Where does a reporter's job end and their social responsibility begin?

That's what many in the local media are trying to decide in the case of Terry Wood, a newsman for KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City.

Seems Mr. Wood had the audacity to make an editorial comment on a recent broadcast.

Wood had been reporting a story on Divine Strake, the 700-ton explosion of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil that the federal government is trying to detonate at the Nevada Test Site.

After the story, the station flashed the "Commentary" sign and Wood said his piece.

And, he has been blasted ever since by a bunch who call themselves journalists.

Now, if in my obit you see the word "journalist," be sure that somehow I will reach from beyond the grave and strangle whoever wrote that.

What's a journalist? Somebody who makes an entry in a diary, which is far different from the actions of a newsperson.

Wood, from what I have seen over the years, is a dedicated newsman.

That he would offer a commentary is not as unusual as some would have you believe. In small-market Utah and other places, there are newspeople who also offer opinion pieces, whether in the form of editorial writing or columns. Doing so does not compromise the credibility or ethics of the reporter.

As a matter of fact, I'd rather see a column written or read/hear an opinion by somebody who has reported on a subject than some hired gun who comes in shooting without any background.

And, there are also times when it is a reporter's duty to go beyond the confines of a straight story and report on what they see and believe. We have done that with our reporters here and I honestly have not seen it compromise our coverage.

It also displays a very important side of Wood -- that, at heart, he is a living, breathing human being with personal concerns.

The moment a reporter begins to lose that touch with humanity is the moment they should quit the business.

You cannot walk away from the scene of a tragedy without taking some of the pain with you. In this business, there are things that you see that are life-changing, emotional, traumatic. There are also things you learn about that could harm those around you in some way.

Are we to keep those things to ourselves?

An emphatic no.

So, courage, Terry.

You owe nobody an apology for being a thoughtful, caring human being.

Posted by Ed Kociela at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

I'm not much of a TV fanatic.

I have a couple of guilty pleasures, I admit, like "Gray's Anatomy" and, "Deal or No Deal." Hey, we all have our weaknesses.

There is one must-see program for me, however — "Real Time With Bill Maher" on HBO.

Maher returns to HBO tonight after a month or so hiatus. Presidential candidate John Edwards will be on the show as well.

I don't always agree with Maher, but I like the rawness of the discussion. Very earthy, it's the closest thing on TV you'll get to how real people talk about politics and social issues.

Maher is a Libertarian. There are times, frequently, when he assails the president. There are times when he supports him. Like I said, I don't always agree.

But, I like the grit, the punch. And, he's always got terrific guests.

It will be curious to see what he does with Congress as the House prepares today to vote on a limp, non-binding resolution against the president's surge of troops in Iraq. And, it will be interesting to see how he handles the president's announcement this morning that he intends to send more troops to Afghanistan.

My bet?

He'll go along with the House measure on Iraq, but support Bush on sending more troops to Afghanistan.

Check it out at 9 p.m. our time.

Posted by Ed Kociela at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

The old saying goes that cheaters never prosper.
NASCAR, in its infinite wisdom, is trying to drive that message home to its Nextel Cup drivers - with an iron fist that's leaving drivers and owners more than a little confused.
They have no reason to be because the message is crystal clear. You can say NASCAR is trying too hard, but there are too many fans watching these days. Cheating incidents can't be swept under the rug anymore.
Cheating will kill this sport in a heartbeat and leave it on the lines of the WWE - a completely staged, predictable joke.

Throughout the course of Speedweeks at Daytona, from Sunday qualifying through the Thursday duels that helped to set the field for this Sunday's Daytona 500, the final car count was six teams - six prominent teams - busted for various violations.
First, all three teams owned by Ray Evernham - Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Scott Riggs - felt NASCAR's inspection wrath, the "room of doom," as I've seen in accounts.
Then Matt Kenseth suffered the same fate. Kahne and Kenseth were docked 50 points and their crew chiefs were sent home for four weeks, Sadler and Riggs were docked 25 and their crew chiefs were booted out for two.
The coup de gras involved Michael Waltrip, the face of Toyota's entrance into Nextel Cup. His car was impounded, he was docked 100 points, but he still ran in Thursday's 150-mile qualifier and grabbed one of the two available transfer spots.
From being so upset about the penalty that he didn't want to run, Waltrip made the best of the situation.
But following the second of the qualifying races, there was more. Jeff Gordon's car failed inspection. No penalties were assessed, as NASCAR VP of competition Robin Pemberton said "we're sure this wasn't intentional."
Regardless of intent or not, there's a common thread here. ALL of these drivers, with the exception of Waltrip, were not in danger of missing getting in to the Daytona 500.
Why cheat? Why even bother to gain an advantage in qualifying when your position in the field is assured?
After all, it's Daytona. The cars have restrictor plates, which means once they get in the draft, 10 positions or more can be gained within a minimal number of laps.
Look at James Hylton as an example. He had a realistic shot at getting into the 500 with seven laps left, but he fell out of the draft on the restart and fell back faster than a lead balloon.
And he didn't cheat.
NASCAR is an awesome sport to watch. It's an ugly sport when cheaters try to prosper at the expense of those who play within the rules.

Posted by Tom Zulewski at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )