6 Punished for Interview?
Congratulations to 6 reporter Amelia Graham. Her interview with Knox County Deputy Cory Johnson Tuesday night was both interesting and done with sensitivity. I also appreciated the newsroom's resourcefulness in tracking down Deputy Johnson's address and the fact that Amelia was willing to "go after" the interview when the other stations wouldn't; at least not until after she made the initial contact.
One reason for the reluctance by other reporters was Knox County Sheriff's spokesperson Martha Dooley. She discouraged reporters from talking to Johnson Tuesday. I suppose she was trying to protect Johnson's privacy after an obviously tense day for him and his family. Nothing wrong with that, in fact its admirable that Martha was looking out for Johnson and his family.
After a day like Cory Johnson had, some folks would rather not deal with media. I've been around these kinds of stories for years and often that's the case, but not always. Some people find doing an interview a good release from the tensions of the day. And frankly, it's also a great way to let extended friends and family know that you really are OK.
Amelia was aware of this when she knocked on the Johnson door. If the Johnson's had been reluctant, she would've apologized for bothering them, thanked them for their time and left.
But instead, Amelia found the family very happy to talk. Cory's wife even videotaped our crew as Amelia interviewed Deputy Johnson. All in all, it was a positive experience for the family and for our crew.
But apparently not for Dooley.. She was not at all happy that we interviewed Johnson, despite the fact that Johnson was more than happy to talk to us.
I guess I can understand Martha's anger. It's her job to keep the media "under control." And clearly this was an example of a media outlet not playing by her rules.
So will there be repercussions?
Perhaps its just coincidence, but today while Channel 10 and Channel 8 were given access to talk with Sheriff Hutchison on the continuing search for the suspects who shot Deputy Johnson, Channel 6 was mysteriously shut out.
Stay tuned.
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i was reading 6 news im
i was reading 6 news im formaly from tennessee its a great place to live.i now reside in canada. but i injoy reading the news in tennessee. i noticed on the cop being shot it was a sad story. but its on there about 5 r 6 times the same story. i lived in campbell county most of my life was raised in lake city untill i was 14 whan my father passed away in 81 just wanted you to know that i read the news there every day you do a great job keep up the great work.
I'm just wondering, as a
I'm just wondering, as a former Tennessean myself, who taught the former Tennessean now living in Canada how to spell and how to compose a sentence.
Are all folks from Campbell County so brilliant?
To paraphrase Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon!"
Dear Gene, I was told about
Dear Gene,
I was told about one of your blogs which implied that your station was punished for an interview with a deputy who had just been released from the hospital after being shot. While I'm flattered that you would devote most of the blog about me, I do have to point out some misleading information you provided. Channel 6 was not "mysteriously shut out" of any information or an on-camera interview the day after the deputy was shot. In fact, reporter Catharyn Campbell was given full access to Chief Robert Sexton. He respectfully and very patiently answered all of her questions even though he had to repeat many of his answers because of camera and microphone malfunctions. His interview ran in your 6 p.m. newscast.
As I read your blog I noticed that there was no attribution to your statement that I was "not at all happy" and "angry" about the interview with Officer Cory Johnson. I'm puzzled because I haven't spoken to you or anyone in your newsroom concerning the interview. As you pointed out, you didn't go through the usual procedure of calling to set up the interview.
I had to chuckle when I read that you think my "job is to keep the media under control." Is that what I do when I respond to the countless requests from your news department for mug shots, reports, and interviews, not to mention giving your investigative reporters directions to where the Sheriff's Office and the Records Division are located?
I believe a simple courtesy call would have been in order when you decided to "go after the interview." After all, your reporters are certainly not shy about calling my home after hours and on weekends asking to have interviews set up. Why the secrecy and need to sneak around this time?
Gene, get your facts straight. You owe it to your viewers before you bellyache in a public forum.
Sincerely,
Martha Dooley
Director of Planning and Development
Knox County Sheriff's Office
Martha, Thanks for the
Martha,
Thanks for the response. I think its healthy when people communicate and certainly that's our goal.
Honestly I do appreciate your perspective on what happened the day after our Cory Johnson interview, and while I don't want to get into a running debate with you, your post certainly requires at least some defense on my part.
On the issue of being "shut out." -- Our assignment manager, the reporter on the story and others tried unsuccessfully, all morning, to speak with you. We were looking for an update on the search for those responsible for shooting Officer Johnson. We assumed the Sheriff would want us to have that information, along with all the other media outlets, so we could get the information out to the public and let them help the Sheriff's office catch the suspects.
But we got nothing... no return calls, nothing.
Finally, frustrated with the lack of response, our reporter went to the Sheriff's office seeking information. She was forced to sit and wait. After a couple of hours you did speak with her. According to our reporter you said you had been busy and missed her calls and then forgot that she was waiting in the Sheriff's outer office.
So you were busy, fine, but while you didn't have time to return our calls, someone must've been returning the other stations' calls. By the time, you allowed us to talk to Chief Sexton, everyone else had already interviewed the Sheriff.
And while Chief Sexton was very helpful, he apparently didn't have all the information that Sheriff Hutchison had, including the fact that there was a witness to the shooting and that a good samaritan had helped officer Johnson.
So, shut out? Yes we were. For hours we were unable to get any information from the Sheriff's office. Were we being punished, it sure felt that way to our reporter and to our newsroom.
As for your reaction to our interview with Officer Johnson - I believe you did speak with someone in our newsroom and from what I was told, you weren't happy at all about it.
About my comment on its your "job to keep media under control" - I'm surprised you would even question that statement, because of course it is. It's every PIO or spokesperson's job to control information. I did as best I could when I worked for Mayor Ashe as his deputy. And I assume others who speak for the Police Chief, the Fire Chief, the City and County Mayors or the President, for that matter, do too. In my case, even when I was unhappy with a particular story, I still returned the reporter's call.
You mentioned your response to "countless" requests from us for mug shots, reports, or interviews. We make those requests because we are constantly told in the field by officers that you're the only one who can release information. And that can be frustrating, because frankly you have a reputation for either not returning calls or not returning them in a reasonable time. If you'd never worked in the news business I might think you just didn't understand our deadlines. But you know our deadlines, because you worked in news.
As for "sneaking around" to get the interrview, we didn't contact you because you made it clear you didn't want us to get the interview in the first place. And we didn't see a need, at that point, to call you.
Frankly we weren't sure how you might react. For all we knew you might call the officer and try to stop the interview or worse, call the other stations and tell them where Officer Johnson lived so they could get the interview. I'm sure you wouldn't do that though would you?
You have every right to call my post bellyaching. But I don't thnk I was, I was just defending my newsroom.. This incident wasn't the first time I've felt our newsroom was "punished" for going after a particular story. And I imagine if you surveyed the other media outlets, and they were honest, they tell similar stories.
I know you're not "officially" the PIO for the Department, but its the duty you've apparently been assigned to do. It's, at best, a tough job. I know that, but all we ask is to be treated fairly and professionally. I'm sure the Sheriff wouldn't want any less.
I just fell across this blog
I just fell across this blog of Gene Patterson's and as a PIO I feel like I must respond.
First of all I know Ms Dooley personally because I was once a reporter with a tv station in Knoxville.
I would agree with Gene....Ms Dooley and the Sheriff have played favorites for a very long time with the Knoxville media. I know for a fact that the media has been made to wait long periods of time if a crime occurs when Sheriff Hutchison wants "face time" on tv. I know of one instance where a murder suspect was captured and the media was kept waiting over two hours for Hutchison to respond and personally take the person "into custody" so he could walk the suspect out in front of the tv cameras. I have also been on crime scenes where Hutchison has hampered a case, picked up a piece of evidence so he could be on tv or get his picture in the paper and in doing so he destroyed evidence.
I would remind Ms Dooley that yes, she does get calls at night and on the weekends for mug shots and the like. That is HER JOB. When we, as PIO's get called by the media it is because it is OUR JOB to talk to the media. WATE did nothing wrong by going to interview the deputy who was shot. It is the OFFICER'S decision whether or not to talk to the media.....NOT Ms Dooley's. It is Ms Dooley's job to facilitate the media, to augment what they they do....NOT to hinder their mission.
I'll bet her boss wants good PR when it's election time. The cannon of ethics for PIO's is strong and Ms Dooley should learn how to HELP the media, not to toy those who she feels are not carrying out her objectives.
The tone of Ms Dooley's email smacks of arrogance and if my memory serves me correctly, WATE is the station that fired Ms Dooley some years ago. Could this be the very reason she is acting this way towards Gene and his reporters? Come on Ms Dooley....you don't "forget" a reporter is in the outer office for two hours!
Ms Dooley and the Sheriff should be embarrarrased but I am sure this is all one big game...........one that will end one day biting both she and her Sheriff in the region where the sun often does not shine!
Dang boys, are ya all just
Dang boys, are ya all just passing the crying towel? Get over it and start doing some news ok?
If you jack with a source they can jack back, facts is facts and parts is parts.
PS
I still wish this blog were easier to find, us oldfolks with short memory stay lost in the hall to the bathroom, let alone navigating the WATE web site.
PS
How about WBIR cutting 15 minutes out of West Wing last night to show us the rain on the weather porch? Lord who was the elder statesman of weather talking about HARRY MAN Tennessee? Still I did enjoy the new meaning of Tornado WARNING, old days it was "JED DONE SPOTTED ONE OVER THE OUT-HOUSE" but today it is "things" are ripe for a biggun.
Naturally like the rest of the viewers I went over to HBO at 9 to see how TONY was doing and missed the rest of the weather show.
[...] f blogging can often
[...] f blogging can often be an act of creation. When the opinion expressed in that creation is clearly biased, does it then cross the ethically boundry of impartiality? The ASNE (American Society of New [...]