YELLOW JOURNALISM : The recent hit piece on Assessor Chuck Pennel in the Branson paper. YELLOW JOURNALISM or the yellow press, is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion. In todays (Saturdays) paper, Mr. Schuver, the Publisher, defends the story in an editorial which accuses Chuck of whining - for defending himself against his political foes in a press conference: This is a typical whine by elected officials who are being investigated. Mr. Schuvers choice of words assume Chucks guilt, because if the accusation is without merit and/ or its disclosure is politically motivated, then Chuck is being smeared and cannot fairly be accused of whining. In his Yellows defense of his papers Yellow scandal-mongering, Mr.Schuver avers,The public has a right to know if their public officials are being accused of breaking the law. Really? A slam dunk? No need for some good, old fashioned journalism - not even some off the record interviews to ascertain what might be behind this whole episode? Heres a juicy headline for the next paper: IN PUBLIC! [fill in name of targeted individual] SEEN MASTICATING AT LOCAL RESTAURANT A journalist would do some research before running with this story, even to the point of consulting a dictionary. But a yellow journalist would say, The public needs this information - run it! Im not a paid journalist, although I apparently do more research on the stories the pros do than they do. Here are just a few questions that could have been raised, based on my own research here and there: 1. Was Mr. Harding seen commiserating with one of Chucks political foes? 2. Did Mr. Harding contribute money to another of Chucks political foes? 3. Was Mr. Harding possibly motivated to file his complaint to cover other issues related to his job, as in C.Y.A ? 4. Was Chucks admonition to Mr. Harding about his attitude related to the complaint, as Mr. Schuver assumes? 5. Was Mr. Harding really demoted, or just transferred to a different job? 6. Did Mr. Harding want the EEOC complaint made public? 7. Are EEOC complaints typically made public before, or after, they are resolved? 8. Could it really be a coincidence that the person most responsible for releasing the report is a political foe of Chucks and was facing the voters in a few days? 9. And finally, why, just before an election, post a possibly bogus claim against Chuck on the front page, while on the same page, a story revealing the donors to various county candidates, failed to reveal any of Mr. Housemans donors. ***************************** None of these questions were pursued because Yellow Journalism is bereft of curiosity, a character trait one would assume to be present in any journalist. A first amendment, freedom loving, public serving journalist is inquisitive by nature. A sensational headline never satisfies - always the reporter wants to know who?, what? where? why? how? A yellow journalist - the kind that dominates the national corporate media and is all too common in local media seeks only one result: Gotcha! Watch: If Chuck is exonerated, as he has been in the previous frivolous accusations leveled against him, the reports of it will pale in comparison to the guilt-by-insinuation tripe that our local yellow rag emits.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 01:20:24 +0000
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