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All three networks kept their correspondent in Alabama -- ABC's Matt Gutman, CBS' Anna Werner, NBC's Janet Shamlian -- to cover the follow-up to Thursday's Story of the Day as the crippled cruise liner Triumph finally docked in Mobile Harbor. NBC offered a backgrounder from Gabe Guttierez in Atlanta on the immunity the cruise line industry enjoys from both lawsuits and regulations, the former by virtue of fine print on its contracts, the latter through flag-of-convenience registry in nations such as The Bahamas.
Also following up…
NBC's Michelle Kosinski and ABC's Bazi Kanani both filed from Pretoria as the South African star sprinter Oscar Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder of Reeva Steenkamp. Both consulted Michael Sokolove of The New York Times' Sunday magazine, who had profiled Pistorius' adrenaline-fueled love of firearms.
Carter Evans of CBS did not let go of his evidence against the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department in the death of Christopher Dorner, the fugitive former LAPD cop, who died in a burned-out ski cabin after a gunfight to which Evans was a videotaping eyewitness and cellphone-taping eavesdropper. Quoting police scanner audio from RadioReference.com, Evans documented an arson plan, using tear gas nicknamed "burner," even as the sheriff insisted that the fire was not set on purpose.
There was plenty of other crime coverage…
All three newscasts followed up on last December's shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. CBS' Steve Hartman filed an affecting On The Road profile of Bill Sherlach, the widower of Mary, the school's heroic child psychologist. NBC's Chuck Todd and ABC's Jonathan Karl filed on the posthumous White House medal ceremonies to honor the school's six dead adults. ABC's Karl made the preposterous comment that Barack Obama offered a "rare reflection" on his own upbringing when discussing the importance of fathers in raising boys to avoid gun violence. A rare reflection? Obama wrote an entire best-selling memoir on the topic.
I like how CBS is spending time examining the practical difficulties surrounding the rhetoric about firearms legislation and gun control. Already Chip Reid has brought us the antiquated BATF system for tracing guns used in crimes. Then John Blackstone showed us how expensive, dangerous and time-consuming it is to confiscate firearms from felons and the mentally ill. Now Dean Reynolds demonstrates the impracticality of mandatory-minimum sentences for those convicted of gun crimes: the jails are too full.
More than three years ago, Armen Keteyian on CBS earned himself much kudos for his exposes of the failure of the DNA test kit system for investigating rapes. Now NBC's primetime news magazine Rock Center catches up to that story: Kate Snow previews her profile of Kym Worthy, the prosecutor in Michigan's Wayne County, that will publicize the thousands of kits, collected but untested, gathering dust in a Detroit police warehouse.
As for political corruption…
The former Mayor Maureen O'Connor of San Diego admitted filching $2m from the foundation set up by her late husband Robert Peterson, the founder of the Jack in the Box fast food chain. ABC's Nick Watt told us she needed the money after a nine-year gambling spree, in which she made wagers totaling $1bn, losing $13m: after paying $11m from her own fortune, she stole the rest.
Where did former Rep Jesse Jackson get the $750,000 he lavished on Rolex watches and Michael Jackson memorabilia and other luxuries? CBS' Nancy Cordes told us that he admits to illegally diverting funds from his campaign coffers.
As for human interest…
On Tuesday on CBS, Seth Doane picked out 18-year-old pianist Milad Yousufi to represent the visiting Afghanistan National Institute of Music on concert tour as it headed for Carnegie Hall. Now ABC's David Muir chooses the youth orchestra for his network's Person of the Week, featuring girl sitarist Gululai Nuristani.
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