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TYNDALL HEADLINE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM JUNE 01, 2009
The formal bankruptcy filing of General Motors was so historic that it inspired ABC's Charles Gibson to leave his anchor desk in New York City and travel to Bob Maguire's Chevrolet dealership in New Jersey to mark the end of an industrial era. On a heavy day of news, the three newscasts were unanimous in selecting the Story of the Day--GM's insolvency with $82bn in assets, $173bn in debts--as their lead items. Yet they could just have easily have chosen the disappearance of an Air France jetliner over the Atlantic Ocean with 228 on board…or the assassination in a Lutheran church of George Tiller, the much-protested Wichita abortionist.
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CHAPTER ELEVEN OF THE GENERAL MOTORS STORY The formal bankruptcy filing of General Motors was so historic that it inspired ABC's Charles Gibson to leave his anchor desk in New York City and travel to Bob Maguire's Chevrolet dealership in New Jersey to mark the end of an industrial era. On a heavy day of news, the three newscasts were unanimous in selecting the Story of the Day--GM's insolvency with $82bn in assets, $173bn in debts--as their lead items. Yet they could just have easily have chosen the disappearance of an Air France jetliner over the Atlantic Ocean with 228 on board…or the assassination in a Lutheran church of George Tiller, the much-protested Wichita abortionist.
Both ABC's David Muir and CBS' Anthony Mason emphasized the historic nature of GM's bankruptcy. "A dramatic downfall for an American giant," ABC's Muir called it; "the end of the road for an American icon," according to CBS' Mason, reminding us of GM 's peak in 1979 when it was the country's largest employer, with 600,000 on its payroll.
ABC's Muir went down the check list of the carnage: eleven factories will be shuttered; 29,000 workers given pink slips; a "staggering" 2,600 dealerships discontinued. CBS' Dean Reynolds illustrated the damage with visits to a dealership, a parts supplier and a Saturn plant in Tennessee. "It may turn out to be a new beginning for GM but for many who helped build it today is a sad ending." On NBC, CNBC's Phil LeBeau looked ahead to that potential new beginning. GM "may be a publicly-traded company, perhaps by the middle of next year, and when that happened the government plans to slowly sell its 60% stake." ABC's Muir pointed to the federal government's $50bn stake in the firm and noted that even in its best years, GM's annual profits amounted to "a couple of billion."
AS GENERAL MOTORS GOES, SO GOES CALIFORNIA CBS' rose-colored Anthony Mason revisited the maxim As GM Goes, So Goes the Country in an optimistic tone--optimistic because he used the past tense: "For decades it was true." Of course it is possible that it is still the case, in which case the future is indeed grim for all of us. So which will be the next major American institution to go bankrupt? NBC's George Lewis suggested the Golden State: "California is going bust right now," he told us, with a $24bn deficit. With summer schools canceled, medical services cut and state parks closed, "ordinary citizens are beginning to feel the impact of the budget crisis."
BANKRUPTCY HAS A HUMAN FACE To illustrate General Motors' plight, the three newscasts came up with a quartet of vignettes. NBC's Kevin Tibbles traveled to the layoff-ridden city of Pontiac where The Heartbeat of America seems like "a slogan from a different era." ABC's Chris Bury introduced us to the Green family of Lansing: the late grandfather Kenneth built Oldsmobiles; father Richard retired after 40 years on the line: Mike is the current president of UAW Local 652; and son Rollin was hired to build Cadillacs just six months ago. ABC anchor Charles Gibson walked the showroom of the Maguire Automotive Group, a New Jersey dealership, founded in 1976, whose sales are 50% lower than last years and whose workforce has been cut by 30 since December. And NBC's Roger O'Neil played the jingle We Love Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie & Chevrolet as he introduced us to Wendell Snowden, classic car collector of Melbourne Fla, and his shiny green-and-white '55: "I am disappointed in General Motors."
LOST The disappearance of Air France Flight 447 from radar screens en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro would ordinarily have been Story of the Day. "No hopeful news," was how ABC's Lisa Stark put it, the plane, "flying at approximately 35,000 feet, simply vanished." NBC's Tom Costello showed us the weather satellite picture of the Intertropical Convergence Zone--the Atlantic Ocean between northeastern Brazil and western Africa--where the plane went missing. The zone is "notorious for extremely volatile weather with thunderstorms towering to 50,000 feet."
CBS' Mark Phillips was in Paris with worried relatives of the 228 on board. The plane "has recently been serviced and was in the hands of a highly experienced cockpit team," he assured us. The search area in the ocean, however, "is about the size of the continental United States."
Even if the Airbus 330 encountered a thunderstorm that should not have been fatal, CBS' Nancy Cordes noted. "Lightning strikes can be catastrophic on the ground but in aviation they are a daily and uneventful occurrence." The 330 is "built with materials that shed lightning charges and comes equipped with redundant electrical systems." The jetliner sent out automated messages indicating electrical and cabin pressure problems but the crew "never had time to issue a single Mayday." ABC's in-house aviation consultant John Nance (at the tail of the Stark videostream) called the 330 "very, very sophisticated" with computerized systems for handling turbulence. That led him to place a 50-50 wager that the cause of the crash "could be an explosion; it could be an in-flight breakup."
PRO-LIFE ASSASSINATION There is nothing like an abortion story--except, of course, torture--to energize reporters into a hypersensitive use of language. ABC's Jeffrey Kofman and CBS' Jeff Glor and NBC's Janet Shamlian were all dispatched to Wichita to cover the death of gynecologist George Tiller at his Sunday morning Lutheran worship.
Was Tiller an abortionist? "A doctor specializing in women's health who also provided abortions"--ABC's Kofman…"one of only a handful of doctors performing late-term abortions, after the 21st week of pregnancy"--CBS' Glor…a "doctor, one of the few in the nation who performed late-term abortions"--NBC's Shamlian.
Were the picketers against Tiller's clinic pro-life? He "weathered massive protests, bombs at his clinic and in 1993 gunshot wounds"--ABC's Kofman…"The threat against Tiller was constant; his clinic had fortresslike security, round-the-clock guards and surveillance cameras; he often traveled with a bodyguard in a bulletproof vehicle"--CBS' Glor…"weathering years of attacks at his Wichita home and abortion clinic"--NBC's Shamlian.
What about Scott Roeder, Tiller's suspected murderer? "A man with a long history of extremist views against government and against abortion"--ABC's Kofman…an "anti-government activist" whose Website posting "called for the closing of George Tiller's death camp, comparing it to the Nazi concentration camp of Josef Mengele"--CBS' Glor…"believed to have acted alone"--NBC's Shamlian.
How did Tiller die? "Killed"--ABC's Kofman…"assassinated"--CBS' Glor…"killed"--NBC's Shamlian.
ABC's Kofman did not even mention Tiller's specialty in performing late-term procedures. CBS' Glor quoted Tiller's supporters as claiming he operated "only when the mother's life was at risk or when the child had a severe genetic disorder." NBC's Shamlian quoted Tiller's opponents. Operation Rescue leader Randall Terry thus: "He was a mass murderer. He sowed death and then he reaped death in a horrifying way." And The O'Reilly Factor anchor Bill O'Reilly on FOX News Channel thus: "In the state of Kansas there is a doctor--George Tiller--who will execute babies for $5,000."
As for Tyndall Report, our house style is to call anti-abortion activists "pro-life"…to call doctors who provide abortions "abortionists" when it is their primary specialty…to call the politically motivated murder of an individual "assassination"…the word "baby" refers to infants that are born; the word "fetus" for the viable occupant of a pregnant woman's womb; the word "embryo" when its development is immature…embryos and fetuses are "human" and "alive" but not "human lives," which refer only to the post-natal.
LISA TRIES TO HELP SISTER LAURA Lisa Ling, the National Geographic Explorer anchor who used to work at ABC-TV on The View, returned to her old network to publicize the plight of her sister Laura Ling. Laura, a TV reporter for the Current cable channel, has been taken prisoner by North Korea with her colleague Euna Lee. Lisa explained they were working on a documentary on the sexual trafficking of prostitutes across the China-North Korea border. Now Ling and Lee are about to stand trial. Lisa went to Bob Woodruff on ABC's Nightline to relay her sister's message to Pyongyang: "If at any point they crossed into North Korean territory then we apologize profusely on their behalf." Lisa described talking to Laura last week by telephone: "They are absolutely terrified. That I can tell you for sure."
EXPLOITED FOR THE SAKE OF RATINGS? The maudlin tale of Susan Boyle, the spinster chanteuse from Scotland who has been a viral hit on YouTube for the last seven weeks, was selected as the closing item by both CBS and NBC. CBS' Richard Roth even went so far as to call Boyle "a genuine celebrity." A contestant on the Britain's Got Talent reality gameshow, she was voted into second place behind a multicultural dance troupe. NBC's Dawna Friesen repeated reports of her not eating or sleeping properly, collapsing in tears, throwing liquids, cursing at staffers and "acting strangely" before being admitted for psychiatric care "exhausted and emotionally drained."
Britain's Got Talent may be investigated by media regulators for exploiting Boyle's vulnerability "for the sake of ratings," NBC's Friesen added. If they made that illegal, the entire reality genre would implode.
Both ABC's David Muir and CBS' Anthony Mason emphasized the historic nature of GM's bankruptcy. "A dramatic downfall for an American giant," ABC's Muir called it; "the end of the road for an American icon," according to CBS' Mason, reminding us of GM 's peak in 1979 when it was the country's largest employer, with 600,000 on its payroll.
ABC's Muir went down the check list of the carnage: eleven factories will be shuttered; 29,000 workers given pink slips; a "staggering" 2,600 dealerships discontinued. CBS' Dean Reynolds illustrated the damage with visits to a dealership, a parts supplier and a Saturn plant in Tennessee. "It may turn out to be a new beginning for GM but for many who helped build it today is a sad ending." On NBC, CNBC's Phil LeBeau looked ahead to that potential new beginning. GM "may be a publicly-traded company, perhaps by the middle of next year, and when that happened the government plans to slowly sell its 60% stake." ABC's Muir pointed to the federal government's $50bn stake in the firm and noted that even in its best years, GM's annual profits amounted to "a couple of billion."
AS GENERAL MOTORS GOES, SO GOES CALIFORNIA CBS' rose-colored Anthony Mason revisited the maxim As GM Goes, So Goes the Country in an optimistic tone--optimistic because he used the past tense: "For decades it was true." Of course it is possible that it is still the case, in which case the future is indeed grim for all of us. So which will be the next major American institution to go bankrupt? NBC's George Lewis suggested the Golden State: "California is going bust right now," he told us, with a $24bn deficit. With summer schools canceled, medical services cut and state parks closed, "ordinary citizens are beginning to feel the impact of the budget crisis."
BANKRUPTCY HAS A HUMAN FACE To illustrate General Motors' plight, the three newscasts came up with a quartet of vignettes. NBC's Kevin Tibbles traveled to the layoff-ridden city of Pontiac where The Heartbeat of America seems like "a slogan from a different era." ABC's Chris Bury introduced us to the Green family of Lansing: the late grandfather Kenneth built Oldsmobiles; father Richard retired after 40 years on the line: Mike is the current president of UAW Local 652; and son Rollin was hired to build Cadillacs just six months ago. ABC anchor Charles Gibson walked the showroom of the Maguire Automotive Group, a New Jersey dealership, founded in 1976, whose sales are 50% lower than last years and whose workforce has been cut by 30 since December. And NBC's Roger O'Neil played the jingle We Love Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie & Chevrolet as he introduced us to Wendell Snowden, classic car collector of Melbourne Fla, and his shiny green-and-white '55: "I am disappointed in General Motors."
LOST The disappearance of Air France Flight 447 from radar screens en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro would ordinarily have been Story of the Day. "No hopeful news," was how ABC's Lisa Stark put it, the plane, "flying at approximately 35,000 feet, simply vanished." NBC's Tom Costello showed us the weather satellite picture of the Intertropical Convergence Zone--the Atlantic Ocean between northeastern Brazil and western Africa--where the plane went missing. The zone is "notorious for extremely volatile weather with thunderstorms towering to 50,000 feet."
CBS' Mark Phillips was in Paris with worried relatives of the 228 on board. The plane "has recently been serviced and was in the hands of a highly experienced cockpit team," he assured us. The search area in the ocean, however, "is about the size of the continental United States."
Even if the Airbus 330 encountered a thunderstorm that should not have been fatal, CBS' Nancy Cordes noted. "Lightning strikes can be catastrophic on the ground but in aviation they are a daily and uneventful occurrence." The 330 is "built with materials that shed lightning charges and comes equipped with redundant electrical systems." The jetliner sent out automated messages indicating electrical and cabin pressure problems but the crew "never had time to issue a single Mayday." ABC's in-house aviation consultant John Nance (at the tail of the Stark videostream) called the 330 "very, very sophisticated" with computerized systems for handling turbulence. That led him to place a 50-50 wager that the cause of the crash "could be an explosion; it could be an in-flight breakup."
PRO-LIFE ASSASSINATION There is nothing like an abortion story--except, of course, torture--to energize reporters into a hypersensitive use of language. ABC's Jeffrey Kofman and CBS' Jeff Glor and NBC's Janet Shamlian were all dispatched to Wichita to cover the death of gynecologist George Tiller at his Sunday morning Lutheran worship.
Was Tiller an abortionist? "A doctor specializing in women's health who also provided abortions"--ABC's Kofman…"one of only a handful of doctors performing late-term abortions, after the 21st week of pregnancy"--CBS' Glor…a "doctor, one of the few in the nation who performed late-term abortions"--NBC's Shamlian.
Were the picketers against Tiller's clinic pro-life? He "weathered massive protests, bombs at his clinic and in 1993 gunshot wounds"--ABC's Kofman…"The threat against Tiller was constant; his clinic had fortresslike security, round-the-clock guards and surveillance cameras; he often traveled with a bodyguard in a bulletproof vehicle"--CBS' Glor…"weathering years of attacks at his Wichita home and abortion clinic"--NBC's Shamlian.
What about Scott Roeder, Tiller's suspected murderer? "A man with a long history of extremist views against government and against abortion"--ABC's Kofman…an "anti-government activist" whose Website posting "called for the closing of George Tiller's death camp, comparing it to the Nazi concentration camp of Josef Mengele"--CBS' Glor…"believed to have acted alone"--NBC's Shamlian.
How did Tiller die? "Killed"--ABC's Kofman…"assassinated"--CBS' Glor…"killed"--NBC's Shamlian.
ABC's Kofman did not even mention Tiller's specialty in performing late-term procedures. CBS' Glor quoted Tiller's supporters as claiming he operated "only when the mother's life was at risk or when the child had a severe genetic disorder." NBC's Shamlian quoted Tiller's opponents. Operation Rescue leader Randall Terry thus: "He was a mass murderer. He sowed death and then he reaped death in a horrifying way." And The O'Reilly Factor anchor Bill O'Reilly on FOX News Channel thus: "In the state of Kansas there is a doctor--George Tiller--who will execute babies for $5,000."
As for Tyndall Report, our house style is to call anti-abortion activists "pro-life"…to call doctors who provide abortions "abortionists" when it is their primary specialty…to call the politically motivated murder of an individual "assassination"…the word "baby" refers to infants that are born; the word "fetus" for the viable occupant of a pregnant woman's womb; the word "embryo" when its development is immature…embryos and fetuses are "human" and "alive" but not "human lives," which refer only to the post-natal.
LISA TRIES TO HELP SISTER LAURA Lisa Ling, the National Geographic Explorer anchor who used to work at ABC-TV on The View, returned to her old network to publicize the plight of her sister Laura Ling. Laura, a TV reporter for the Current cable channel, has been taken prisoner by North Korea with her colleague Euna Lee. Lisa explained they were working on a documentary on the sexual trafficking of prostitutes across the China-North Korea border. Now Ling and Lee are about to stand trial. Lisa went to Bob Woodruff on ABC's Nightline to relay her sister's message to Pyongyang: "If at any point they crossed into North Korean territory then we apologize profusely on their behalf." Lisa described talking to Laura last week by telephone: "They are absolutely terrified. That I can tell you for sure."
EXPLOITED FOR THE SAKE OF RATINGS? The maudlin tale of Susan Boyle, the spinster chanteuse from Scotland who has been a viral hit on YouTube for the last seven weeks, was selected as the closing item by both CBS and NBC. CBS' Richard Roth even went so far as to call Boyle "a genuine celebrity." A contestant on the Britain's Got Talent reality gameshow, she was voted into second place behind a multicultural dance troupe. NBC's Dawna Friesen repeated reports of her not eating or sleeping properly, collapsing in tears, throwing liquids, cursing at staffers and "acting strangely" before being admitted for psychiatric care "exhausted and emotionally drained."
Britain's Got Talent may be investigated by media regulators for exploiting Boyle's vulnerability "for the sake of ratings," NBC's Friesen added. If they made that illegal, the entire reality genre would implode.
