After Suicide, Stations Should Rethink "Gotcha Stories"

Friday November 21, 2008

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Rob Owens, TV Editor - Pittsburgh Post Gazette, November 6, 2006

In his November 6, 2006 column, Pittsburgh Post Gazette TV Editor Rob Owens wrote:

The "sweeps" months, when local TV news promotions and "special reports" are at their most over-the-top, have become a routine annoyance to discerning television viewers. Less than a week into the current November sweeps period, they've taken a tragic turn.
The Rev. Brent Dugan, pastor of Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon, committed suicide last week after KDKA-TV aired a series of promotions for a Marty Griffin report that suggested Dugan was involved in illicit behavior...
... TV news has an obligation to uncover wrongdoing, but too often stations appear to be more excited about reporting stories that bring themselves attention. Were the accusations in Griffin's investigation true? Did the report merit airing? There's no way of knowing because the story never aired.

Click here to link to Owens' complete article on the Pittsburgh Post Gazette website.

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