Friday, September 18, 2009

Of Noisy Journos and Chicken Love ...

HOW WOULD YOU have handled this situation if you were the reporter?

Listen closely to the video below. Should the anchor be punished for what he said?

25 comments:

Christine Killion said...

Did you notice his fellow anchor's faces? They certainly didn't find his comment appropriate. John Stewart definately broadcasted this clip on the Daily Show yesterday. I think that the anchor should be more responsible. This kind of comment will spread bad publicity for the station, which could lead to unhappy advertisers.

Lisa Jiang said...

Wow. About the first video, I probably wouldn't have known how to handle that situation. I guess he handled it pretty well, and the woman was right about how they organized the event. They should've planned it more carefully and he did have a right to be there. It's not his fault, he's just doing his job. I probably would've apologized and tried to find a less distracting spot to broadcast it.
About the second video, I think he should be punished, because he should have been more careful about what he says on television, especially when children could be watching and the people who caught what he said would probably get angry at the station.

Leah Curran said...

I find the first video to be ridiculous. I would never in a million years go up to a news crew and act like those people did. Watching it actually left me feeling sorry for the man reporter. I think the women anchor made very valid points and did a good job sticking up for him. I don't know what I would've done in his shoes. I probably would've looked to the camera crew and behind the scenes people to guide me in how to deal with the matter.
As for the second video, I cannot begin to comprehend what that man was thinking. I'm so shocked he had the guts to say that, it's almost comical. I think the woman to his left was just as surprised. I definitely think he should receive some kind of punishment. Saying that on the news is totally inappropriate. It's common sense.

Don Hoegg said...

First video-
I'll quote my grandfather "location, location, location." It seems to me as though it'd be more the producer's responsibility than the reporter's to determine an appropriate area to broadcast. Given the circumstances, it seems as though the reporter reacted pretty well.

Second video- I think it was an honest mistake, and he's already apologized. This piece won't earn him a Pulitzer anytime soon, but honestly, is it anything the audience hasn't heard before?

Alexis Ryan said...

First video- If the press was invited into an organized event, there should have been a specified place for the press to report. The reporter could, as stated, stand outside the room to speak, but a background of the event itself was eye-catching and interesting and made sense. I don't think, initially, there was anything wrong with where he was- especially not if other reporters were in the same area.

After being asked to move, however, I think it would have been better if he'd cooperated. He wasn't covering any direct quotes from the speaker, so he wouldn't have really missed anything if he'd gone somewhere else.

Second Video- Absolutely, he should be punished. He should at the very least have to give some sort of public apology. A news anchor is not supposed to curse. Period. Part of your job as an anchor is to be an icon- you represent your entire channel. He should have been more thoughtful.

Alexis Ryan said...

(P.S.?) I'm sure he slipped when he said it, as everyone does occasionally. He must have known that wasn't appropriate to say- not arguing that it was intentional. But he should still apologize.

Alexis Ryan said...

P.P.S. I do think it's interesting, the headline for the first video- "Values Voters Conference Attendees Disrupt MSNBC Broadcast"-- not the other way around. It all depends on your opinion, I guess. Ok, I'm done, I promise.

Geo said...

The stories written about the chicken episode claim the anchor meant to say, "Keep plucking those chickens."

- George
(the teacher who won't feel comfortable eating chicken for a long time)

Ashley Anderson said...

About the first video, he had every right to report. That's what his job was, and as the female anchor said, the event was not organized properly. There definitely should have been a location set aside for reporters if they had a problem with him reporting from that location. The people interrupting his report were being extremely rude.

On the second video, excuse me but WTF?!?!?! I understand that people slip up, but as a news anchor you get paid NOT to slip up and drop the "f" bomb in any variety. He should certainly be punished for what he did, and the woman to his left looks like she agrees.

Genny Glassman said...

Both events show what happens when you have live television. In the first, it truly was a case of poor planning. The reporter had a right to be there. It wasn't like he was a noisy person in the audience. If I were him I would have tried to walk away to a less crowded area, though overall I think that both journalist tried their hardest to maintain their composure.
The second is unacceptable. It makes you wonder why he would even say that knowing that he was on the air. It's an odd comment in the first place, but one assumes he is an experienced and professional journalist and there are certain things that obviously should not be said.

khanhly ng said...

I don't think it is appropriate for him to swear on tv. As an anchor, he needs to be professional and think before he says because he's on tv and people do watch news!!!!

William Carlson said...

I am an advocate of free speech and I feel that the FCC should be abolished. There is an obligation by media outlets to deliver content within the parameters that they advertise. You can't market a G-rated film and then fill it with genitalia, for example. I doubt that anyone tuned in expecting to hear "fucking" so that's the part I have a problem with. If that were a normal part of their broadcast then the viewer could decide whether or not they found it offensive and choose accordingly. On a related note, I have caused a radio station to be fined by the FCC before. I said some bad things on the air. Oops!

Wafai Dias said...

For the first video I think the journalist handled himself well, he stated proof as to why he was in there, and why he was reporting. I think that I also would have dealt with them in the same manner that he did. For the second video I think that he should be punished because I'm sure that there's thousands of people out their that would kill to have his job and he's sitting their swearing... penalize him already. I'm sure that PETA is very offended. The joke is sick and not funny at all.

Sina Snoeu said...

I could only hope that if I were in the situation Brian Moore was in, I'd handle it as solidly as he did. I give it to the guy. He kept going and was determined to stick to his job and right as a reporter without engaging any form of aggression.
I may have not been in that conference room but from the video it appears he was definitely far from the front. Considering that, and the fact that he was most likely using a unidirectional hand mic, leads me to believe he wasn’t that loud and that his presence was really what people focused on. Odds are if you’re self conscious of a particular person, you will hear them over anything else. Like spidey senses.
All in all he did an impeccable job in keeping his composure and I think he should teach a class on it. Oh, and you gotta love when he said, “Please don’t touch the microphone.” I laugh every time.

Anonymous said...
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Geo said...

So, it seems that many of you feel the swearing anchor should be punished. Does that mean you feel the media should not use curse words? Or is it this particular instance that is bad?

- George
(the ******* teacher)

Alexis Ryan said...

News anchors, at the very least, should not curse. The 'face' of news should do a good job of appearing to their audience as a 'tabula rasa' (blank slate). They are a vessel to deliver facts through, and they get paid to have perfect hair, make up and composure while they do it (that part is kind of silly, but there's a reason for all of it).

There is plenty of cursing in the media, and plenty of 'cool, alternative' places to get your news. If you want a "Oh no, he didn't!" you should be getting it from Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. They're paid to shock and entertain you. News anchors are paid to shock and entertain you with the stories they deliver. They, themselves, are paid to be the face that makes you trust the entire station, so their job literally is to be perfect.

Which is why, although I'm sure tons of people wouldn't be bothered by a cursing news station, enough people would be to keep the guys upstairs from allowing it. I don't know how many altruistic journalists there truly are out there, but I think it's safe to assume that their bosses want good ratings so they can continue to line their pockets.

Luis Crespo said...

The first video was pretty funny. I've never seen that reporter before, but I can't fault him for much there. The fault lies with MSNBC and the organizers of the event.

As for the second video: Come on. He slipped. It happens. Ernie Anastos is one of the greats. He started in New York TV while his coanchor was still in grade school. He made an on-air apology, and I think that should be the end of it.

Aleks Molnar said...

Swear words are nothing more than words. Granted, in society's eyes they are not professional, but it doesn't change the fact that they are words and nothing more. What's the difference between the meaning of "butt" and "ass"? "Poop" or "shit"? "Freaking" or "fucking"?

It's nothing more than an over-hype on a group of words. Who cares.

As for the reporter? Kudos for such an epic slip-up. He apologized. Move on.

DAN said...

i'm pretty sure he said "plucking". keep "plucking" that chicken. who in their right mind would fuck a chicken anyway? Is that even physically feasible?

Steph Ferretti said...

I feel pretty bad for the reporter in the first video, but he did handle the situation pretty well and I commend him for that. That is his job to be there and report so I think that the people that were interrupting him were the ones being rude.

As for the second video, I was laughing pretty hard at the other anchors' expressions. It was pretty funny, but I think he should definitely be punished. It did not sound anything like "plucking".

Geo said...

He most certainly did not say "plucking." He may have meant to, but he definitely dropped an f-bomb.

Greatest clip ever.

- George
(the teacher who has listened to this clip about 40 times already)

Samantha Madera said...

First video - I actually feel very bad for the reporter. He was just doing his job. I can understand that people are trying to listen to a presentation, but he was there to report what was happening. He did not mean to be rude or disruptive. The people who organized this event should have had a designated area where reporters could do their live news.
Second video - WOW. If I was at home watching that broadcast, I would have laughed so hard. I found it humorous, though it was not appropriate. I don't feel as though he should be punished, but he should definitely be more careful next time. Btw, the female anchor's face was priceless!

tuc11777 said...

Yeah, him dropping the F-Bomb was definatly an accident, especially on live television. Everyone slips up now & again so I don't believe he should be punished. I think his apology the next night was good enough.

Isabel Garcia said...

The first video completely blew my mind! I believe the reporter handled the situation very well for what he was put through. I watched the piece twice and it seemed as though the reporter was almost attempting to speak more softly in the beginning of the coverage and eventually just became annoyed by the people interrupting him.
As for the second video, dropping the f-bomb on live TV is just not acceptable; however, I do believe mistakes can happen. A simple apology is fine.