In an online post, Forrest Carr, KGUN9’s news director responded to criticism about his station’s reporting on bicycle issues in Tucson.
Carr wrote:
After we posted the web version of the story, comments started immediately, with some posters beating up on KGUN9 News and others tying into each other. A blog devoted to bicycle issues also lit up, with most posters objecting to the story and working us over pretty good. A few of those bicycle blog posters also shared their views on KGUN9’s website and Facebook page, where they more or less got shouted down by angry motorists.
Many of the early posters on the cycling site Tucsonvelo.com also complained about the language we used in referring to the crazy guy caught on video. We do call it like we see it at KGUN9 News. In writing the TV and web versions of the story, we considered, and rejected, the phrase “pedal-pushing pinhead” to describe the nut. My grandmother probably would have called him an “idjit.” “Butthead” seemed to be a fair compromise. If, after viewing the video, anyone feels that label is unfair or inaccurate, this is the place to say so.
Keep in mind that we are talking about an unnamed individual. If we had known who did it, obviously we would not have called that specific person any names. But we still would have described the actions depicted in the video as moronic.
Read the rest of the response here.
The clarification by KGUN does little to sway my initial reaction. I still feel that their vocabulary and choice of words do little to impress. I really don’t care what the news director’s grandma would have said unless she was a journalist- it’s not relevant.
The point here is that journalist should hold themselves to a high bar and utilize their intelligence in their reporting and the way they articulate themselves. Dipsomaniacs!
It bugs me that they focused on the bad behavior of one rider. How many times did they show that clip in the story?
Complain to the KGUN 9/Forrest sponsors…who’s bankrolling the money grubbing, pension-dreaming, crude and unprofessional, gutter-sucking, rationalizing local tv news moron? Who is funding Forrest Carr?
I don’t understand what was clarified here… I guess clarification that they enjoy and will continue to write/produce idiotic one sided news stories?
Btw, did they ever mention anything about the idiocy of the guy filming while driving a car?
Clarification to what exactly is being said above and what does your grandmother have to do with YOUR bad journalism. I still feel this video is staged because I have never seen anything remotely like this ever. Tucson streets are not like NYC with small 2 lane roads but a wide boulevard (22nd st) that he is riding in the left lane to the right…. However the piece should have another side to the story i.e. comparison to stupid moving infractions caused by cars/trucks throughout the day, hour, intersection, something…