While flipping channels this evening I stumbled on the local NBC affiliates latest attempt at a newscast.
For starters the anchors appeared poorly informed about the St. Louis area. I would like to think the producer of the "newscast" is arrogant, but in reality the individual is probably just stupid or influenced by consultants. The lead story showed several different angles of a tear gas canister being fired into a rural residence. In reality, it was one shot. A little misleading for the viewers.
Later in the "newscast" a reporter had an interview with a former Iraqi resident working in a pizza parlor. The footage of Saddam having a noose slipped around his neck had been on the internet since very early this morning but snooze channel five claimed that it was viewed on a BBC web page. Yeah, right. A BBC web page and about 10 other domestic and international news outlets. Also, the fade to black as the noose was placed around Saddam's neck was a little dramatic. In reality the video distribution to media outlets stopped at that point and no other internet or network outlet I saw today used the "fade to black" to make the event appear dramatic.
And finally the sports anchor, Rene Knott (knot head?), ran a division three woman's basketball game story prior to a St. Louis Blues win over a very good Colorado Avalanche team. The Blues are playing their best hockey of the season, but Rene apparently is clueless or not very knowledgeable about hockey. That's okay if you want to work in the small markets, but St. Louis is home to a major league hockey franchise.
This miserable excuse for a newscast gets a big fat "F".
