Arizona Stations Ignore Sheriff Joe's Sketchy Past

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Is local news in Arizona dropping the ball when it comes to informing their viewers?

The left-leaning Media Matters sure thinks they are and they make some good points. 

On January 9, former Maricopa County, AZ, Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced a run for Senate, seeking to replace Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who is not running for re-election.

Arpaio’s candidacy will undoubtedly be accompanied by controversy, given his long track record of accused cruelty, racism, and extremism, as well as his clear failings as a sheriff and his criminal conviction for violating a court order regarding his racial profiling of suspected immigrants.

But following Arpaio’s announcement, Arizona news programs failed to inform the voters of just how unfit Arpaio is to hold high office.

Media Matters reviewed the local 10 p.m. newscasts of nine stations in Yuma, Phoenix, and Tucson between January 9, when Arpaio announced his candidacy, and January 12. The results of the study reveal that the stations largely failed to report on Arpaio’s history of bigotry and abuse, with some not noting his connections to extremists and birtherism. Media Matters found:

One Tucson station failed to inform its viewers that Arpaio has been convicted of criminal contempt of court;

Three Phoenix stations, one Tucson station, and one Yuma station noted Arpaio’s conviction, but failed to link it to racial profiling;

No 10 p.m. local newscast in Phoenix, Tucson, or Yuma reported on Arpaio’s history of inmate abuse, his failure to investigate sex crimes, or his connections to extremists; and Only two stations, ABC15 Arizona’s  and NBC’s 12 News explained Arpaio’s connections to birtherism in their 10 p.m. newscasts.

Media Matters included the clips of the newscasts to prove their point. 

FTVLive's take: This much is clear.... when it comes to informing viewers on the midterm elections, local TV news is going to have to step up their game.  

It's not like viewers are going to get fair or balanced coverage from any cable news station. Local TV needs to cover the candidates objectively, ask the difficult questions and stay away from opinion either way. 

Do that, let the viewer decide and make Journalism actual Journalism once again. And God forbid, do not look to cable news for any examples of how to do it right.