We somehow impressed New York City
I spent the past week getting caught up on some off-Internet work, and look at what I missed! Two accused cop killers from New York City pick the Poconos as their hideout, just like the Fort Dix terror suspects, and the area is swarmed by reporters from the Big Apple.
A person with close knowledge of the whole affair writes in to say that WBRE and WNEP did great coverage by teaming up with their respective network affiliates in NYC. "Apparently all of NYC guys left with stellar impressions of the Scranton news market... go figure!"
The folks from WNBC probably didn't leave with good impressions of the State Police. The aformentioned source reports a trooper from PSP Swiftwater ordered the combined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton/NYC press corps off I-80 around 6:15 p.m. last Wednesday, and killed WNBC's live shot after the crew didn't move its satellite truck.
"The bottomline, PSP was awfully difficult to work with during this ordeal. It wasn't until midnight that a dispatcher from Swiftwater informed everyone about the nuts and bolts, and she only did it out of compassion for the lack of repsect all night long."
A person with close knowledge of the whole affair writes in to say that WBRE and WNEP did great coverage by teaming up with their respective network affiliates in NYC. "Apparently all of NYC guys left with stellar impressions of the Scranton news market... go figure!"
The folks from WNBC probably didn't leave with good impressions of the State Police. The aformentioned source reports a trooper from PSP Swiftwater ordered the combined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton/NYC press corps off I-80 around 6:15 p.m. last Wednesday, and killed WNBC's live shot after the crew didn't move its satellite truck.
"The bottomline, PSP was awfully difficult to work with during this ordeal. It wasn't until midnight that a dispatcher from Swiftwater informed everyone about the nuts and bolts, and she only did it out of compassion for the lack of repsect all night long."
posted by Howard Beale at 9:36 PM
8 Comments:
In terms of the State Police incident, this doesn't surprise me at all. The police are never educated in how to handle the media (look what happened in California with the unlawful handcuffing of a reporter/photographer crew from KGO). The cops hate the media for the most part. They only want us around when they want something. Other than that, we can go screw. The police in Northeast PA have always been difficult to deal with. They want to hide everything...and make it out like it never happened. The cops need to remember this...if it wasn't for the television news media, they would have never found those scumbags who shot the New York City police officer.
Former Nexstar Victim,
While I agree with most of what you wrote, I do think there are some good departments in NEPA.
Scranton, Hazleton, Dickson City, Kingston to name a few, are all consistently good partners.
Wilkes-Barre, PSP are where we run into trouble. Those organizations, mostly at the top tier, are suspiciously uncooperative with the media. While PSP has some great guys in the PIO positions, it's administrators are never helpful, lack respect and need a good kick in the pants.
Wilkes-Barre is guilty of steam-rolling the media's constitutionally and civily protected rights, but hardly anybody in this market has the balls to challenege them.
Most police officers in Wilkes-Barre are clueless in how to control a crime scene. They don't set a perimeter, but then expect to lay down ground rules. IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!
I know a reporter who has a well-documented case of trouble with the WB cops, but management won't back the fight. The muck of the Wilkes-Barre police department can be traced up through the brass and right to the doormat of the mayor's office.
Is everyone aware of how hard it is to get in touch with Tom Leighton? His closet must be loaded with skeletons. That's the perception he gives by his lack of availability and his relationship with the press. And how about his press lady... does she even know what real news is? Does she realize the superficial "I Believe" campaign continues to be the laughing stock, She continually promotes it!
It also doesn't help when the media fails to band together. The newspaper reporters in this town are the first to walk away from a pissing match.
How about everyone media-related firm up and take these cops to task. While we don't all work for the same outlet, we're all working for the same cause.
It's the "John Wayne" syndrome. Most law enforcement officers in this area think the law is what THEY say it is: "Ya don't wanna be messin' with me, pard-ner, or I'm a-gonna put a coupla more holes in that nose of yers."
That's why--even in the 21st century--cops around here will tell you to no shooting from a public sidewalk (where the public is standing and watching), or will threaten to confiscate tape.
Bullies, for the most part, and none too bright.
If you ask me, NYC pays too much attention to our area. I'm old enough to remember when it was safe to walk the streets and no one locked their doors. Try that now! Say what you will, our area did not improve by luring the big-city residents here. We have enough problem people among the locals, so we really don't need the problem people from out-of-towm bringing their attitudes and crime with them. I'd like to impress upon NYC that they'd be happier staying where they are instead of trying to convert NEPA to a little version of what they tried to leave behind. If they got a bad impression about us, GOOD! Maybe more of them will leave us alone.
Howard you seemed shocked that the NEPA media impressed the NYC folks. Why is that? There has allways been some great people working in the field at WBRE, WNEP, and even WYOU. Their photographers and reporters have allways been top notch.
As for the police, the PSP from the Poconos will nevre trust the media nothing will ever change that...unless like former victim said all the media get together and do something. To take on a police organization you have everyone together....if one paper or one tv station is not with everyone the cops can just go to them and leave everyone else out.
"Is everyone aware of how hard it is to get in touch with Tom Leighton?"
Anyone wanting to beat the pants off of Leighton in the next election could so with ease.
Here's the plan:
1) Walk The Heights. Shake hands. Kiss babies. Knock on doors. Remind everyone you meet how Tommy closed your firehouse.
2) Do the exact same thing in Parsons, where another firehouse was shut down, and where neighbors want to maintain the building but the mayor won't deal with them.
Frankly, working The Heights alone would do the trick. Leighton could go easily.
Not a bad job - pays around 70K, I do believe.
Howard you seemed shocked that the NEPA media impressed the NYC folks. Why is that? There has allways been some great people working in the field at WBRE, WNEP, and even WYOU. Their photographers and reporters have allways been top notch.
In my experience, some reporters from bigger markets bring along bigger egos, and tend to look down on those lowly people who don't work in a top-ten market. It wasn't a crack on the people who work in this market, because like you said, there's a lot of great people here whose work is always top notch.
Howard Beale said...
"In my experience,..."
Howie, at the risk of sounding like a suck-up, you DO NOT need to explain yourself, especially about such an innocuous, yet obvious, statement. Some people, and they're probably from NEPA, feel the need to pick away at every little thing they see, hear or read. Like a scab in the hope they can cause a little bleeding.
Don't bleed for them, Howard. Don't bleed.
Post a Comment
<< Home