News "In the News." A look back at the good, the bad and the F-Bomb.

From Boston to Bismark, the news business came in for some serious scrutiny this past week. It started with coverage of the bombings in Boston and ended with arguably the biggest faux pas in broadcast news history.

Just a week ago, reports started to surface from traditional and digital news outlets, and of course Social Media that the suspect(s) in the terror attacks were in custody. To their credit most news outlets cited, fairly, "sources close to the investigation." Having spent a couple of decades in the news business, if you trust your sources you go with the story and you don't have to name them. Especially if more than one confirms things.

But in a case like Boston, when there are multiple law enforcement agencies involved, there's a lot of stepping on toes. But the word was out, they got the bad guys. BREAKING NEWS!

Wrong. Oops.

To his credit, one reporter, NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams wasn't so quick to pull the trigger. Something wasn't adding up. He opted not to be first, but accurate. So he was one of the very few that held back until he could truly nail down if it was really true. Of course it wasn't and a lot of news outlets ended up with egg on their faces.

Pete Williams-NBC News

I wasn't surprised by the way Pete handled things. We both started our news careers in Wyoming. I was News Director at KGWN-TV in Cheyenne while Pete ran things up at KTWO in Casper. I got to know him professionally and he was/is one solid no-nonsense journalist. (Although he has a terrific wit!) Pete was also my predecessor on the board of directors of the Radio-Television-News Directors Association.

Pete's career later took him to Washington to work for then Congressman Dick Cheney. Pete and I got together a few times when I was in town. Always a great experience. Good journalist, even better guy. Later when Cheney became Secretary of Defense. he wisely chose Pete to become Deputy Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, aka Pentagon Spokesman. Anyone who saw his media briefings could see he was a "cool hand" under pressure. I interviewed Secretary Cheney several times and anytime I was at the Pentagon Pete was just terrific to work with in arranging things.

Pete stayed in Washington, joining NBC News. Essentially he made the leap to network news from Casper, Wyoming. Not the usual "work your way up the ladder" route but his experience working with Dick Cheney was invaluable.

Now as a consumer of news, I have to know who to trust. Pete Williams is among a very small group of journalists I do trust.

Well done Pete. But wait, there's more!

Then came the "F-Bomb" heard 'round the world. As I mentioned earlier, Pete and I started out in small markets. It's the way things work. Start small and work your way up. Such was the case with A.J. Clemente, launching his career as a news anchor in Bismark, ND. His first words on the air weren't "Good evening." Far from it. Instead not one, but two words you never, ever say on live TV. He's now a former news anchor, fired after his first and only newscast. Frankly, I was stunned when I saw it. (On Social Media of course) The most important rule in live TV is "The mic is always on." We all make mistakes, including me and I do hope he learns his lesson and gets another chance.

(Warning! Strong language)

Stark contrasts in how do to, and not do things. Maybe A.J. should watch Pete Williams for a while.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Boston Coverage. Immediacy? Yes. Accuracy? Not so much.

I first saw, make that heard about the events in Boston in a pretty traditional way. Television. The set was tuned to Shep Smith on FOX News. He always includes the proviso in his open saying, "Unless breaking news changes everything."

Boy did his show rundown change. I heard sirens in the background, yelling from crowds of people. After a minute or so I walked over and saw what was happening. Two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Explosions. Death. Deja Vu all over again.

All the networks immediately went into "Wall to Wall" mode, i.e. non-stop coverage. So did Social Media. Facebook and Twitter blew up, with much of what was posted right from the scene by people who saw and felt it happen. Talk about "Eyewitness News."

As was the case with recent events like Newtown, the information being posted on Social Media was immediate but not always accurate. Likewise for traditional media.

It's in our nature to want to know what happened, how it happened and who did it immediately if not sooner. Both traditional and new media are great for the immediate part.

But the storylines changed on the fly. There were reports that another bomb went off at the JFK Library. Not true. There were reports of up to five other bombs found. Not true. There were and are reports of "Persons of interest." Maybe true. Then there is stuff we likely are being kept from knowing. Sometimes it's important in investigating crimes of this nature to keep certain information confidential to help catch the bad people.

Traditional media is good at spreading misinformation too. But at least they attribute the source and add they can't confirm the story. An example being the Wall Street Journal reporting 5 other bombs being found. More than one network repeated the story, attributing the source but adding the proviso "We can't confirm." One can argue, fairly, the merits of reporting something you can't confirm. The WSJ is very reputable. But a great rule of journalism is "Attribution before assertion." It should, but of course can't be enforced on Social Media. The whole "1st Amendment thing."

Social Media doesn't play by the same rules. Stuff is posted, re-posted and goes viral in moments. Attribution? Accuracy? So 20th century.

Then there's imagery. A picture or video clip that says it all. A great example is the now iconic shot of the first explosion going off, knocking down a 78 year old runner to the ground. We saw it over and over and over.

About as fast as the "experts" started appearing on traditional media giving often educated viewpoints, came the online pundits with snarky remarks and potshots. The left picking on the right, the right picking on the left and no useful purpose being served. Then of course, the conspiracy folks. They love Social Media.

On a positive note came the many heartfelt posts from all those in our Social Media Networks expressing their emotions and support for Boston. A trend I truly like are the images that are created almost instantly and shared. For the most part, a positive aspect of Social Media in a situation like Boston. And who would have believed the crowd at Yankee Stadium singing "Sweet Caroline?" A good thing.

 

Certainly a positive impact of the technology we carry in our pockets including the cameras in our cell phones is the very likely chance a picture someone took on their smart phone could help solve the case.

Ultimately, I remember this comment from President Reagan who in very analog times said, "Trust but verify." What he said then, fits well in today's digital times.

Immediacy doesn't always mean accuracy.

Brian Olson

Owner/Consultant

Conversation Starters Public Realtions

"We start the conversation about you"

When a Thousand Words is better than a Picture

OK, to be clear, I'm not blogging about the old picture being worth a thousand words thing. This is about not using the picture in the first place.

Driving home from the mountains Sunday night I heard about the terrible injury suffered by Louisville's Kevin Ware playing against Duke for a spot in the Final 4.  Listening to ESPN Radio the most used word to describe it was "Gruesome." Post-game interviews with the coach and fellow players were emotional to say the least.

I haven't and likely won't see video or pictures of the incident where he broke his leg. I was in Church when it happened, I'm not really a college basketball fan and as Texas wasn't playing, well I just wouldn't have watched in the first place.

But there's the news, highlights shows and of course, Social Media. It's just about impossible to not see stuff even if you're not interested in seeing it.  Reading about the accounts of the injury, it was indeed gruesome.

But to their credit, most media outlets used good judgement and other than the the folks who saw it happen live and couldn't have avoided seeing it happen, the rest of us have been spared. This wasn't about seeing the injury, but the story about it and in the days following.

I did see a picture of Keven being released from the hospital  Here's to a quick recovery for the young man. That's the kind of image I like to see!

Louisville is on their way to the Final 4 in Atlanta, and my guess is Kevin will be there to cheer on his teammates. And ...very likely back on the court next season. Let's hope so.

In this case, a thousand words was worth far more than the picture.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Damon Runyon Award and The B.I.G. Day top April Events!

There are a couple of noteworthy events set for April, both of which we recommend you at take a closer look at. Better yet, take part in.

1. The Denver Press Club honors New York Daily News writer/columnist and ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" contributor Mike Lupica with the 19th Annual Damon Runyon Awars. The date is Friday April 12 at the Marriott Denver City Center.

2. The South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce's 3rd annual B.I.G. Day! You can "Be Involved-Give" Saturday morning April 20th with a great post event celebration sponsored by McCormick and Schmick's.

Mike Lupica, 19th Annual Damon Runyon Award Recipient

Each year, The Denver Press Club is proud to honor a member of the journalism profession with our Damon Runyon Award. This award honors a person or persons who have made extraordinary contributions to the field. The honorees are selected with a special eye towards those whose careers have embraced the highest journalistic standards and who embody the colorful, often irreverent and sometimes flamboyant traits so much associated with Runyon and his characters.
Recipients of The Damon Runyon Award are honored at a ceremony in Denver, the proceeds of which provide a major funding source for our scholarship program and the maintenance of our historic facility.

In addition to his work at the Daily News and ESPN, Mike Lupica has had a versatile writing career, with magazines, novels, sports biographies, other nonfiction books on sports and starting “The Sporting Life” column for Esquire magazine. He co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells; collaborated with author and screenwriter William Goldman on “Wait ’Til Next Year”; “Shooting from the Lip,” a collection of columns, and other books.

It's a great event, with silent auction and of course hear from one of the preeminent sports journalists of our time. The Damon Runyon award is anything but stuffy so join us for a great night.

To register, visit Blacktie-Colorado

The following weekend is the B.I.G. Day. Simply put it's goal is to connect the businesses and non-profits of the South Metro Area. This marks the 3rd year for the event and it gets bigger and better every year. Here's why your business, family, church or civic group should take part:

• It's a great team builder. There's nothing like working alongside co-workers, friends, family or even folks you don't know to spend a morning making a difference. Wear t-shirts with your organization logo, share on social media that you care about community.
• It's a chance for you to learn more about the many non-profits who day-in and day-out make a difference in so many ways.
• It's just fun and takes one Saturday morning.
• This year's post event celebration will be held at the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce sponsored by the super folks at McCormick and Schmick's restaurants. You'll work up an appetite and there will be awesome food waiting for you to satisfy it.

Watch the video to learn just what the B.I.G. is all about!

You don't have to be a member of the South Metro Denver Chamber to take part. Just bring your willingness to make a difference on just one day you'll never forget. Register today!

Looking forward to seeing you at either or both great events!

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

"Rabbit Ears" in the 21st Century.

OK, I'm showing my age here a bit, and maybe you'll admit to remembering TV back in the day. As in back in the late 50's and 60's. We had the first TV on our street. A 13 inch Crosley and we pulled in the couple of  stations available with rabbit ears.

They usually sat on top of the TV and if you turned them just right you could pull in a nice black and white picture on Sundays to watch Bonanza.

More stations came, followed by cable and satellite and rabbit ears pretty much became a thing of the past, especially when television stations started broadcasting in digital format. Digital versions of rabbit ears became available and if you wanted, at least at our house, you could plug them into the back of a satellite receiver and receive all sorts of local programming off-air, in a digital HD format. Or directly into a digital TV.

A new study by the Pew Research Center shows some significant changes in what we're watching and how we're watching it. Especially news. Pew reports "Almost half of those surveyed say they watch local news regularly, but the future is dim for local TV content; "regular" news viewers under 30 dropped from 42% in 2006 to 28% in 2012." Younger consumers are getting their news and information from tablets and smart phones. I doubt that trend will change. It's certainly changing at our house. When we watch TV, it's with iPads in our laps.

At one time we had 4 satellite receivers with a package of 250 channels. A lot of channels and receivers for just 2 people. Also a lot of expense as we maybe watched 10-15 of those channels at the most. To be fair, satellite and cable providers are at the mercy of the program providers who "bundle" programming. That is, if a satellite or cable provider wants a popular channel they're forced to include 6-7 more less popular ones. Regional sports channels, like the ridiculous Longhorn Network are the big culprit.  All the costs of course, passed on to you and me. But enough is enough. There are other choices.

So we began to cut back. First it was reducing our 250 channel package to just 120. Then recently we added Apple TV.  It's hooked up to a 50 inch screen along with a satellite receiver. But gobs of programming available streamed via the Internet to our TV. Last week we bought our first "Smart" TV. It's a 46 inch flat screen that not only receives digital off-air signals and streaming content available via Internet, it's essentially a computer in itself. Even has Apps! The picture quality is awesome.

So then we cut our satellite receivers from 4 to 2. Our monthly bill is now half of what it used to be and we still have more programming than we can possibly watch. But sitting in front of that Smart TV, which only receives programming with rabbit ears and wireless streaming content, it's ironic that rabbit ears have outlived far more advanced technologies.

Ultimately what all this is doing is providing consumers something we've always wanted and deserve. A la carte programming. Just paying for the channels we want. We're not there yet, but getting closer. For us it may mean saying goodbye to ESPN. But it's becoming the norm where we live, that if it isn't available digitally off-air or by streaming, it doesn't exist.

Technology, including those good old rabbit ears is making it all possible.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

This White House Tour brought to you by ...

During the Space Shuttle Program, I often wondered why NASA didn't sell ad space on the boosters and shuttle itself. Like NASCAR. It sure could have generated a lot of money.

I have no doubt, that given the chance Apple or Microsoft would have paid plenty to have their logo on the side of the Space Shuttle.

In these days of "Sequestration" the idea is worth revisiting. The White House has cancelled public tours due to cost cutting brought on my sequestration. Or so they claim.

Donald Trump, among others offered to pick up the tab and open the White House, owned by you and me to ...you and me. The White House said no.

So we ask, why?

The government also warns of delays in opening many of our national parks for the season. The key word being OUR national parks. So why not offer sponsorships? I bet any number of businesses would jump at the chance to sponsor Old Faithful at Yellowstone. Park Rangers could wear sponsor patches on their uniforms just like NASCAR drivers do.

The NFL and NASCAR have made sponsorship an art form. So why not the White House or Old Faithful?

"This tour of the White House is sponsored by Home Depot." Or, "This next eruption of Old Faithful is brought to you in part by Coca-Cola." (Because geysers and things go better with Coke!)

In business it's important to maximize revenue and reduce costs. Government doesn't operate that way. We lose. Over and over again.

That's why we can't tour our White House and might not be able to see Old Faithful this summer. All avoidable.

So what should it be? Sequestration or Sponsorships? I'll take the latter. Government needs to re-think the way it operates. So we again ask, why not sponsorships?

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

The Day Government Officially Went Nuts

Sometime in the future if someone asks you, "When did the Government of the United States officially go nuts?" you can tell them, "Why it was Tuesday, March 5, 2013!"

You might be asked why so here's some crib notes for you.

1. The DOW Jones Industrial Average closed at a record high, up 125.95 points to 14,253.77 at the end of New York trading at 2 p.m. MT, beating the previous record close of 14,164 achieved on Oct. 9, 2007. This even though the week before, even days before all the President's Men and all the President's Women and even the President himself warned of a nation doomed by sequestration.

Oops.

2. This notice was posted by the National Park Service. "Due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration, we regret to inform you that White House Tours will be canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013, until further notice. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reschedule affected tours." 

Really? It's OUR house. Give us a dang map and we'll find ourselves around.

Oops.

3. The same day we were shut out of the White House, again OUR house, we gave our good buddies in Egypt $250 Million Dollars, handed over in person by Secretary of State John Kerry. Our money is being given to Egypt to meet the country's "Extreme Needs." Apparently Egypt's extreme needs are more important than our extreme needs. Which is taking things to extremes.

Oops.

So despite dire warnings of economic doom because of sequestration, the DOW soared to new heights. So despite that great economic news, they shut down the White House to us regular folks although I hear if you write a check for $500-thousand you can get a visit to the Oval. And so despite those previous mentioned cries of economic disaster and government running out of money, we somehow found enough cash lying around to give a nation of people who pretty much hate our guts, $250 Million Dollars.

And finally, the USAF has grounded their aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds. Reason given? Sequestration. Yet the F-35 "Join Strike Fighter"  program is 7 years behind schedule and 70% over budget. We've spent $400 Billion on a plane that has yet to be deployed. Businessweek calls the project a "Boondoggle."

Yep, our government officially went nuts on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. You heard it here first.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"