Scott Lloyd Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) This. As a working journalist, I accuse the network of irresponsibility, bias and unprofessionalism in their ignoring of what these girls repeatedly and prominently said when describing how they survived an ordeal in which their boat capsized and they were stranded in icy waters. In my career, there have been occasions when I have covered a newsmaker who has said things I didn't like or agree with, but I reported the comments nonetheless, reasoning that it was my professional duty to do so. We should expect no less from network news programs. I give "Good Morning America" an F on this assignment, especially as they seem to be circling the wagons and refusing to rectify their error. Edited June 20, 2015 by Scott Lloyd 4
ERayR Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Personal biases showing don't you think. Granted not very professional for a reporter.
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 It is unfortunate that this happened. It only makes it harder on the girls to have their experience dismissed as unrealistic, irrelevant or delusional like that.
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 I can't remember if this was reported in the DN piece, but this is a nasty part of it imo if accurate: The two 13-year-old girls who swam in the cold, high waves and wind for hours agreed to talk to Good Morning America a few days after the tragedy. The father of one of girl's, Lance Tilley, said they agreed to be interviewed in part to share the fundraising information for their friends the Hadleys and Capeners, who had lost loved ones.Tilley said ABC agreed, but the fundraising information was cut out of the piece. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=35136955
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) The quote from the clip is something along the lines of "What kept them going? Unbelievably a song from the Disney movie..." It was an outright lie according to their later comments. See it at 1:15 http://abcnews.go.com/US/utah-teens-credit-friendship-prayer-keeping-alive-boat/story?id=31548518 If they didn't even said it was one of the songs they sang...and to make such a big deal of it. And at the end there is an explanation that swimming kept their temp up. Edited June 20, 2015 by calmoriah
Scott Lloyd Posted June 20, 2015 Author Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) The quote from the clip is something along the lines of "What kept them going? Unbelievably a song from the Disney movie..." It was an outright lie according to their later comments. See it at 1:15 http://abcnews.go.com/US/utah-teens-credit-friendship-prayer-keeping-alive-boat/story?id=31548518 If they didn't even said it was one of the songs they sang...and to make such a big deal of it. And at the end there is an explanation that swimming kept their temp up.I once had an editor who had the shortcoming that when he would send a reporter on assignment, he would have a preconceived image of what the report should look like, and if the event or interview turned out not to be quite like what the editor envisioned, he would fault the reporter. That phenomenon seems to be at play here. I call it incompetence. My current managing editor (Deseret News) has emphasized to us that credibility is our greatest commodity. I'd say ABC and "Good Morning America" took a big hit in their credibility with their behavior in this instance. Edited June 20, 2015 by Scott Lloyd
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) But it is so extreme to claim "unbelievably...." when it is a total fabrication. It is like they are creating their own version of a miracle, only performed by Disney rather than God. Even "surprisingly" would have been better.... Or maybe that was the reporter's own alteration of the report because she knew the true story and it was unbelievable to her that it was a Disney song.... Edited June 20, 2015 by calmoriah
Scott Lloyd Posted June 20, 2015 Author Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) But it is so extreme to claim "unbelievably...." when it is a total fabrication. It is like they are creating their own version of a miracle, only performed by Disney rather than God. Even "surprisingly" would have been better.... Or maybe that was the reporter's own alteration of the report because she knew the true story and it was unbelievable to her that it was a Disney song.... Just speculating here ... I wonder if the reporter, when she couldn't abide the girls' simple explanation that prayer saved them, went to some detached expert somewhere who opined, without having any direct connection with or knowledge of the incident, that it was the swimming that kept their body temperature up and prevented the hyopthermia. The reporter played this up. Then, to meet time constraints, the attribution and identification of this expert got cut. I can conceive of this sort of thing happening in the news business. I don't excuse it, but I can conceive of it happening. In fact, there may have been considerable content that was cut due to time constraints, content that, in hindsight, was essential. It happens. Edited June 20, 2015 by Scott Lloyd
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Okay, one more remark and then I am out of here because it is like I am worrying at a sore...At first when I heard it, I just waved it off. Not surprising, a show like that is trying to be generic, etc. and I can see a reporter responding when they said "songs" with "kind of like being inspired by Nemo's song" and the girls being young and kind agreeing, but then I read the story about how they didn't even bother with any fundraising info until called on it and then I listened to the clip where such a big thing was made of it...did ABC get advertising money from Disney for that plug?Those two things just irk me.
Scott Lloyd Posted June 20, 2015 Author Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) Okay, one more remark and then I am out of here because it is like I am worrying at a sore...At first when I heard it, I just waved it off. Not surprising, a show like that is trying to be generic, etc. and I can see a reporter responding when they said "songs" with "kind of like being inspired by Nemo's song" and the girls being young and kind agreeing, but then I read the story about how they didn't even bother with any fundraising info until called on it and then I listened to the clip where such a big thing was made of it...did ABC get advertising money from Disney for that plug?Those two things just irk me.Well, the fact is that ABC and Disney are part of the same corporate entity these days. This is one of the hazards, I suppose, of trying to blend journalism with show biz. Please don't leave the thread; you're making some astute observations. Edited June 20, 2015 by Scott Lloyd
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 The reporter who said"unbelievably" looked like a talking head to me. Perhaps she did research, but my impression of the show is that she didn't. I am not a watcher, FYI being asleep most days at that time and have never very often watched TV much before evenings save reruns of Wild Wild West when living with Grandma as a kid because there was nothing else to do.They showed a lot of short clips in the 2 and a half minutes or so segment, there wasn't time for a video of an expert.It would have been better to just report the incident without the question to the girls of how they survived. I don't have a problem reporting that some experts or whatever saw the swimming itself as what made the difference though that leaves the question as to how they managed for five hours in cold temps.
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Well, I didn't leave after all, lol. But it is emotional to me because I think of the hurt this caused the girls to be treated like that on top of the deaths of their friends and family. And I don't like to be angry. 1
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Well, the fact is that ABC and Disney are part of the same corporate entity these days.I was wondering if that was it.
Scott Lloyd Posted June 20, 2015 Author Posted June 20, 2015 The reporter who said"unbelievably" looked like a talking head to me. Perhaps she did research, but my impression of the show is that she didn't. I am not a watcher, FYI being asleep most days at that time and have never very often watched TV much before evenings save reruns of Wild Wild West when living with Grandma as a kid because there was nothing else to do.They showed a lot of short clips in the 2 and a half minutes or so segment, there wasn't time for a video of an expert.It would have been better to just report the incident without the question to the girls of how they survived. I don't have a problem reporting that some experts or whatever saw the swimming itself as what made the difference though that leaves the question as to how they managed for five hours in cold temps.There may have been several people involved with this -- producers, talking heads, video editors, assignment editors -- any of whom might not have fully understood what was going on and made some bad judgment calls.
Nofear Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 I was wondering if that was it.It might be but I am skeptical. A corporation that large will have many instances of the left hand not knowing the goings on of the right hand. Probably just simple reporter bias with no thought to corporate loyalty. Maybe not though. /shrug
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Yeah, I am just being snide. I suspect it was just a coincidence, the person who came up with it was just looking for a song that related.
Scott Lloyd Posted June 20, 2015 Author Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) Yeah, I am just being snide. I suspect it was just a coincidence, the person who came up with it was just looking for a song that related.Part of the show biz aspect. I'm not against pop-culture allusions and other flair in the presentation of news -- if it works. It didn't in this case. Edited June 20, 2015 by Scott Lloyd
Calm Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) Okay, now I have had a break...been visiting with my nephew...I can think up a reasonable excuse rather than it being a lie...though why ABC wouldn't just admit it makes me wonder.I can see just meaning to use the Nemo clip because it was catchy. Do they do those kinds of thing on Good Morning America...just a short blip like a side remark? Like they might on a comedy news show? But then someone else saw the clip and with the actual details edited about the kind of songs that helped them, assumed it was what the girls had talked about.But aren't there supposed to be producers who are with the segments from beginning to end to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen?And the lack of fundraising mention even if someone else promised up front that wasnt involved in the end is still frying me....they should have done much more to make up for it than just a little link in the online article. This tragedy has a huge impact on these families and the financial stress in addition to the losses and hospitalisation isn't helping and ABC could have really helped like the girls were hoping. An apology that involved a donation for example....Undoubtedly it still drove peope to the site, but not as much. Edited June 20, 2015 by calmoriah
Sanpitch Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) Ignoring the good or bad reporting, the thought that comes to my skeptic mind and having not much faith in the power of prayer is the fact that the two surviving girls may have been saved through the power of prayer. Dad, panic stricken when the boat over turns and his young children and wife are in the cold water doesn't have time for thinking of prayer is not saved nor the rest of the party. I have been on Lake Powell in similar conditions and can relate to the feeling of high winds and large waves and the helplessness I feel. The surviving girls have plenty of time to think of prayer in their desperate situation so they are helped and survive. The others don't pray and drowned, or they pray and the answer is no. Edited June 21, 2015 by Sanpitch
strappinglad Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Makes you wonder just how correct the regular news is , if a simple story like this can be bent and twisted to fit an agenda.
Storm Rider Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 I don't watch a lot of news nowadays. I don't trust any of them in the US and look with a jaundiced eye when listening to foreign news. There is little real news and more entertainment of modern events to meet specific agendas.
Tacenda Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 (edited) I read an article about this on "LDS Living" I believe, and it struck me so much that ABC News did a great disservice to these girls because the girls only did the interview to help the surviving family members get some help financially, but that announcement to help did not happen and then have what happened also, the songs they actually sung be so distorted, is so bad that I went to their website and contacted them by email and complained. Who knows if it gets to them or not. My viewing "Good Morning America" will decrease substantially if the network doesn't fix this. Edited June 21, 2015 by Tacenda
Robert F. Smith Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 (edited) I don't watch a lot of news nowadays. I don't trust any of them in the US and look with a jaundiced eye when listening to foreign news. There is little real news and more entertainment of modern events to meet specific agendas. I recommend the News Hour on PBS-TV, and you can watch it online at PBS.org. For in depth analysis, I recommend the Charlie Rose Show. He provides lengthy and very intelligent interviews with top thinkers and officials. I am surprised that anyone would identify "Good Morning America" with actual journalism. You need to see the movie "Network" for a reality check. Edited June 23, 2015 by Robert F. Smith
Sleeper Cell Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 The quote from the clip is something along the lines of "What kept them going? Unbelievably a song from the Disney movie..." It was an outright lie according to their later comments. Maybe they meant “unbelievably” in the literal sense.
Recommended Posts