevant to the issue. All things being equal, I will always
> trust local media to get a local story [more] correct than some
> seagull journalist who flies in from somewhere else, preens & struts &
> squawks & craps all over the place, then flies out. Yes, I've seen
> Denver TV media do the same when they travel to the hinterlands to
> cover a story, but when it's in their backyard, they get it mostly
> right.

No, no... LA media sucks, but LA reporters have more experience at
sucking than someone from Denver or Boston or Seattle. It isn't about
me being a coastal elite... Denver is a smaller market station and the
level of talent you'll get coincides with that. I would trust local
media to get the names of streets right, but beyond that everybody
works off of the same playbook. I've been watching the 9News feed off
and on throughout the day and they have been as reckless as the big
boys, mostly at the start when any windbag with a cell phone called
them claiming to have been in the theater, then running with the
unconfirmed reports (i.e.-was it a terrorist attack, were there
additional gunmen) as though they were fact. Eventually the police
chief set the record straight on some of the basics. I did laugh that
they were proud that the station refused to show the body bags being
removed from the crime scene. They have no problem shoving cameras
into the faces of teenagers who have just watched children shot to
death, but showing a body bag would be crossing a line. And at the
end-of-day press conference, not one reporter questioned the police
chief when he said they were allowing the booby traps in the apartment
to stay in place until tomorrow. Personally, I think the Pepsi bottles
with wires connected to them are just -- well -- filled with Pepsi,
but if I'm wrong (and I easily could be), to allow potential
explosives, gases, chemicals that may or may not have timed releases
or rates of decay to sit there is negligence... but nobody called the
chief out on that because he teared up when asked how his officers
were coping. Sorry if that sounds cold of me, but an actual journalist
would have pressed the chief on that issue, for the sake of those in
the neighborhood who continue to be denied access to their homes and
possessions. My heart goes out to the police officers who undoubtedly
had a tough day, but it is their job to cope.

--
Kevin M. (RPCV)

[RSG]

That's interesting, since even the Denver stations had soundbites from
former down-the-street neighbors who allegedly knew the shooter when
he was "Jimmy".

(Not that it was gathered by them, though the MLB team is in SoCal
this weekend and does have the second-tier sports anchors travelling
with.)


_____

On Jul 21, 2:12 am, "Kevin M." <drunkbastar...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Kevin M.]

Maybe the San Diego affiliate gathered that.

[RSG]

> I did laugh that
> they were proud that the station refused to show the body bags being
> removed from the crime scene.

Yes, I was watching when that comment was made and found it odd---
especially with the dare of "...so if you want to see that type of
thing, you'll have to go somewhere else." [Thank you, I will.]

Truly crass and insensitive would have been attempting to interview
the personnel putting the body bags into the hearses.

> And at the
> end-of-day press conference, not one reporter questioned the police
> chief when he said they were allowing the booby traps in the apartment
> to stay in place until tomorrow.

I also don't understand making residents in nearby buildings camp out
for an extended period of time; especially when it was reported the
fire department has gas monitors in the apartment (which should be
able to determine if the place is loaded with ricin or just ammonium
chloride, in addition to explosives).




_____

On Jul 21, 2:27 am, "Kevin M." <drunkbastar...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Brad Beam]

Speaking of NBC, was there some sort of technical reason BriWi & Co needed
stand-up mikes?

And while I appreciate the ballsy move of ABC not sending Diane Sawyer out
there, minus points for sending out David Muir (the weekend anchor) a day
early.
_ _
|_>|_> Brad Beam- Belle WV
|_>|_> http://www.facebook.com/74bmw

[Kevin M.]

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 10:36 PM, David Bruggeman <bru...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Yeah, the cold open and monologue were yanked. I'm guessing his concern
> about seeming insensitive/clueless for material recorded pre-shooting was
> several minutes of Batman material rather than a single joke.
>
> The bumpers were edited down for time, and we got a celebrity book reading
> segment.
>
> David

Unless I miraculously get employed in the next couple days, next week
I'm bringing a friend to a taping of Late Late Show. It is their last
week in what has been the Late Late Show studio since Tom Snyder
originated the host gig.


--
Kevin M. (RPCV)

[do...@flids.net]

I'm pretty sure I recall Craig being corrected from off camera when he said next week is the last week of shows in the current studio, and he was told there are two more weeks left in the basement.

Doug Fields

Tampa, FL

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [TV orNotTV] Re: Someone literally went batsh*t crazy in
Colorado...

[Kevin M.]

The ticket website is promoting next week as the last in studio 58

http://www.1iota.com

--
Kevin M. (RPCV)

[do...@flids.net]

Interesting.  *shrug*  I guess I mis-heard, then.  Sorry 'bout that.