Thoughts. Questions. Should WFAA-TV be held responsible?

[tommyboy10]

All of the mediots just kill me. I didn't hear "T.O.", "Medical Emergency", etc out of their mouths. All I heard was "suicide attempt". If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times. I get sick and tired of the media doing this. I am the first to admit that he brings the attention on himself--he loves it--but I do think it is wearing on him. And come on, he really has been a mostly model citizen since being in Dallas, hasn't he? Give him a break, and atleast sit and wait like hounds til he gives you reason to jump. Freakin mediots!

GO COWBOYS!

 

[GTaylor]

I did not know that.

That was before the net was big and living in WV I did not get much local dallas news.

I was at Toyota during the cocaine incident and some of our used car guys had sources at Valley Ranch. One of them even saw Irvin a few nights before the arrest at a strip club and said Irvin was wasted and started doing his first down walk across the place. Wished I could have been there.

The second story I got most of my info from newsgroups (Back before it became polluted with spam) and Dallas Observer, but I can't get the archives up.

 

[jazzcat22]

The reporter that broke the story was on The Ticket this morning. She covers the Dallas police for stories. She has been doing this for years and has made some very good inside sources. She was given this report by someone inside. Maybe it was preliminary, who knows. So she took it and ran with it.

The report was made from interviews that Baylor hospital did, not so much from what was actually said to the police by Owens or his publicist. That's the way it sounded from reports from The Ticket and local ESPN Radio.

Typical news station taking a report, and not 100% checking it out. Yes, I think they should be held somewhat accountable.

Standard procedure for a 911 call, and pills are mentioned, they call the police. So the hospital and police first think 'suicide'. So that's what went in the report.

 

[tyke1doe]

Yes, this station should be held accountable (but they won't).


Before they ran with the police report, they should have at a minimum done a cursory search of its facts. They didn't. A simple online search would have shown that there was contradictory information in the police report. A person who ingests 35 pills of any pain medicine (let alone Vicodin) cannot form coherent thoughts to answer any question and more often than not is totally unresponsive. This alone should have tipped off any competent journalist that something was amiss.

And so now you're asking journalists to be doctors?

A do not fault the responding officers for what they put in the initial report because they wouldn't have five minutes to look the information up but I do blame the DPD for leaking a preliminary report.

Are you more upset because they leaked information that looks bad for your favorite team or are you upset that leaked information gets to the press, period?

You do know that many good stories have come from confidential documents, oh let's say the Pentagon Papers and Watergate to name two.

 

[tyke1doe]

The reporter that broke the story was on The Ticket this morning. She covers the Dallas police for stories. She has been doing this for years and has made some very good inside sources. She was given this report by someone inside. Maybe it was preliminary, who knows. So she took it and ran with it.

The report was made from interviews that Baylor hospital did, not so much from what was actually said to the police by Owens or his publicist. That's the way it sounded from reports from The Ticket and local ESPN Radio.

Typical news station taking a report, and not 100% checking it out. Yes, I think they should be held somewhat accountable.

Standard procedure for a 911 call, and pills are mentioned, they call the police. So the hospital and police first think 'suicide'. So that's what went in the report.

Check with whom?

The hospital is not going to confirm this information because of HIPAA regulations.

The police aren't going to confirm it on the record.

It was a police document. It was an official document. Journalism isn't static. It is dependent on time and deadlines.

And exactly how would you hold WFAA accountable aside from not watching their news station, assuming you live in their coverage area?

 

[jazzcat22]

Check with whom?

The hospital is not going to confirm this information because of HIPAA regulations.

The police aren't going to confirm it on the record.

It was a police document. It was an official document. Journalism isn't static. It is dependent on time and deadlines.

And exactly how would you hold WFAA accountable aside from not watching their news station, assuming you live in their coverage area?

Check with TO, his agent, The Cowboys, his publicist. To get their spin, then report it. Say this is what the report says, and TO's side denies it.

Oh, I forgot, we are talking about the sensationlist media. The same media who would rather say the world is ending rather than say oops, we forgot to ask our source if it really is true, or just their opinion. Yes a little over the top, but it's the point.

When I meant accountable, just by what you said, their credibility will be judged. But no penalties or any sorts, nothing can be done. Just I will be wondering what they report, how reliable is it. But then again, I do that with any news.

 

[tomson75]

Check with TO, his agent, The Cowboys, his publicist. To get their spin, then report it. Say this is what the report says, and TO's side denies it.

Oh, I forgot, we are talking about the sensationlist media. The same media who would rather say the world is ending rather than say oops, we forgot to ask our source if it really is true, or just their opinion. Yes a little over the top, but it's the point.

Spot on.

 

[tyke1doe]

Check with TO, his agent, The Cowboys, his publicist. To get their spin, then report it. Say this is what the report says, and TO's side denies it.

But TO was in the hospital? This news happened at night. Besides, television is more instant than newspapers, and I'm assuming WFAA is operating under the principal of get it fast, get it first and get it right, and a police report is as official as you can get.

Oh, I forgot, we are talking about the sensationlist media. The same media who would rather say the world is ending rather than say oops, we forgot to ask our source if it really is true, or just their opinion. Yes a little over the top, but it's the point.

But do you really think the publicist, who is quoted as saying TO was "depressed" would have told the real story? She's a publicist, a paid liar.

When I meant accountable, just by what you said, their credibility will be judged. But no penalties or any sorts, nothing can be done. Just I will be wondering what they report, how reliable is it. But then again, I do that with any news.

Fair enough.

Other than loss of credibility, there's not much that can be done. Oh, TO can sue, but I don't see such a lawsuit getting far.