Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

[TuNnL]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Fink is just some guy doing what his owners told him to do. He's a puppet who knows he has to play ball or look for another job. What else is he going to do, it's not like he can tout what a good job he's been doing all these years. His station has been in last place since 1996 and that's back when NBC had number one rated shows like ER. Are his editorials ethical? Maybe, maybe not. But I truely believe he wouldn't be doing these editorials if he had a choice. I'd direct your fire towards khnl owners, raycom media, instead. They're not interested in news or ethics, just dollar signs. this is a product of their twisted logic.

Sin has it correct. "Think About It" is a Raycom mandated piece that it does at every one of its stations.

Whether he really likes doing them or not - Fink has no choice in cranking them out.

These are both probably the fairest assessment of the situation altogether on HT. I’m glad you two at least understood the point I was trying to make. Hopefully, one day, Raycom will get a clue.

[Kimo]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Moving back more closely to the topic . . .

Anyone know anything about the apparently-new KITV weekend weather person - Amber Lynn Hyden. Appears young, local from her okay pronunciation...

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Anyone know anything about the apparently-new KITV weekend weather person - Amber Lynn Hyden. Appears young, local from her okay pronunciation...

She is part of KITV's digital weather channel staff, too. She's local, according to her KITV bio page.

[scsdogg]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Didnt KHON claim a year or two ago that local numbers for American Idol (due to Jasmine Trias popularity) were the highest in any market?
Aj

Probably.....again, Idol is usually on air during a ratings period. So, numbers to support that claim would not be very hard to get.

[scsdogg]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Like Mel and scsdogg point out, these guys have a legal right do what they do. I’m asking if what they are doing is right. Fink about it.

Right or wrong.......really? Like he should go to broadcaster's jail for crimes against the viewing public?

Lemme see if I got it right(because you're implying, somehow only 2 people understood what you're trying to say). Your reasons Fink should NOT be doing his editorials(if he had a choice).
-He's not a journalist(trained or paid)
-Editorializing might not be ethical...even though papers do it.
-He's the only person at KHNL doing editorials....so papers are ok because they have an editorial board.
-The editorials are often placed near a newscast, thus making it seem like Fink is talking on behalf of his news staff

Let me know if I missed something.

[TuNnL]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Lemme see if I got it right(because you're implying, somehow only 2 people understood what you're trying to say). Your reasons Fink should NOT be doing his editorials(if he had a choice).
-He's not a journalist(trained or paid)
-Editorializing might not be ethical...even though papers do it.
-He's the only person at KHNL doing editorials....so papers are ok because they have an editorial board.
-The editorials are often placed near a newscast, thus making it seem like Fink is talking on behalf of his news staff

Let me know if I missed something.

Okay, since you asked... you missed the part about how a newspaper has letters to the editor, so the Editorial page is essentially a “public forum.” That’s to say nothing of the fact that both papers allow online comments to be posted to their websites. You think the t.v. news would run a fullscreen graphic from a viewer about how much he or she disagreed with Fink’s “Think About It” segment?

I don’t think so. Fink about it.

[Kalihiboy]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

I think in the editorial reference to the newspaper he/she means the editorial stance each newspaper prints on whatever the subject is at hand of the day.

For example this in today's SB:

http://starbulletin.com/2008/08/19/e...itorial01.html

Again if Raycom has a mandate that requires Fink to deliver on air editorials you can't necessarily blame him for doing them.

But no problem in voicing your displeasure about the editorials as I recall people complained in the papers about Heftel, Berger and Harm's on-air editorials during the 1970's, because of a difference in opinion of whatever stance or issue they had.

Aj

[1stwahine]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Never mind.

[scsdogg]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Okay, since you asked... you missed the part about how a newspaper has letters to the editor, so the Editorial page is essentially a “public forum.” That’s to say nothing of the fact that both papers allow online comments to be posted to their websites. You think the t.v. news would run a fullscreen graphic from a viewer about how much he or she disagreed with Fink’s “Think About It” segment?

I don’t think so. Fink about it.

Since you never brought that point up in this thread, I'd say I didn't miss anything. I asked for YOUR reasons.

I agree with 2 points:
-Placing editorials near or in a newscast DOES make it seem like the news department has something to do with what's being said. However, news viewers are also most likely to care about what's being said. I don't want to see a "think about it" during Heros....or Sunday Night Football...or Scrubs.

-Local TV would probably not run "viewer mail" responding to what Fink or anyone else said. Cable TV "news" networks often do(although not about the network...just about their talking heads).

I disagree with:
-The idea that one is not qualified to opine unless one is a journalist.
-The idea that there needs to be a "group of voices" to offer the opinion of the station.

I don't understand why you feel this way:
-Editorializing(on tv) might not be ethical...even though papers do it.

Well, you didn't dispute that line when given the chance. However, from what I'm reading, you wouldn't be opposed to TV doing editorials if they had an editorial board, AND allowed viewers to comment on the air.

I don't agree that editorial boards and viewer comments make any kind of commentary that represents the view of a paper any more ethical than when a TV station does not have those things. Like I asked before, can I trust that the coverage of a given political race is fair even if the paper says one of the candidates in that race would be better for the people of Hawaii, than the other candidates?

[sin]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Raycomm isn't the only one who does this sort of editorial broadcast at the end of their nightly news. Fisher Communications which owns stations in Portland, Seattle and some other Northwest towns have this guy Ken Schram who says his piece and kicks up way more dust than Fink ever did. If any one is interested, here's the link: http://www.komonews.com/opinion/kenschram

The fact is, John Fink never came into the newsroom to tell us what to cover that day. He never said do a story about the topic of my Think About it Segment or forced reporters to go chase a story that would please one of his big advertising clients. Lord knows the sales department tried but they could never force us to do it. But that's any tv station.

Sure it'd be better if once in a while John said, "I got a lot of calls after my last editorial and I wanted to share some of those with you on air today". But the fact is, he may not be getting any responses. He's the last guy to talk at the end of a newscast that's last place and he's only doing it because he has to.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

-Local TV would probably not run "viewer mail" responding to what Fink or anyone else said.

Which is a change in attitude over the years. Growing up in the Midwest, I recall that the local stations often read viewer responses to editorials on the air, as part of their newscasts; sometimes, they would even have members of the community come in to the studio to deliver a response or rebuttal on tape. This was occurring even into the mid-1980s.

[TuNnL]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

I disagree with:
-The idea that one is not qualified to opine unless one is a journalist.

As do I. But while it was never a matter of qualifications, it does speak to the “opiner’s” credibility. It is, however, a matter of ethics. Are any of the things we learn in a church/synagogue/temple good practice in state matters? Sure. We still keep them separate.

The idea that there needs to be a "group of voices" to offer the opinion of the station.

Really? Even if the majority of the people who work for that station disagree with the opinion?

I don't understand why you feel this way:
-Editorializing(on tv) might not be ethical...even though papers do it.

Because as you correctly assert, newspaper editorial writers are held to account by their peers and by readers daily (and on the internet, up to the minute). T.V. stations aren’t held to account period. Except maybe by bean counters who believe “ethics” is a four-letter word.

Like I asked before, can I trust that the coverage of a given political race is fair even if the paper says one of the candidates in that race would be better for the people of Hawaii, than the other candidates?

That’s a personal choice you make, knowing that the readers (including you) have a “same-page” forum to instantly hold the paper accountable for their endorsement.

[dick]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

A newspaper doesn't endorse a candidate. Its editorial board does.

The news sections and editorial sections are completely separated. I'm not sure why people are so ignorant about this. There seem to be no shortage of armchair journalists and critics running around, yet so many haven't a clue about the true workings of a newspaper.

It's a common misconception that somehow an editorial section's endorsement somehow sways news coverage. That couldn't be further from the truth. The newsroom has no clue what's going on in editorial -- there's absolutely zero interaction between the two.

Of course, people never believe that, but oh well.

[sin]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

The newsroom has no clue what's going on in editorial -- there's absolutely zero interaction between the two.

Of course, people never believe that, but oh well.

Actually Dick I think it's more accurate to say there's no influence rather than no interaction between the two departments. for example, if editorial receives a letter to the editor about someone complaining about crime in their neighborhood, they would probably let the cop beat reporter know in case he wants to check to see if there's a story there. there are probably other examples, but again, while there is some interaction there's no influence.

[dick]

Re: Hawaii TV News Anchors and Reporters - Book 3

Actually Dick I think it's more accurate to say there's no influence rather than no interaction between the two departments.

Good point.