Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Cherub Charu led off the 11 o’clock with a report titled “Chippendals Controversy.” According to Charu, the Chippendales are bringing their beefcake to Ashvegas for the first time ever, and it’s creating a ruckus. (I wonder about that claim – you’re sure they’ve never been here before?)
I’m also stuck on the controversy part. According to Charu’s own report, everyone is either for the dancing hunks or indifferent. I guess the “controversy” was the one wrinkle-lipped old lady who said the Bible didn’t condone “lewd and lascivious” behavior.
In effect, the report was a sham. Charu created the “controversy” by finding one old lady who didn’t like it, while quoting the Decades bar owner as saying he must have had 50 calls from people wanting tickets.
Does one Bible-thumping old biddy make a controversy? No. Does the story give the local TV station an excuse to air multiple segments of provocative video of half-naked men in bow ties shaking their buns and flexing their pecs? You betcha.
Charu, you disappoint. (The show is June 15 at Decades inside the Best Western, by the way.)
Le the EmCee
Speaking of disappointing, John “Punnyman” Le, who never had any journalistic integrity to begin with, shows us why.
This evening on the 6, Le reported “live” from the Bele Chere kickoff party, where he reported on the upcoming street party, interviewed Ann Vasilik about her festival poster design, and told us to watch out for more reports about a big country act, yet to be named, that will be playing the party.
On the 11 o’clock broadcast, the crew rehashed the story and added one pertinent fact left out of the earlier report – Le was the MC for the Bele Chere kick-off party.
Excuse me? Can you say conflict of interest ? There was Le behind the microphone at the party, pumping people up and running the show. The he “reports” on the event at the same time?
I was shocked. This blatant disregard for any shred of journalistic ethics is what’s killing the industry today.
That slippery slope is long underway. John emceeing & reporting on Bele Chere is rather inocuous. John mainly does fluff stories. That doesn’t make it right — it’s still a conflict of interest — but I don’t think it’s the right example to use.
Of more concern are hard-news reporters and anchors sitting on boards of directors or pimping the latest charity golf tournament. This practice has been going on “forever.” When controversy hits the organizations with these “celebrity” board members or publicity faces, what credibility do you give said celebrity’s reporting about the organization?
That’s (one of) the problems with TV news: even though some of its participants see themselves as real journalists (and some actually are), the pressure to do high ratings TV instead of community service news coverage herds them all into the same corral of style over substance, and questionable associations over journalistic detachment.
To but…
I guess I see it as a slippery slope. If Le can lend his “star” power to Bele Chere, others will be inviting the station to lend personalities to their causes. Where do you draw the line?
But John MC’ing the Bele Chere kick-off did not really put him in a conflict of interest did it? He had no “negative” angle on the festival that was “smothered” by his position. It’s a typical tv two-fer. He’s already there… and it’s news… so report it. I dont think he “hid” any juicy details because he was the MC. In some other cases…I would agree… but not this case.
I know you’re not impressed. But really, watch Le for 30 seconds and you know he’s just a shtick guy, a punchline for anchors to laugh about. PLEASE, please, please, don’t hold him to the same standards as journalists (including TV journalists, he’s too light to even be one of those, in my opinion).
You’re right, Vegas. Chippendale’s and other spin-off shows have been coming to Asheville since the 1980s. I guess because Charu hasn’t been here long enough to get her mail forwarded – like most WLOS fly-by-nighters – she has no background. That’s where Diva Darcel should be lending some insight since she’s been anchored here since Buck Buchanan opened his drive-in restaurant on Tunnel Road. Guess that info wasn’t on her teleprompter script.
As for controversy, whatever happened to God’s wrath on Asheville for opening a Hooter’s? In one of marketing’s greater triumphs, Hooter’s scheduled its opening on the day before the November elections and the fire-and-brimstone preachers were too busy telling people how to vote to notice.
They still haven’t noticed.
And my buddy Bubba still hasn’t forgiven that tart Susan Reinhardt for writing that she was agin’ Hooter’s. Didn’t like the competition is my guess.
“the reason t-v stations air weddings.. babies, etc.. is b/c pple flood newsrooms with calls about why is so and so wearing a ring or.. why does this anchor look so big?? how’s the baby doing, etc.”
then post it on your web site or run a scoll at the bottom of the screen. How about pop ups a la pop-up videos?
Just don’t pretend it’s news.
” it wasn’t a story.. but sometimes a reporter can only fight so much.. against stubborn producers!
insider”
TV stations always do the story – no matter what the reporting reveals. How many times have you seen them doing a live shot by an empty road to report on heavy holiday traffic?
Newspapers report a ton of stories that never make print – because they are not stories.
Ashevegas was right – the only reason the Chippendales “story’ was on tv was a chance to get naked men on screen and be self righteaous about it.
Come on Ash, we’re talking about Bele Chere. It is more than a stretch to compare an anti-abortion parade to a free street music festival.
Just because stations “do it all the time” doesn’t make it right. It’s clearly wrong. Would it be OK for a NY Times reporter to emcee an anti-abortion parade and then report on it? No.
Conflict of interest: a conflict between one’s obligation to the public good and one’s self-interest.
No doubt the secret country act was already on Pollstar.
I hate it when they tease news. It is a definite sign that it is not important. If it was they would be compelled to tell you … or maybe not.
the reason t-v stations air weddings.. babies, etc.. is b/c pple flood newsrooms with calls about why is so and so wearing a ring or.. why does this anchor look so big?? how’s the baby doing, etc.
it wasn’t a story.. but sometimes a reporter can only fight so much.. against stubborn producers!
insider
Sorry, Vegas, but you’re gonna have to define “conflict of interest” for a TV station that treats its own staff’s weddings, babies, parade grand marshals and emcee gigs as “news.” What would be worth covering, though, would be Miss Georgia Via Clemson’s honeymoon videos. Now we’re talking news.
I don’t see any problem with this, TV stations do it all the time. The fact that John Le did both”at the same time” just makes it more impressive! I think you were a little too harsh!