Was casually monitoring Channel 7 Tyler regarding the Longview Hard Body contest suicide. KLTV ran a low key story about nine minutes into the newscast, centering mostly on man-on-the-street comments as to whether the contest should return in future years. That was followed by a package relating to the sponsor's deliberations on what the status of the contest will be.
No comment from any local media personages, since it's obvious they don't know any more about what transpired than does anyone else. The story did indicate the store across the street from the contest site and where the incident took place, has surveilance video but apparently no information was released on what, if anything, the tape shows.
News judgment on stories of this nature is a tricky job. Some editors and news directors just say "suicides don't make news." But then coming into play are the surrounding circumstances, as in this story, that insert all sorts of additional and new dynamics into the story/no story call. The Longview newspaper played it front page above and below the fold with several side bar stories front page and inside, looking at the psychological and clinical aspects of behavior by people who are sleep deprived. Obviously, this type story doesn't translate well to TV-speak since it can't be wall papered with video (unless there's video of people not sleeping).
Anybody else see how Channel 56 or Channel 19 handled the coverage? Such events and news reports on them can be a delicate editorial move. It's a damned if you do/damned if you don't proposition.
The moderator may well move this thread to the Texas TV board, which on second thought may be where I should have posted it in the first place. But since all previous mentions were on this board, posting it to Texas Television would have require4d explaining what had happened. So, if moving this post is necessary, I'll put my mea culpa here, up front.
No comment from any local media personages, since it's obvious they don't know any more about what transpired than does anyone else. The story did indicate the store across the street from the contest site and where the incident took place, has surveilance video but apparently no information was released on what, if anything, the tape shows.
News judgment on stories of this nature is a tricky job. Some editors and news directors just say "suicides don't make news." But then coming into play are the surrounding circumstances, as in this story, that insert all sorts of additional and new dynamics into the story/no story call. The Longview newspaper played it front page above and below the fold with several side bar stories front page and inside, looking at the psychological and clinical aspects of behavior by people who are sleep deprived. Obviously, this type story doesn't translate well to TV-speak since it can't be wall papered with video (unless there's video of people not sleeping).
Anybody else see how Channel 56 or Channel 19 handled the coverage? Such events and news reports on them can be a delicate editorial move. It's a damned if you do/damned if you don't proposition.
The moderator may well move this thread to the Texas TV board, which on second thought may be where I should have posted it in the first place. But since all previous mentions were on this board, posting it to Texas Television would have require4d explaining what had happened. So, if moving this post is necessary, I'll put my mea culpa here, up front.