Seeing Red Over 'Big Red'

It started Monday afternoon when the tweets started pouring in: Mark McGwire was officially "coming clean" about his steroid use, particularly during his run at the record books in 1998. Yeah, that's when my blood started boiling.

I chose to skip the Bob Costas interview Monday night, knowing full well it was just an exercise in public relations -- a carefully crafted appearance for McGwire, who'd no doubt been thoroughly coached on what to say and how to say it (after all, exclusive interviews on the MLB Network with Costas don't just happen -- it was planned well in advance, I'd say). That said, things cooled off overnight.

But between my live shots at work Tuesday morning, as I listened to the story we ran from CBS during our Good Morning Show, my blood began to simmer again. McGwire's explanations of why he lied to Congress and why he took steroids in the first place were weak and flimsy to me. They reeked of selfishness and defiance. They sounded like the excuses of a man who knew the injuries he was fighting through could make him irrelevant. But he wanted fame and money; he wanted to stay relevant and worthy. So he decided to cheat to get what he wanted. He decided to lie to the nation and the sports world. He chose to profit off deceit. He chose to abuse his power and position as a role model. He gave people who delight in athletic achievement false hope for a hero. He hugged Roger Maris' family after he broke Maris' record -- a shameful embrace for a man who knew he'd cheated and stolen one of baseball's greatest benchmarks.

[Interlude: this video from ESPN's Jeremy Shaap is a must-see. Normally I disagree with most everything Shaap says. This time, his analysis is right on the money. My rant continues after the video.]



Here's the thing. I'm not even that much of a baseball fan to begin with, though I have an appreciation for great performances and record-setting efforts. I love the fact that we get a daily opportunity to witness history, although history in sports isn't made everyday. (That's why, even as a stern Jimmie Johnson hater, I marvel at how he and his team have won four Sprint Cups in a row. I look at that achievement with admiration and respect.) So why does this anger me so much?

First of all, for reasons that could be considered perhaps "social" or "socioeconomic," I have little sympathy for professional athletes when they get caught in scandal. People who make millions of dollars playing a game have little right to think they can pull the wool over the eyes of the country and knowingly commit wrongdoing for personal or financial gain. When you're busted, don't grovel and sob for my sympathy and support on national television. You're not getting it.

But what really chaps me is that it appears he's only "coming clean" now for personal benefit. He's hoping an admission will bolster his chances at forgiveness, and in turn a spot in the Hall Of Fame. And by getting everything out in the open, he appears to think his new job as hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals will be easier for us all to swallow. His "apology," much like his use of steroids, is self-serving.

I guess my anger just boils down to this: with SO many social and economic injustices that happen everyday, it bothers me that someone can profit so easily from dishonesty while countless hard-working, honest people struggle. Is Mark McGwire to blame for that? Absolutely not. Our culture's misplaced priorities are (and that's not a statement against pro sports -- I love pro sports, TV shows, music and movies and the entertainment industry as a whole). I guess I'm just dismayed when someone who already has so much decides to steal even more. And that's an issue that goes well beyond Mark McGwire.

I think my being upset is more of a judgment against a set of social standards than a judgment about McGwire. He just happens to be the "athlete/entertainer caught up in scandal" d'jour. So is there any benefit to my righteous indignation? Any resolution from my rant? Any profit from my pouting and shouting on my blog? No, not really. As someone just as unrighteous of the next guy (yes, even as unrighteous as Mark McGwire), there's nothing to gain from my commentary. I'm still going to watch sports. I'm still going to get swept up in the next pursuit of a mystical record. And I'm still going to get mad the next time something like this happens.

But pounding the keys for what amounts to nothing more than a few meaningless musings has lowered my blood pressure and my anger level. Hopefully it hasn't raised yours.

Hello Again

It's been a while, hasn't it? A lot has changed since my last blog. And the process of making that happen is part of why it's been so long since I updated this thing.

In case you didn't know, I'm now at WFMY News 2 in Greensboro. I had a great three years, two months and five days at WNCT. But the time had come for a change and the jump to the Triad certainly offered it. The new gig is a challenge, if for no other reason than the hours.

I'm the reporter for our "Good Morning Show," which means I work 4a to 1p and am often in bed by 7p (and getting out of bed at 2:30a -- yikes!). As someone who's something of a night owl, that's a huge change! But I'm getting used to it. And the "getting used to it" part is a lot easier because I work with some absolutely incredible people. Our morning crew does more with less every day -- and everyone works very hard. I think we put on a great product, and it's getting better each day. In fact, I don't think the competition held a candle to all the cool, creative stuff we did this past week.

The Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem market is also much, much bigger than the Greenville/Washington/New Bern market. So I'm also enjoying working at a station with more resources, more staff and more news to cover.

In my month on the job here so far, I've covered everything from shootings to Disney On Ice -- and I've had fun every day.

Part of getting used to the new hours will include working the blog back in to my routine. So I'll do my best to keep posting regularly. But at the very least, I wanted to catch everyone up and say hello again.

Just 'Biden' Time

I like it when people show their appreciation for our military. I like it a lot, in fact. I've gained more appreciation for our service men and women since I moved to coastal North Carolina than I can even articulate.

So I think it's pretty cool when I get to do stories about neat people taking time to give back to our troops.

'Second Lady' Jill Biden was that neat person today. She came to Camp Lejeune to meet with members and families of the 2nd Marine Combat Battalion ahead of their deployment to Afghanistan.

I've met a whole bunch of politicians in my time at WNCT. I've spent time with NC's four most recent senators (Edwards, Dole, Burr and Hagan). I've lost count of how many times I've interviewed Gov. Bev Perdue ... and ahead of last November's election, I extensively interviewed eight or nine gubernatorial candidates. I've spent time with other state politicians and pundits -- and have had countless interactions with local politicians, too. I even covered President Obama's trip to Camp Lejeune in February, though my request to interview him was (ahem) inexplicably denied (or more to the point ... ignored).

I don't know if it's fair to call her a politician, since she doesn't hold elected office. But Jill Biden has been around politics for a long time. She no doubt knows how the game is played.

That said, there was just something about her interactions with the Marines and their families at Camp Lejeune today that makes her easily the most genuine and believable political figure I've met in my reporting career. I mean, I was very impressed -- and when it comes to politicians, that's saying something.

She's beautiful (especially for being 58 years old!), charismatic and even seemed rather humble. And her presence no doubt resonated strongly with the crowd at Camp Lejeune because she herself is a military mom (her stepson is in the Army National Guard and recently returned home from a deployment to Iraq).

And I think it's that connection with reality that makes her so believable. She truly seemed to understand and care about what the Marines and their families had to say. She exchanged hugs, handshakes and -- in my estimation -- heartfelt encouragement and concern with everyone there.

She told reporters in a press conference late this afternoon that her trips to military bases are something like listening tours. She said she was here to listen to what Marines and their families have to say -- and then take that information back to the White House to share it with policymakers.

I believe her when she says these trips are more than feel-good photo-ops. I believe it because she knows what every Marine and family member in that muggy gym was going through. Her handlers moved her quickly from person to person. But to me, it appears she did her best to have some sincere conversation with as many people as possible. And when it comes time for her husband or the President to weigh in on decisions about mobilizing troops or providing them and their families the resources they need at home and abroad, she has me convinced that she'll offer some sincere feedback.

I wouldn't consider myself naive -- but maybe in this case I am. Or maybe there are political figures who really DO mean what they say or truly DO act in the public interest. I certainly hope the latter is true of her. Because there are some monumental decisions that will be made over the next few months that have huge implications for our military members and their families.

Whatever those decisions are -- and however genuine she may or may not be -- I sure hope Jill Biden gets to weigh in with the stories she heard from everyone she met today at Camp Lejeune.

Accentuating The Positive

Working in TV news can be a heavy, heavy job. Think about it -- if you're depressed by the doom and gloom you sometimes see on your nightly newscasts, think about how it must feel to report it!

I think a lot of stations are pushing hard these days to do a better job of telling people about positive things going on in their communities. Viewers need a break from the stories about crime and corruption. And so do reporters. I mean, everyone likes a reminder that there are indeed good things happening in the world around them.

But we still have to report on the shocking crimes and the stories that leave you shaking your head. Reporters learn pretty quickly that we have to detach ourselves from what we're reporting, especially when it's horrible, heartbreaking news.

To some extent, we have to desensitize ourselves in order to not become totally disillusioned by some of the stories we cover. However, I think truly great reporters also stay in touch with their humanity and never, ever lose sense of the gravity of the stories they cover -- and the impact these real-life events have on real-life people. Tapping into our own emotions helps us convey the raw, human condition in the stories we report.

That said, covering the Cody Richardson story a couple of weeks ago really got to me. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much. Perhaps it was the sheer fact that he was so upset (for whatever reason) that he thought the best resolution was to strangle his wife. Perhaps it was the fact that this couple was so young. Or perhaps it was his cool, calm demeanor when he called 911 two days after he killed his wife to confess. (Or perhaps even the fact that a source closely connected with the case tells me he slept in the same bed with her body for a couple of nights before calling the cops.)

Whatever the case may be, covering that story for three or four straight days really shook me and left me in a foul mood. Maybe I just lost a little faith in humanity.

But then come stories like today's that restore your faith in humanity, that remind you that there are great people doing great things in the world around us and that give you a true feeling of emotional blessing when you get to be a part of them.

I got to cover a homecoming at Cherry Point. I've probably covered a dozen of them by now, but they never get old. It's always refreshing to watch heroes come home -- and to see the reactions of their friends and families once they're reunited after months of worrying and waiting.

It's a cleansing experience -- a good time that washes away the negative energy from troubling stories. I'm glad that we cover these stories fairly often at WNCT, to give the men and women fighting for our country (and the families who also sacrifice so much) their due. They certainly deserve it.

And it gives all of us a chance to accentuate the positive going on in the world around us.

The Story Behind Story Selection

I really am thankful to everyone who stops by and reads my blog -- especially those who take the time to comment. I'm just sitting here rambling, so I appreciate it when other people throw their two cents in. On my last post, one commenter took me to task for not covering a story that was obviously quite important to them. The anonymous poster said:

"Beautiful Beaufort-by-the-Sea celebrated turning 300 years old. I should think that with THAT you had a new story. Were you guys in Beaufort this weekend? I know it was raining, but we had the Embers, Shrimp boats arrived at 6 pm. If you were there I missed it and I appreciate it if you were. If you were not there and you wonder why we are skeptical of the "local" news..this is why. We are fortuate to be alive while Beaufort was turning 300... I love Beaufort and wish that there were media truck lined up along Front Street to record this once in a lifetime event. Perhaps we should have scheduled a hurricane? Then it would have been newsworthy?"

Commenter, I wish you would have identified yourself, because I would love to have contacted you personally. But thanks again for commenting -- and for bringing up a good topic: just how do news organizations choose the stories they cover?

It's a question that is growing increasingly complicated in these economic times. To directly answer the commenter's concerns, I do not think anyone from WNCT was in Beaufort the Saturday in question. But, I know for a fact our station covered several of the 300th anniversary events. In particular, I remember watching a very well put together piece one of our photographers did the weekend "pyrates" invaded Beaufort and reenacted an assault on the town.

Beaufort is in the heart of my coverage area -- I am WNCT's coastal bureau reporter and primarily cover Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Jones, Onslow, Pamlico and Pender counties. I am committed to out-reporting, out-hustling and downright outperforming every reporter who covers the same area (though none in the market covers quite as wide a swath of ENC as I do). Just by looking at the list of my turf, it's easy to see that it's downright impossible for me to cover everything that happens in my own area. Being just one reporter, I have to choose to cover the one, two or three stories each day that will have the greatest impact or significance for the greatest number of viewers.

Imagine, then, coordinating the coverage of the largest designated market area in North Carolina -- nearly three dozen counties, all of which are filled with folks who want every event in their community covered. It's impossible! But the staff at WNCT strives to cover as much of it as possible and we have multiple editorial meetings each day to set our strategy for providing the best coverage we can.

Covering the news of the day can sometimes provide a challenge even when a station has a full staff. But thanks to our jolly old friend "the economy," WNCT doesn't have a full complement of reporters, producers or photographers anymore. The same goes for countless news organizations across the globe. And like every other business, we're making do the best we can, because we want to provide the best news product to viewers and web users as we can.

As I mentioned earlier, though, that involves choosing the stories that impact the greatest amount of people. Our commenter made mention of a hurricane. Obviously, an imposing storm would call for a considerable amount of WNCT's resources if it poses a risk to people's lives or property. Oftentimes, stories about crime, the economy, education, health or scams also draw a good bit of our attention because they impact or draw the most interest from nearly all our viewers. But because we don't want our newscasts full of doom and gloom, we do our best to showcase the good things happening in communities all over the east (with our Community Builders segment, for example) because we know that matters greatly to our viewers, as well.

Unfortunately, though, we just can't be everywhere all the time. I don't work on the weekends, for example (I may be a news junkie, but I do need some time off!), so someone from Greenville has to cover our ENTIRE viewing area on the weekends. Sometimes they can get down here to the coast. Sometimes they can't.

Because I live and work along the coast, I want the best coverage possible for this area. I try to provide it when I'm working. When I'm not, I pitch the stories to our news staff as hard as I can, but recognize that other events or stories elsewhere will take priority over something happening here if it's of greater significance -- just as if a story here along the coast would take greater priority than something happening in Greenville when it's of greater significance or impacts more people.

That's not to say Beaufort's 300th anniversary isn't significant. It is -- and as our commenter said, we're all lucky to have witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime event. But instead of growing skeptical, please grow more understanding of our position. In fact, please grow more vocal in telling us the significance and impact of the events you want covered -- and then give us a few days' notice so we can try to organize our coverage to include it. Because we truly care about the communities we serve and we want to cover what's important to you.

And, from where I'm sitting, that's the story behind story selection.

"The Report Of My Death Was An Exaggeration"

I'll start with apologies for going nearly a week without a new blog post. I'd gotten into a little rhythm of posting every other day and I had planned to post something Wednesday evening about the Richardson murder case in Jacksonville.

But then I found out around 7p on Wednesday that I'd been called out of the bullpen to anchor our morning and noon newscasts on Thursday and Friday. That's an undertaking and privilege I thoroughly enjoy ... but also something that requires me to wake up around 2a on days I'm on the desk. That's a substantial change from my normal schedule, so needless to say my blogging rhythm (and every other part of my daily schedule) got thrown for a loop. Thankfully, everything is pretty much back to normal now.

I'm sure the title of this blog caught your attention and keen literature fans may recognize that as a Mark Twain quote. I believe he penned it back in 1897 when there were rumors he'd died. You might surmise from the fact he wrote that sentence that he wasn't actually dead.

I thought it'd be a fitting title because I want to address my thoughts on the future of local TV news. If you believe everything you read online or in trade magazines, local TV news will be the next dinosaur to go extinct (well, just after newspapers). True, times are extraordinarily tough. Companies that own TV stations (including Media General, which owns my station) have cut thousands of jobs and tightened operating budgets to where some stations barely have the resources to put newscasts on the air.

Like any number of industries, those of us in local TV news are having to do significantly more with significantly less.

It's easy to write off the craft, as the quality of TV journalism has been diluted by more news outlets and weakened because most reporters and producers are having to cover more stories in less detail just to be able to fill a show. Some TV stations have cut weekend, morning or noon newscasts. Worse still, some TV stations have folded entirely.

But I think those who have condemned local TV news to a slow (or maybe quick) and agonizing death will eventually come to realize that the demise of the industry has been greatly exaggerated.

Soon enough, the economy will bounce back, advertisers will return and newsroom budgets will make a modest recovery. Don't get me wrong, the industry (and the budgets) will never be the same. I won't go into detail about how it will change (more one-man-bands, for instance), but people will always have an appetite for knowing about what's going on in their community and the world around them.

The need for local news will always be there -- that's for sure. The objective now should be spending less time and money on consultants pondering how to jazz up nightly newscasts and making more of an intense effort at understanding how consumers want to consume the news.

There's no need to abandon the typical newscast format -- though it does need an overhaul. I believe local TV news execs need to place vigorous and unwavering focus on meeting consumers "where they are" ... i.e. making it possible for people to watch fresh, current local news coverage (both live streams and pre-produced) on their cell phones and iPods or on the bus, in the car or on the train.

We live in an on-demand world and what's happening NOW is what's most relevant. Local TV news stations must figure out how to communicate what's happening NOW to people using every available platform. And we must be sure the quality of our reporting improves so that the value of our product and service is unmistakable.

Do I know how to make that happen and -- most importantly -- make it profitable? Not at all. But someone will figure it out sooner rather than later.

And then, thankfully, all of us in local TV news will be able to look back on a time when the reports of the death of our craft were nothing but exaggerations.

You Can Run, But You Can't Hide

It's been a long Monday. I suppose every Monday that follows a good weekend is long ... but this one felt extra-long. A lot of that probably was due to the fact that I left home about two hours earlier than normal to head to Duplin County on a wing and a prayer ... hoping to catch the first court appearance for a former DMV theft prevention supervisor who has now been accused of being part of a theft ring. Go figure.

Heading to the courthouse a few hours earlier than the DA's scheduled press conference was a risk because suspects don't always show at their first court appearances. Sometimes their lawyers show up and take care of business for them. And, depending on the judge, sometimes it can take hours upon hours for first appearances to happen.

When I got to the Duplin County courthouse, Chelsea Donovan from WITN was also there. Apparently, we'd both taken the same risk. Little did we know, it was about to pay off.

As she and I stood squarely in front of the yet-to-open district courtroom, Bill Toman Jr. and his lawyer walked up the stairs. Chelsea and I were caught off guard, so our cameras weren't rolling. We were getting prepared to get some shots ... and then Toman and his lawyer went into the bathroom.

And stayed.

For 30 minutes.

To hide.

From two TV cameras.

Every once in a while, you'd see a sliver of light appear when Toman's lawyer cracked the door to see if the courtroom had opened up yet.

It was so comical the cowardice went mostly unnoticed. When bailiffs finally unlocked the courtroom, Toman and his attorney had to emerge. Despite their best efforts to make a run for it, we managed to get some 20 seconds of video as he walked in to the courtroom ... the former veteran law enforcement officer, now accused of abusing his power and the public trust.

Avoiding us by fleeing into the loo is just plain silly. We weren't going to attack him. We already had his mug shot. And there was no way in to the courtroom without passing by us.

If anything, it made it look like Toman had something to hide.

But it sounds like he's learning (on several levels) that you can run, but you can't hide.

Check out the video player below for my story: