Bob Franken: All sides hate the media

  • By Bob Franken
  • Saturday, November 29, 2014 5:56pm
  • Opinion

Everyone is a media critic. President Barack Obama, unsuccessfully pleading for a peaceful reaction to the grand jury exoneration of policeman Darren Wilson, made it a point to show his scorn by describing the coverage of the “negative reaction” on the ground as exploitive “good TV.” Meanwhile, in his news conference, prosecutor Bob McCulloch couldn’t resist taking a shot at the “24-hour news cycle and its insatiable appetite for something — for anything — to talk about.”

I’ll tell you what, Mr. President and Mr. Prosecutor: You do your job, and we’ll do ours, which is to cover the debate over how well you are doing it, as well as the kind of violent damage we see in Ferguson, Missouri. That’s presented by journalists on the ground, in the face of danger, some of which has come at the hands of bullying cops. Granted, there are some hot dogs among them, but most are responsible and gutsy.

Of course, those of us who try to be serious about journalism must get used to, if not embrace, the reality that if we do our job properly, most people won’t like us. Many times, they hate the idea that we’re interested in what they’re doing, because it means that they’re doing something very wrong.

Ferguson is certainly a case in point. The protests and violence that erupted after the fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by a white cop is clearly big news. Obviously, the explosive reaction to the grand jury’s nonindictment of Wilson also is huge.

Even so, many of those who call the area home deeply resent all the reporters, videographers and photographers, to say nothing of big satellite trucks, that have descended like a bunch of “vultures,” a term commonly heard from the locals. The president and prosecutor are merely channeling Americans who believe that those covering the story are irresponsibly promoting trouble with their very presence.

The vitriol comes from all sides, including those who are suspicious that the same media are plotting to slant the story in favor of the authorities.

Cries of “conspiracy” raced across Twitterdom the moment it was learned that various national-network celebrity anchor people had met with Officer Wilson in an effort to land the big “get” — an interview, preferably exclusive. Usually, relatively low-level bookers compete for the newsmakers, but when it’s a really big deal, the bigfoots tromp in. Included this time were some really big feet: Matt Lauer, Scott Pelley, Anderson Cooper, George Stephanopoulos and other heavyweights making their pitches wherever Wilson is hiding out.

The critics charge that by stumbling all over each other to secure this major headliner, they were promising to show him in a sympathetic way. Stephanopoulos got the get, by the way, and others can decide how tough he was.

The fact is that this kind of off-the-record encounter is routine. In the mid-’90s, when I was still in my CNN phase, I went up against the other networks seeking the first TV interview with CIA agent Aldrich Ames, who had been convicted as very high level Soviet mole. It was a sensational case. Knowing that the competition probably would sweet-talk him, my approach was to tell him that if I did the interview, he could expect hard questions. It worked. Wolf Blitzer and I did an hour special with him at his prison.

I also can tell you that there have been other big fish that got away. The point is, this high-stakes competition is normal, but it is certainly cutthroat. People observing from the outside can get really turned off by watching us throw our sharp elbows.

We definitely can be intrusive pains in the butt. For the most part, though, we aren’t playing favorites. But if everybody thinks we are, then we’re probably doing our jobs.

Bob Franken is a longtime broadcast journalist, including 20 years at CNN.

More in Opinion

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop and Gov. Mike Dunleavy discuss his veto of an education bill during a press conference March 15, 2024, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Strong policy, proven results

Why policy and funding go hand in hand.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski speaks on a range of subjects during an interview with the Juneau Empire in May 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The Jones Act — crass protectionism, but for whom?

Alaska is dependent on the few U.S.-built ships carrying supplies from Washington state to Alaska.

Cook Inlet can be seen at low tide from North Kenai Beach on June 15, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Solving the Cook Inlet gas crisis

While importing LNG is necessary in the short term, the Kenai Peninsula is in dire need of a stable long-term solution.

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet are dragged up onto the beach at a test site for selective harvest setnet gear in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Creating opportunities with better fishery management

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

The ranked choice outcome for Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is shown during an Alaska Public Media broadcast on Nov. 24, 2022. (Alaska Division of Elections)
Opinion: Alaska should keep ranked choice voting, but let’s make it easier

RCV has given Alaskans a better way to express their preferences.

The Alaska State Capitol on March 1. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Keep Alaska open for business

Our job as lawmakers is to ensure that laws passed at the ballot box work effectively on the ground.

Brooke Walters. (Courtesy photo)
Opinion: A student’s letter to the governor

Our education funding is falling short by exuberant amounts.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks in support of debating an omnibus education bill in the Alaska House Chambers on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Compromise, not games

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.

Image provided by the Office of Mayor Peter Micciche.
Opinion: Taxes, adequate education funding and putting something back into your pocket

Kenai Peninsula Borough taxpayers simply can’t make a dent in the education funding deficit by themselves, nor should they be asked to do so.

Most Read