GUEST BLOG / By Tom
Jones, Senior Media Writer, Poynter Report--It feels as if there are two different Americas right now.
Just turn on your TV.
Watch CNN and see a very different country than the one you
will see on Fox News. In fact, the network you turn to might say a lot about
how you see the country.
Or go to their websites. Last Tuesday night, I did just
that. The headlines on CNN’s around 7 p.m.:
--Massive protests in US largely peaceful now (though it
warned of possible problems later in the night)
--Thousands march in protest in Floyd’s hometown of Houston
Reverend: They turned holy ground into literal battle ground
At the exact same time, these headlines were on Fox News’
website:
--Police may bust high-ranking Antifa members soon, amid
concerns over riots hitting suburbia
--Kellyanne Conway on ‘outrage’ over Trump’s St. John’s
trip: ‘Anarchists won’t dissuade us’
--Fleischer on Trump activating military: Governors are
‘fools’ not to call National Guard, ‘do your job”
While CNN’s primetime hosts such as Don
Lemon and Chris Cuomo and their guests criticize President Donald Trump, Fox
News hosts such as Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham and their guests vigorously
defend him.
And while all hosts on all networks, from what I’ve seen,
condemn the death of George Floyd, reactions to the president and the protests
have been much different.
We are all looking at the same protests. We are all viewing
the same events. We are all watching the same reactions of police and
politicians and the president. Yet we are seeing two different countries.
Which leads me to the following item: The
big boss at Fox Corporation — CEO Lachlan Murdoch — sent a memo to staff this
week about the death of George Floyd and the protests going on around the
country. He urged staff to “grieve with the Floyd family, closely listen to the
voices of peaceful protest and fundamentally understand that black lives
matter.”
Among his other comments, Murdoch said, “The events that
have unfolded over the past week have left me shocked and saddened. Each of you
has been in my thoughts as we watch the tragic death of George Floyd continue
to cause immense pain and spark important discussions around the country. … The
FOX culture embraces and fosters diversity and inclusion. Often we speak of the
‘FOX Family,’ and never has the need to depend on and care for that family been
more important. We support our Black colleagues and the Black community, as we
all unite to seek equality and understanding.”
He also said the mission “to provide the best in news is
particularly vital at this time” and “this is a time for people to come together
in their grief, work to heal and coalesce to address injustice and inequity in
our country.”
But did that message get through to the on-air talent at Fox
News? While Murdoch was asking for understanding, many of the Fox News
personalities were saying troubling things — particularly in the morning on
“Fox & Friends” and in primetime from hosts such as Sean Hannity and Laura
Ingraham. Again, everyone on Fox News has condemned the killing of Floyd, but
many hosts have given divisive messages that certainly do not, as Murdoch
suggests, “listen to the voices” of the protesters.
One commentator, Kennedy Montgomery, said on the air that
some people should start making citizen arrests. About the violence, looting
and arson at some protests, Ingraham said, “These ... acts of violence are part
of a coordinated effort to eventually overthrow the United States government.
It’s well-funded and it’s well organized on social media.”
Hannity said on his show that Trump walking to a church on
Monday “reassured Americans this will be solved” even though much of the
country saw Trump’s behavior as a divisive photo-op. Ingraham called the
protesters near the White House on Monday “violent” even though live news
coverage showed the protesters were peaceful.
While it’s commendable that Murdoch sent out a message of
unity and understanding, it means little when many of his on-air personalities
ignore that message.
To cover, not to
participate
On Tuesday afternoon, I saw the following tweet from Caitlin
Johnson, a reporter for the Poynter-owned Tampa Bay Times, who was covering
protests in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida:
“Protesters outside St. Pete PD are chanting at journalists
and TV crews to ‘just go home’ because reporters won’t hold signs or answer the
crowd’s questions about George Floyd and others.”
Frustrations are high, and that’s understandable. What’s not
acceptable, however, is journalists being attacked by anyone — police or
protesters. The protesters, hopefully, realize that journalists’ roles are not
to hold signs or answer questions, but to chronicle the protesters holding
signs and talking about issues.
Journalists cover everything from the protesters’ messages
to the mistreatment of protesters by the authorities. Wanting the press to
“just go home” is the last thing protesters should want.
Missing the mark
The New York Times was heavily criticized for its main
headline in Tuesday’s early print edition. Over stories about the protests near
the White House as President Trump was getting ready to speak, the headline
read, “As Chaos Spreads, Trump Vows to ‘End It Now.’”
Mediaite’s Reed Richardson compiled several media objections
to the headline, including comments such as “just pathetic,” “they should just
let Trump write the headlines,” “this is Fox-like,” and “did Donald Trump write
this headline?” Northeastern University professor Dan Kennedy tweeted, “As I
tell my students, beware of journalism that is accurate but not true. This is
accurate yet profoundly not true.”
The headline was updated for later editions to say, “Trump
Threatens to Send Troops Into States.”
Many media critics like to bash the Times, often because the
Times doesn’t go far enough (in the opinion of certain critics) to condemn the
actions of the president or to take a more political — and let’s face it,
liberal or anti-Trump — stance.
I disagree with those critics. That is not the Times’ role.
Their reporters are there to chronicle the news. And, I believe, if you read
their stories, they do an excellent job putting the stories into context. They
just simply don’t go far enough for those who want them to relay the anger and
opinions that they are feeling. And, anyway, the Times has plenty of opinion
columnists who take hard political stances.
But there’s no question this headline was a big
swing-and-miss. The online headline for the story was much better in its
description of what happened: “As Trump Calls Protesters ‘Terrorists,’ Tear Gas
Clears a Path for His Walk to a Church.”
I’ll briefly stick up for print headline writers. Writing
interesting and accurate headlines on tight deadlines using only a certain
number of characters is not easy.
But the Times is among the best news organizations in the
world with some of the best journalists in the world. This isn’t a small
newspaper with limited staff and impossible deadlines. The bar is very high for
the Times, and in this instance, they failed to clear it. But let’s not let one
headline give the impression that the Times is less than what it is — a truly
great newspaper.
A conflict of
interest
Back on May 19, Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds
wrote how Gannett was planning a “combined ad sales and news initiative for the
end of the month on the theme of how businesses and individuals are preparing
for a broad reopening of the economy.” It was called “Rebuilding America” and
it was planned for the May 30 and 31st editions. That was this past weekend.
But this past weekend, the death of George Floyd and the
massive protests across the nation overtook the news. It became even bigger
than the coronavirus story that has dominated the news for the past several
months. Still, for most Gannett papers over the weekend, the “Rebuilding
America” project remained the focus in print editions.
There were several factors why, including
earlier-than-normal deadlines and the fact that the “Rebuilding America”
project had been planned for some time and couldn’t be changed. Still, it was a
bad look when readers of many Gannett newspapers picked up their weekend
editions and saw the protest stories downplayed.
The Washington Post’s Margaret Sullivan wrote, “Anyone who
surveyed the front pages of the chain’s Sunday papers would be greeted by a sea
of bright blue graphics with words like ‘We’re in this together’ — but, in many
cases, with precious little indication that the nation has been roiled by protests
on a scale we haven’t seen in decades.”
To be fair, as Sullivan notes, many of the chain’s biggest
papers — such as the Detroit Free Press, Des Moines Register and Columbus
Dispatch — did lead with protest coverage. But many other papers played up the
“Rebuilding America” project — including in Naples, Florida, and Fayetteville,
North Carolina, where the entire front page was set aside for the “Rebuilding
America” project.
The Gannett papers did have protest coverage on their
websites. But it does show that in certain situations, the print product is
much different than the online one, especially when it comes to breaking news.
Amalie Nash, vice president of local news and audience
development for Gannett’s USA Today Network, told Sullivan, “Our coverage was
comprehensive and timely. Given deadlines and readership habits, we aren’t able
to, and don’t believe it makes sense to, rely on our printed newspaper as a
breaking-news vehicle.”
Nash is correct in her explanation, but that probably
doesn’t sit well with readers who favor the print product. MSNBC had planned a
town hall with Joe Biden for Thursday night, but that has been postponed until
further notice due to “the ongoing breaking news situation.”
Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade will interview President Trump this
morning on his radio show at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. Meantime, Fox News’ Bill Hemmer
will interview George Floyd’s family attorney, Benjamin Crump, today at 3 p.m.
on Fox News’ “Bill Hemmer Reports.”
Jason Whitlock is out at Fox Sports after the two sides
couldn’t reach a new contract, according to New York Post sports media
columnist Andrew Marchand. Sources told Marchand that Whitlock is looking into
starting his own direct-to-consumer business.
Sacramento Kings play-by-play announcer and Sports 1140 KHTK
Radio host Grant Napear has resigned after tweeting “All Lives Matter” on
Sunday. When asked by former Kings player DeMarcus Cousins for his “take on
BLM,” Napear tweeted, “Hey!!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me.
Haven’t heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER...EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!”
Napear later said he was “not as educated on BLM as I
thought. I had no idea that when I said ‘All Lives Matter’ that it was counter
to what BLM is trying to get across.” Napear once was criticized for defending
former Clippers owner Donald Sterling, saying Sterling couldn’t be racist
because he employed black people.
Hot type
Time’s Ciara Nugent and Billy Perrigo with “How the World’s
Newspapers Are Responding As the U.S. Descends Into Chaos.” Click here.
Also in Time, these captivating photos of protests by Malike
Sidibe.
Poynter’s Barbara Allen writes about student journalists
pepper-sprayed at Ohio State University. Click here.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer
Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org
 |
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