Coming up next! How a woman's faith saved her from a 5-lb tumor!
Or did it?
Okay, we’ve vented before on the media and what used to be known as journalism. But on the 7th of this month, WTMJ-TV (sorry guys, but you did it) ran a piece so egregious in its attempt to mislead and so worthless in its content that we simply have to call it out.
Here’s how the promo audio went, word for word, as best as I could TIVO:
AVO: Coming up next, the power of prayer! She had a 5-pound tumor!
WOMAN: I decided to conquer it.
AVO: Now it’s gone!
WOMAN: I really turned to God.
AVO: How her faith saved her life!
Maybe some of you are old enough to remember when the State Fair featured a sideshow with carnival barkers calling you over to see the woman change into an ape. You knew it couldn’t be true, but you put your money down, went in and sure enough. Fake.
Welcome to the 10 o’clock news, circa 2007.
Following a story about how prostitutes are being found on Craig’s List on the net, on comes Shelley Walcott doing a Special Assignment on a very nice lady who basically a) was afraid of doctors, b) had her friends in her prayer group encourage her to go to the doctor, and c) went. Sure enough, she had a tumor.
So guess what? SHE HAD SURGERY TO REMOVE IT!!
And we actually see some footage of a medical treatment and interview the doctor who did it. But the word “surgery” is used exactly ONE TIME in the middle of a sentence: “Carolyn’s surgery was a success.”
But of course, “she maintains faith is still the greatest healer.”
So let’s rewrite the promo to represent what really happened:
AVO: Coming up next, maybe you should have a check-up!
WOMAN: I was afraid to go to the doctor. But my friends got me to go.
AVO: They found something wrong!
WOMAN: So I had surgery.
AVO: Maybe you should do that!
Obviously, this was a piece about overcoming fear. This lady’s prayer group – and her faith in God – did indeed help her to overcome that fear. But the tv “journalism” message – “I decided to conquer it” and “Now it’s gone” – refer not to any miraculous cure, but simply to being afraid of going to the doctor.
All of which makes for a very nice p.s.a. But a complete waste of misled time on the 10’clock news.
Hey, do I really care about this particular story? Probably no more than Rosie vs the Donald or new findings about Roswell. But this was not only bait ‘n switch, it really was a disservice to the people who prayed for and helped this woman.
What worries me is that our news people are supposed to be bringing us the truth about what’s going on in the Middle East.
These are the same guys running the promos saying “I trust so-and-so.”
Trust them to do what? Be the first to tell us about a talking dog?
Okay, we’ve vented before on the media and what used to be known as journalism. But on the 7th of this month, WTMJ-TV (sorry guys, but you did it) ran a piece so egregious in its attempt to mislead and so worthless in its content that we simply have to call it out.
Here’s how the promo audio went, word for word, as best as I could TIVO:
AVO: Coming up next, the power of prayer! She had a 5-pound tumor!
WOMAN: I decided to conquer it.
AVO: Now it’s gone!
WOMAN: I really turned to God.
AVO: How her faith saved her life!
Maybe some of you are old enough to remember when the State Fair featured a sideshow with carnival barkers calling you over to see the woman change into an ape. You knew it couldn’t be true, but you put your money down, went in and sure enough. Fake.
Welcome to the 10 o’clock news, circa 2007.
Following a story about how prostitutes are being found on Craig’s List on the net, on comes Shelley Walcott doing a Special Assignment on a very nice lady who basically a) was afraid of doctors, b) had her friends in her prayer group encourage her to go to the doctor, and c) went. Sure enough, she had a tumor.
So guess what? SHE HAD SURGERY TO REMOVE IT!!
And we actually see some footage of a medical treatment and interview the doctor who did it. But the word “surgery” is used exactly ONE TIME in the middle of a sentence: “Carolyn’s surgery was a success.”
But of course, “she maintains faith is still the greatest healer.”
So let’s rewrite the promo to represent what really happened:
AVO: Coming up next, maybe you should have a check-up!
WOMAN: I was afraid to go to the doctor. But my friends got me to go.
AVO: They found something wrong!
WOMAN: So I had surgery.
AVO: Maybe you should do that!
Obviously, this was a piece about overcoming fear. This lady’s prayer group – and her faith in God – did indeed help her to overcome that fear. But the tv “journalism” message – “I decided to conquer it” and “Now it’s gone” – refer not to any miraculous cure, but simply to being afraid of going to the doctor.
All of which makes for a very nice p.s.a. But a complete waste of misled time on the 10’clock news.
Hey, do I really care about this particular story? Probably no more than Rosie vs the Donald or new findings about Roswell. But this was not only bait ‘n switch, it really was a disservice to the people who prayed for and helped this woman.
What worries me is that our news people are supposed to be bringing us the truth about what’s going on in the Middle East.
These are the same guys running the promos saying “I trust so-and-so.”
Trust them to do what? Be the first to tell us about a talking dog?
posted by Bob Welke at 2/08/2007 01:38:00 PM
2 Comments:
oy, gotta love modern newscasts. geesh, thanks for venting on this one. I usually expect a little better from WTMJ. Did you send them a nice letter expressing your feelings on this article? geesh, they need to hear it.
take care,
Troy Freund
I whole-heartedly agree.
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