ABC15 Anchor Rant

[ihEARDtHAT]

ABC15 anchor Steve Irvin posted this on his Facebook page:

"Honestly I've had enough of the scolding of the media on the part of out-of-town incident command types in the Yarnell fire. In this afternoon's press conference, reporters were actually admonished for asking questions EVERYONE wants answered, especially families of firefighters. It's our job to ask those questions."

Full statement and the public response at: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=680063678685865&id=149350038423901

 

[ironbear]

Irwin's beef is that the investigative team, primarily from Florida, arrived 3 days after the deaths and held a news conference which had few real answers (no investigation had taken place.) THAT's what you call unrealistic expectations, Mr. Irwin.

 

[landtuna]

Irwin's beef is that the investigative team, primarily from Florida, arrived 3 days after the deaths and held a news conference which had few real answers (no investigation had taken place.) THAT's what you call unrealistic expectations, Mr. Irwin.

Perhaps, but Irwin and colleagues are not in the fire business. They had every reason to expect that there would be information of value at the news conference instead of the criticism that was apparently leveled at the news people by the fire officials.

 

[Joe in Prescott]

As a longtime resident of Prescott, I'd have to say that all the media, both radio and television,
have done an very good job covering the situation up here and in Yarnell. The fire professionals,
whose duty it is to investigate the entire tragedy could not be expected to have all the answers
in such a short time. Let's have cooler heads prevail and be grateful to the lost firefighters, their
families as well as those that put their lives on the line for us day in and day out-- Police and fire
fighters.

 

[Joe in Prescott]

As a longtime resident of Prescott, I'd have to say that all the media, both radio and television,
have done an very good job covering the situation up here and in Yarnell. The fire professionals,
whose duty it is to investigate the entire tragedy could not be expected to have all the answers
in such a short time. Let's have cooler heads prevail and be grateful to the lost firefighters, their
families as well as those that put their lives on the line for us day in and day out-- Police and fire
fighters.

 

[ShowLow]

very unprofessional imo. the media is going to take heat just like everyone else, get over yourself and your importance mr Ivin

ABC15 anchor Steve Irvin posted this on his Facebook page:

"Honestly I've had enough of the scolding of the media on the part of out-of-town incident command types in the Yarnell fire. In this afternoon's press conference, reporters were actually admonished for asking questions EVERYONE wants answered, especially families of firefighters. It's our job to ask those questions."

Full statement and the public response at: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=680063678685865&id=149350038423901

 

[sunspot51]

Amen to that...reporters are NOT rock stars even though they want to be treated like it.

very unprofessional imo. the media is going to take heat just like everyone else, get over yourself and your importance mr Ivin

ABC15 anchor Steve Irvin posted this on his Facebook page:

"Honestly I've had enough of the scolding of the media on the part of out-of-town incident command types in the Yarnell fire. In this afternoon's press conference, reporters were actually admonished for asking questions EVERYONE wants answered, especially families of firefighters. It's our job to ask those questions."

Full statement and the public response at: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=680063678685865&id=149350038423901

 

[dhett]

I can understand to an extent how Irwin feels - nobody likes to be criticized and be told how to do their jobs, especially by outsiders - but a general rule of thumb that I have is that such feelings should be kept private. It's never a good idea to air complaints in public. Showlow is right: it looks unprofessional.

 

[KeithE4]

I can understand to an extent how Irwin feels - nobody likes to be criticized and be told how to do their jobs, especially by outsiders - but a general rule of thumb that I have is that such feelings should be kept private. It's never a good idea to air complaints in public. Showlow is right: it looks unprofessional.

Irwin and the other newsbabblers are public figures, whether they like it or not. Getting criticized by the public comes with the territory, just like politicians, actors, and ballplayers. His rant was very unprofessional, and that's unfortunate because I think he's a decent news anchor.

 

[buster2]

I was once a reporter, and I'll admit I had an attitude about being called out for criticism. But the fact is, I often deserved it. Reporters are the most thin-skinned people you'll ever meet. I often have to deal with them in my current profession, and most (but not all) of them howl like cats if you call them on a mistake, or challenge a premise they believe in, even if the premise is wrong. It's just the way things are.

 

[fusejockey]

Perhaps, but Irwin and colleagues are not in the fire business. They had every reason to expect that there would be information of value at the news conference instead of the criticism that was apparently leveled at the news people by the fire officials.

Residing in the Tri-Cities area, the TV Fire News reporting recently appears respectful... Friends have mentioned that their contacts with various news crews to be interesting and fair. Imagine the stress on all involved.

 

[ihEARDtHAT]

Re: ABC15 Anchor Rant - Part II

This guy is a loose cannon. Today Mr. Irvin posted on facebook the following:

"Steve Irvin ABC 15 News
about an hour ago
Just had a viewer complain... when are we going to stop "forcing" the story of the Yarnell firefighters on him. Um... Uh... yeah... nothing else to add."

 

[landtuna]

Re: ABC15 Anchor Rant - Part II

This guy is a loose cannon. Today Mr. Irvin posted on facebook the following:

"Steve Irvin ABC 15 News
about an hour ago
Just had a viewer complain... when are we going to stop "forcing" the story of the Yarnell firefighters on him. Um... Uh... yeah... nothing else to add."

Considering that various stories on the fire and those who died were either lead or significant stories for about a week following the event I would agree with the complainer. If management thinks detailed followup such as the funerals and/or detailed background of each firefighter will "sell" then put it in a newsmagazine instead of current events.

If it were me I would have complained about the Zimmerman trial in FL. Not local. Not important. All too common. If not for the forced race issue it wouldn't have made headlines anywhere outside the local metro area.

Paula Deen is another non-story.

 

[base12]

Re: ABC15 Anchor Rant - Part II

This guy is a loose cannon. Today Mr. Irvin posted on facebook the following:

"Steve Irvin ABC 15 News
about an hour ago
Just had a viewer complain... when are we going to stop "forcing" the story of the Yarnell firefighters on him. Um... Uh... yeah... nothing else to add."

Considering that various stories on the fire and those who died were either lead or significant stories for about a week following the event I would agree with the complainer. If management thinks detailed followup such as the funerals and/or detailed background of each firefighter will "sell" then put it in a newsmagazine instead of current events.

I totally agree with Landtuna on this one. That fire had more than enough coverage. It was almost as ridiculous as the royal baby is today.