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Originally Posted by
dismayed
Since the topic is really local media in general, I thought I would post something about our local TV news. I really like KOCO's news cast because they tend to just report the news in a 'hard news' type of format. I honestly don't watch the local news that often, but when I do I find myself tuning into channel 5 because it seems to be the only remaining place where I don't have to set through an anchors anecdotes or scowls in between stories, or opinion pieces that close out the newscast. That is really what I prefer, solid information free of opinion, and I wish there was more of that in the local news.
One thing I wish there was more of, because I don't know that any of the stations are really doing it, is in-depth local reporting. For example, it is amazing to me that we live in a world where I can turn on the TV at any given hour and see what my federal Congress folks are doing, live on TV, but for almost the entire duration of our state Congress' session I typically can barely recall even one video shot from the floor. I don't think I have ever heard a report of or from the state Supreme Court, except for the piece about the justice who died recently.
There is so much goofy stuff that goes on in this state that everyone just sort of gives a pass to. No one really questions why some things are the way they are, and definitely no media entity is doing much in the way of follow-up reporting. For that you have to turn to the newspapers, but even they don't do enough of that sort of reporting.
Here's a great example. ABLE stated this week that they have decided to ban the alcohol-energy drink 4LOCO from Oklahoma. Now I honestly don't care about this product or its ban. But what I do care about is why does ABLE think it has the right to do this? Does it have the right to do this? How is it that Oklahoma's health authority tried to ban smoking in public places a few years ago and was met with giant public rebuke and was told that something of that nature needed to be voted on by either Congress or the people, but this instance goes unnoticed? My point is that most often times our news organizations are really only "triggered" to go out and talk to someone about something when a large group of people freak out and get mad about whatever the issue is. It shouldn't be that way. There should be people out there constantly looking for the story, not waiting for a press release or a disgruntled citizen to bring the news to them. When I think of great news organizations around the country that is what I think of.
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