The View Gets Viewed by the Media

I'm really into Hollywood news. I read industry publications, gossip blogs, celebrity magazines, news websites and watch as much as I can on TV every single day. I even keep my own celebrity-focused blog about stories that interest me. That really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, because I want to work in the entertainment news industry. I always find it interesting how one entertainment story can be covered in about a bagillion different ways. Everyone seems to claim they have the exclusive; that they got it first; that they're the only ones who can tell you (fill in the blank). In reality, that's rarely the case.

It's especially interesting when the industry becomes self-reflective, covering events that happen on news/informational shows. On Thursday's episode of ABC's The View, arguably a news source for some, co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar stormed off the talk show set after becoming agitated with guest Bill O'Reilly's comments about the possible mosque construction near Ground Zero. Here's the clip:

As soon as this aired, I got a breaking news text alert from E! News and my Twitter feed exploded, with almost every major news organization I follow posting a blurb about the blow-up. It's even one of the first searches in the drop down menu on Google when you start typing "The View" or "Bill O'Reilly." I guess the attention stems from the fact that The View has become a platform for political discussions, with a lot of attention paid to co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's conservative views compared to the liberal views of (former moderator) Rosie O'Donnell and Joy Behar over the past couple of years. But is it really news? To me, it is - I soak this stuff up because it interests me. Naturally, I turned to all my usual sources to see what exactly happened. The Hollywood Reporter did a quick blurb about the incident, adding this quote from Barbra Walters:

"I want to say something...You have just seen what should not happen. We should be able to have discussions without washing our hands and screaming and walking offstage. I love my colleagues. It should not have happened."

Fox News, where O'Reilly has a show, also posted the quote alongside a transcript of the entire appearance. Fox added even more information - I didn't know that Goldberg and Behar returned to the set. The more I read, the more pieces I was able to put together about exactly what happened.

Deadline.com, one of the best industry-news blogs, just posted the video and asked for reader comments. This is one of the scariest things to do in journalism I think - people can read those comments and take what people say as news, skewing information and starting rumors.

TMZ also covered the event, adding some observations I hadn't made, like how Behar returned to the set, but didn't reclaim her original seat next to O'Reilly. TMZ added an interactive quiz, like their web contributors do with most stories, asking readers "Who comes off worse, O'Reilly or Joy and Whoopi." I like the interactive part, but the quiz definitely doesn't fall into the category of news appropriate.

As far as broadcast goes, E! News Now probably did the best job in covering what happened. They had video of Walter's apology, and focused more on the aftermath than the actual incident.

And, as far as print and digital reporting goes, The New York Times was the most complete in its reporting.

The fact that I had to go to three or more sites to find out exactly what happened is a failure in reporting. I'm not saying people should rely on only one news source, but I would at least expect a news source to tell the full story. Without it, people make assumptions, and more rumors and misinformation are spread. Maybe that's why places like Newsy exist, though they have yet to post anything about the controversial appearance. I was really surprised no one got an O'Reilly soundbite on the experience (maybe he's saving his comments for his show). The View, at least, released a "no comment" statement.

Further Adventures in Babysitting Reporting

This week I learned that anything you do can lead to a story idea. Over the weekend, I volunteered at Boys and Girls Town of Columbia, a local foster home/campus for troubled youth. The group I was with didn't really know what we were going to be doing at the campus, but when we arrived we learned we were getting the grounds ready for Boys and Girls Town's grand opening/open house of its newly renovated campus the following Wednesday. We were invited to attend the open house if we wanted to, and I didn't think much of it at the time. But, when I started to think about story ideas before my shift, I remembered the invitation and decided to pitch the idea at the story meeting.

The result is the story that aired in the 5 o'clock newscast (above). My story aired in the newscasts a-block, but not before a few changes. I had originally edited the piece as a VO-SOT-VO, including a sound bite from Boys and Girls Town's vice president Paula Fleming, but it got cut from the story-heavy show. I was a little bummed that the bite and a little extra information got cut from the show, but I understood why - there were more reporters than usual at the station that day, and it made more sense to shorten my story than to cut someone else's completely. On the bright side, the bite and tag from my original VO-SOT did make it into the web story.

I learned you always have to be prepared to get cut, but try to make your piece as great as possible so that it's the last thing dropped, instead of one of the first. Having a good flow of communication with your producer will help him or her understand your angle better and might give you a better chance of surviving at the station.