The Future of Journalism?
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Yesterday FTVLive showed you a video from KAKE (Witicita) News Anchor Shane Ewing, who decided to post a “LOOK AT ME” rap video that he did about the coronavirus.
We pointed out that despite the fact that a lot of people are dying and hundreds of thousands are infected, Ewing decided it was a subject that would be great to rap about.
After we posted the story, Ewing emailed FTVLive and said:
“Before publishing your predictably cynical rants about peoples' creative storytelling during times of crisis, you may want to check out this link. It's to a Department of Health and Human Services contest for creative PSAs encouraging public awareness of the Swine Flu. You may also want to note that the FEDERAL INITIATIVE resulted in a DOCTOR being awarded the top prize. Oh, a RAPPING DOCTOR at that! What a world...”
The contest he is talking about was over 10 years ago and it was a PSA contest for SARS.
Not sure what that has to do with Ewing’s “LOOK AT ME!” video which is not part of a contest and is clearly not a PSA.
Also, the fact that doctors and nurses are posting rap or dancing videos is a bit different.
These are people that are watching people die and at times feeling nothing but hopeless as they watch them do so. For them, making a dance video is likely part of their mental health exercise considering what they are going through. I have family and friends in the medical field and they are working 15 to 16 hour days, sleeping for a bit and getting up and doing it all over again.
A doctor or a nurse is there to save lives, not to inform the public.
In the case that they are informing the public, it is a bit different. I don’t think you will see Dr. Anthony Fauciposting a rap video about how New York is fucked.
I would love to buy into your argument, but your video is not a PSA, and it is not in any Department of Health and Human Services contest for creative PSA.
I’m certain that Peter Jennings was not rapping as people were jumping to their deaths out of the windows of the World Trade Center on 9/11.
I know he wasn’t singing as the towers fell.
You are supposed to be a Journalist, you’re not a doctor. Your job is to be a professional and inform the public. If you want to be a singer or rapper, that’s fine. Just please step out of the way and let the real Journalists do their job, professionally and with some decorum.
Ewing closes out his email saying, “Best of luck moving forward in attempting to bring others down to your level while you dream about a better world's inertia in the news business.”
My dream? My dream is a business where it is all about the story and the subjects of that story. It is not about the Anchor or the Reporter, but it is about the story. We have shown on FTVLive countless of examples of people that are still doing Journalism, still making the subjects of the story, THE story.
And, yes we have called out those that somehow seem the story should be about them.
It seems that you Mr. Ewing fall into that second category and judging by other emails that I received, I’m certainly not the only one that feels that way.
While I have shared your email, let’s share a few others.
An Anchor in a top 10 market texted about your video, simply saying “This is AWFUL.”
A News Director at a top station said, “What the hell was that KAKE Anchor thinking?”
“Nowadays, it's almost fashionable for some young inexperienced reporters and anchors to do a music video on being shut in by the coronavirus, while thousands of people are dying from it.. others struggling to breathe with it. What's next? A dance video from the funeral of a coronavirus victim?” says a TV Reporter.
“In a business of giant egos, this kid might top the list,” says a GM in a top 5 market.
“I think Shane Ewing deserves a stop on the do not hire list,” says a News Director in a top 30 market.
Another person sent us this email, “KJRH's Travis Guillory and KAKE's Shane Ewing are young anchors who still haven't learned appropriate behavior for public-facing staff. I get it, all of us at the station level need something to blow off steam from this pandemic, but these two handled it very badly.”
We know of at least 5 Anchors or Reporters that have lost family members to the coronavirus, I’m fairly certain that they did not find your video entertaining, funny, or a public service announcement.
Over 30,000 people in this country are dead and over 600,000 are infected, with both numbers rising. I really don’t think it is the time or the place to be rapping the news.
But, that’s me.
