Wow, the media got punked, and bad. What started out as an innocuous campaign (that admittedly violates minor trespass/zoning laws) has become a big prank at the expense of the media.
By covering this story so seriously and thoroughly, the news outlets have demonstrated their antiquity and aloofness in regard to their basic jobs as journalists.
How on earth can any clear-thinking person believe that a low-resolution sign of an alien giving people the finger is an act of terrorism? Similar neon signs have been in bars for a while now. Are journalists afraid to call the police idiots for overreacting to an ad campaign?
And why does the media insist on covering arrests, instead of concentrating on the outcome? Suspects are advised by their counsel to not give statements about pending litigation, so stories are a series of “no comments” followed by speculation. That Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens were given an outlet to speak is pure folly.
And they’re smart enough to do more with their time than give simple no comments. Like the show / movie they’re advertising, at their Feb. 1 news conference they provided a series of comic non-sequiturs about hair that had the same effect as a no-comment, but with the bonus of angering the reporters. The reporters were assuming that Berdovsky and Stevens were treating the case like a joke, when the only thing they were making a joke out of was the news conference itself.
Fox News’ coverage ended with the anchor angrily saying, “None of this may play well with the judge when they’re back in court.” Conservatives are obviously a bit out of touch with how the judicial system works, but not even the most activist judges would allow a silly news conference to interfere with their rulings under the law.
No, blogs haven’t replaced the media. Nothing has. I believe there is a place for TV journalism and print journalism – responsible reporting, with incisive questions, and thorough fact checking. Blogs are incisive, but fail on the other two counts. But if regular journalists continue to keep their collective heads up their collective asses, it’s only a matter of time before they are embarrassed again like they have been the last 24 hours.
© TLA Entertainment Group
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