Gay activist group plans protest Wednesday against WFLA-Ch. 8 at its front door

More than two weeks have passed since WFLA-Ch. 8 aired as paid programing a controversial documentary titled Speechless: Silencing the Christians, which maintains that a "radical homosexual agenda" has led to unfairly persecuting religious people who find homosexuality morally wrong.

But the statewide gay rights advocacy group Equality Florida isn't willing to let the matter slide. The group has announced a press conference and demonstration at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, in front of WFLA's headquarters at 202 S. Parker St. in Tampa.

Equality Florida spokeswoman Nadine Smith said the group was disappointed that WFLA and executives at the TV station's owner Media General have not apologized for airing the documentary or offered free airtime for a presentation which might offer an opposing view.

Smith said their protest coincides with a local visit by Media General president and CEO Marshall Morton; online materials circulated by the group claim that more than 1,800 people have contacted the station to protest the show's airing in the first place.

The controversy is similar to criticism the St. Petersburg Times faced when it included copies of the controversial documentary Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West with editions of its newspaper.

Though supporters said the film focused on the excesses of extremists, other Muslim advocacy groups said the documentary was an attempt to turn Americans against all Muslims, distributed to newspapers across the country in swing states during an important election year.

Equality Florida has organized around outrage over the documentary, holding a statewide online town hall last week and asking members for $25 donations to help fight future airings of the program. A Facebook page advocating boycott of WFLA has drawn about 500 members.

Turns out, broadcast of the documentary may have helped organize gay people in Florida more than ever -- a rather ironic result.

Check out a sample of the documentary below:

  

Fox News host notes some European peoples stay "pure" by not marrying outside their nationality

I'm sure when South Carolina Republican Jim DeMint recently said America was in the same shape as Germany just before World War II, he wasn't talking about the dunderheaded references from anchors on conservative-friendly Fox News Channel.

But DeMint might want to reconsider his position, following recent comments by Fox & Friends co-anchor Brian Kilmeade noting Nordic peoples from Sweden and Finland keep their populations "pure" by not marrying outside their nationality or race.

 A bit of background: Fox & Friends is easily the most air-headed program in the intellectually challenged world of morning television. This is also the program that aired a caricature of a Jewish journalist who wrote a tough story on the channel that some critics accused of looking like a classic caricature of Jewish people.

According to Gawker, Kilmeade's puzzling theories surfaced during talk about a study showing those with Alzheimer's do better when they're married. The anchor didn't trust the study because it was done in Finland and Sweden, turning a lighthearted piffle of a story into a bizarre treatise on national purity.

Was he implying they have better physical stock because they marry "pure"? Hard to know, because there wasn't much about this brief rant that made any sense. But it does stand as yet another moment when the curtain is briefly pulled back to reveal some of the darker ideas powering what happens on the show. In this critic's opinion.

Check it out for yourself. *

 

If she's seeking higher office, Sarah Palin may be flunking her biggest test: Mastering the media

If Sarah Palin wants to a be a serious candidate for president, she will have to master one thing above all else: above knowing the issues, above building her base and above reconciling with the corner of the Republican party's leadership which sees her as a toxic mix of ambition and self-destructive unpredictability.

She must master the media.

So far, it looks like she's been letting the media play her, offering an awkward, stream-of-consciousness rant to justify her abdication of the Alaska governorship that made her look slightly unhinged when carved down to the requisite soundbites for TV and wire copy.

She blamed the media for picking on her -- and there's little doubt she's faced a few cheap shots. But she's also faced some serious reporting unmasking substantial problems in her candidacy for vice president, which she hasn't really addressed (to say nothing of calling a major press conference at the last minute on a 4th of July weekend, then barring reporters who showed up late).

Now, her lawyer has sent a letter to big media outlets warning them they may face legal action if they report on rumors tossed around by some bloggers and pundits that she is being investigated for actions taken during construction of the Wasilla Sports Complex, or may be investigated for embezzlement. Full text here.

Why can I write these words with little fear of a lawsuit? Because I'm just repeating details Palin's lawyer brought up himself. Just as every other mainstream journalist who reports on this letter will do.

Which only makes my point for me: Palin must learn to better master the media, instead of letting it master her.

Local TV graphics bloopers highlights need for proofreaders

It's an open joke in the biz that TV folks -- who often consider themselves less word-oriented than their print-based colleagues -- can be a little spell challenged when it comes to creating onscreen graphics to go with their stories.

Faithful reader David Lubin likes emailing me some of the more interesting errors, so I'm posting them here for everyone to enjoy:

Was this a new area near Progress Village?

July 4th comes later than expected!

What a well ROUNDED graphic!

Gannett to cut 1,000+ more jobs, but what's left to cut?

News yesterday that the country's largest newspaper chain, Gannett Co., is planning to cut thousands more jobs in the next week -- have a happy Independence Day weekend, staffers! -- leaves me asking one question:

Is there anything left to cut?

Last fall, the company laid off 2,000 people, bringing massive cuts to already struggling papers such as the Indianapolis Star, Detroit Free Press and Asbury Park Press. One of the best sources of news on all this is Gannett Blog, a great, incisive look at the media chain. Unfortunately, the blog is going away on July 10.

According to the Wall Street Journal, about 1,000 jobs will be cut, with 600 eliminated through layoffs -- with the reductions coming at its community news division outlets, which do not include flagship USA Today.

In Florida, the Gannett-owned papers include Florida Today in Brevard County, the Fort Myers News-Press, the Pensacola News Journal and the Tallahassee Democrat. Gannett also owns St. Petersburg-based CBS affiliate WTSP-Ch. 10.

The story is a depressing walk through the recession that continues to disintegrate great newspaper outlets, noting that rival McClatchy Co. instituted a company-wide salary freeze and Gannett saw a 14 percent drop in publishing revenue in the second quarter.

This will make for an excruciating week for Gannett employees and media watchers, as we wait for the drip, drip of news revealing where the job reductions are, how many people have lost jobs and how many have come from the newsrooms.

Gannett sure knows how to spend a summer holiday.

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TMZ breaks news Michael Jackson is dead; does that also spell the death of traditional media showbiz coverage?

It's now confirmed that the celebrity Web site TMZ managed the scoop of a lifetime, breaking news an hour before anyone that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was dead.

Loads of mainstream news outlets, from the St. Petersburg Times to CNN and MSNBC were forced to note the site's reporting in their continuous coverage -- initiated when news broke that paramedics had found the pop singer in a rented home, not breathing and in cardiac arrest.

In the world of instant Twitter feeds and constant Facebook messages, the news outlet most willing to run with a big story will get the big prize -- lots of initial hits and a spread of its brand across a worldwide network of news platforms unwilling or unable to make the same call.

As CNN explained for long hours, Jackson was reportedly found in cardiac arrest in his home earlier today, and someone suffering from a stopped heart -- which is what cardiac arrest means, not a heart attack -- must be attended to within minutes or they are never revived.

Initially, most established news outlets only said Jackson suffered cardiac arrest in his home and was rushed to the hospital -- that sterling news outlet OK! magazine joined TMZ in saying Jackson was dead about 40 minutes after their initial post.

The Los Angeles Times, the traditional news outlet leading reporting on Jackson's crisis, first quoted firefighters saying the 50-year-old singer was not breathing when paramedics came to his home in California just after noon Pacific time, later reporting he was in a coma at UCLA's hospital.

About an hour after TMZ's initial report, they confirmed his death. CNN didn't confirm his death until two hours later.

And as the microblogging service Twitter exploded with updates from radio personality Ryan Seacrest (he confirmed death before LAT or CNN) the Los Angeles Times and countless fans, Twitter accounts for CNN Breaking News, CNN.com and CNN Top Stories went an hour without updating, with some still reporting Jackson was in a coma.

 It's also possible TMZ and OK! were just playing the odds, assuming that Jackson was likely dead because his condition was so serious.

But the scoop provides also another strong argument for the usefulness of reliable outlets which normally traffic in tales of public intoxication by celebrities.

It also raises yet another challenge for traditional news outlets, still scrambling to keep pace with a younger pop culture press moving quicker to break and advance the hottest showbusiness news .

Diane Sawyer interview with President Obama presents soft start for ABC's day of health care coverage

If Diane Sawyer's interview with President Obama aired on today's Good Morning America is any indication, critics of the network's decision to devote a full day to exploring his health care initiatives may have a point. See it by clicking here; transcript is located here.

Last week, I asked whether ABC would pull its punches, given all the airtime and access they've been given by the White House. Fox News and the GOP had their own gripes, with professional hysterics such as Sean Hannity declaring ABC was going to produce an infomercial for the president's efforts (picture at right from the campaign last year).

Unfortunately, Sawyer's brief interview snippets, recorded on Tuesday, lived down to that sniping, veering from frothy questions on Obama's smoking habits -- even the president acknowledged he's been tossed that softball too often -- to substantive queries about the shape of his health care initiative.

But Sawyer rarely pressed Obama when the president presented non-answers on several important issues, and failed to follow up on juicy moments. When the president admitted that his thinking has "evolved" on requiring uninsured people to participate in the government's program, Sawyer didn't push for details on what that might mean for citizens.

When the president dodged a good question about whether those who smoke or are obese will pay more -- he offered airy talk about how he and wife Michelle are encouraging kids to adopt better habits -- Sawyer didn't note that he basically answered a different question. Same with questions about whether people with current benefits will see them taxed; Sawyer didn't even ask about all the people who are projected to remain uncovered under the plans currently suggested.

One good moment: She pressed the president on his admission that Americans who like their current health care coverage could see it change if employers respond to healtgh cvare legislation by altering what they offer. 

I hope Charlie Gibson has a few fastballs up his sleeve when the discussion really gets going during ABC's 10 p.m. primetime special tonight (he's also anchoring from the White House at 6:30 p.m.). Because Sawyer's early preview looked a lot more like an infomercial than I expected.

As St. Petersburg Times' tough Scientology stories arc across media, some celebrity church members are silent

It's difficult to be objective about the actions taken by the news outlet where you work, so I'm hesitant to gush too much about the St. Petersburg Times in this space, because we have plenty of newsprint and digital space elsewhere for that activity.

But it has been amazing to see the Times' ongoing three-part series about Scientology spread across the media ecology, reflected in posts on a growing numbers of blogs, Web sites and wire services.

As the newspaper itself has noted quite ably in a story published on the Web site today, this tough series based on revelations from four of the highest-ranking former church members to speak publicly, has arced across media like a shooting star.

Britain's The Guardian newspaper linked here; the Village Voice linked here; and Fox News linked the story here.

One place I haven't seen the story mentioned: Greta Wire -- the blog maintained by Fox News Channel anchor and Scientologist Greta Van Susteren. Though she has four posts up today, referencing everything from the mysterious voluntary disappearance of South Carolina's governor to a staffer from her show who was whacked by a foul ball at a baseball game, Van Susteren hasn't yet posted an entry on the story, though some of her commenters have referenced it.

(A St. Petersburg Times story in 1998 referenced how low-key Van Susteren and her husband, John Coale, can be about their membership in the church.)

Similarly, Kirstie Alley, another well-known Scientologist, hasn't referenced the story on her Twitter account, though she is an active user who posts lots of messages in a sort of free-form dialogue with her online followers.

It has been good to see the discussion the story has sparked on all sides of the issue, and at a time when controversial religious issues and concern about litigation or advertising loss can keep some journalists from tackling tough stories at all, it's good to see a newspaper jumping in the deep end.

Whenever I see someone post a smug comment to this blog about how newspapers are losing their relevance, I think about stories such as the Scientology series, the Ray Sansom stories, the Florida School for Boys stories and our Buddy Johnson coverage and realize how wrong they are.

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Bay News 9 reporter Jason Lanning arrested for driving under the influence

It's police blotter day in local media: Bay News 9 reporter Jason Lanning is expected to return to work Friday after his arrest Wednesday night on charges of driving under the influence.

See his entry on our Mug Shots site here.

Lanning, 30, was arrested on S Dale Mabry Highway at W Obispo Street at 11:58 p.m. Wednesday after an accident in which he struck the rear of a truck and hit several road signs, Tampa police said.

Police said he was driving north on Dale Mabry when he crashed into the rear of a truck; his vehicle then left the road and traveled several blocks north, striking several stop signs and other road signs, according to police.

Police said Lanning attempted to drive away after the accident, but his car was blocked by the other vehicle. He had an odor of alcohol on his breath and bloodshot/glassy eyes; field sobriety tests revealed additional signs of impairment, so he was arrested, the police report said.

Breathalyzer tests revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.047 and 0.044, about half the level where someone is presumed impaired, 0.08. But such tests would not reveal any other type of intoxication and Lanning did not provide a urine sample, according to the police report. He was released on $500 bail.

Officials at Bay News 9, which is a media partner of the Times, declined to comment on Lanning’s arrest, calling it an “internal personnel matter.” Lanning has worked as a reporter at the St. Petersburg-based cable news channel since 2003.

Help Politifact police the pundits: suggest facts to check from the O'Reillys and Olbermanns of the world

This may come as a bit of a surprise, but there are times when pundits don't tell the whole truth on these cable TV news shows.

For example, Fox News blowhard Bill O'Reilly is telling a falsehood when saying he never called murdered abortion doctor George Tiller a baby killer, but simply reported what others called him. (Fact: he used the term 24 times in the past four years.)

And Joe Scarborough's claim that President Barack Obama has never received a paycheck from a profitmaking business in his life ignores the president's income from his two books, along with his work for a Chicago law firm and in construction, among other gigs. Rachel Maddow got it wrong when she suggested Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin led the call for the state's Democratic senator to resign.

Fortunately, the St. Petersburg Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking Web site, PolitiFact, is ready to help. Along with analyzing progress on more than 500 promises made by President Obama during the campaign, PolitiFact is now taking a closer look at the arguments made by pundits on political TV and radio talk shows.

But they would like your help.

So send them claims you would like to see vetted. E-mail to truthometer@politifact.com. You can see some of the claims they've vetted already by clicking here, from confirming George Will's assertion that $325-billion spent in the toxic assets program hasn't been used to acquire toxic assets, to debunking Rush Limbaugh's claim that every speech George Washington gave references God.

It's hard to know how well this may be received by fans, who seem mostly to watch pundits telling them what they want to hear. But I admire PolitiFact for trying to bring a little sense and accountability to an increasingly hysterical arena.

 Time to start holding some of our broadcasters to the same standard we hold our politicians.

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