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Media Coverage of Middletown

Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Manager
Forum Description: Discuss the city manager administration including all city departments.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6419
Printed Date: Nov 24 2024 at 11:14pm


Topic: Media Coverage of Middletown
Posted By: John Beagle
Subject: Media Coverage of Middletown
Date Posted: Feb 09 2017 at 1:01pm

Media Coverage of Middletown

https://citymanagermiddletown.com/2017/02/07/media-coverage-of-middletown/" rel="nofollow - FEBRUARY 7, 2017 https://citymanagermiddletown.com/2017/02/07/media-coverage-of-middletown/#comments" rel="nofollow - 11 COMMENTS

From the city manager's blog:

I continue to be baffled by how the local media choose their news stories.

I’ll start today with a positive news story.  I’d like to thank Channel 12 and Larry Davis for their nice story on our chronic nuisance ordinance and how it is working to put landlords on notice for problem properties.   We genuinely appreciate the good press.

http://local12.com/news/local/landlords-in-middletown-put-on-notice" rel="nofollow - http://local12.com/news/local/landlords-in-middletown-put-on-notice

The Journal ran a similar story earlier this week.

http://www.journal-news.com/news/landlords-put-notice-clean-problem-properties/NMh8IZiwZopqy2fXpc5nEK/" rel="nofollow - http://www.journal-news.com/news/landlords-put-notice-clean-problem-properties/NMh8IZiwZopqy2fXpc5nEK/

However… my wife and I were watching a taped show last night.  As we finish the show and we turned cable back on, it just happened to be right at the beginning of a news cast from another network.

The lead story is “Man Defecates at Middletown School.”  The reporter talks about how a man pooped in public and elementary school kids saw it.   Upon contacting the school district, the reporter states towards the end of the article that the act wasn’t actually performed on school property but just near a school.

So the lead story is now “man poops near a school.”  I lean over and tell my wife, “Wow, it must be a really slow news night if a man pooping near a school in Middletown is the most newsworthy story they have today.”

I was wrong, however.   The second story was a woman severely stabbed in Over the Rhine.  The third story was a sexual assault of a woman at Miami University.

If people in the area wonder why Middletown feels a little picked on sometimes, then someone has to explain to me how a man pooping near a school in Middletown is more news worthy and important than a woman being stabbed and a woman being sexually assaulted.

I guess I just don’t get it.

Thank you again to Channel 12 for the story last night and the Journal for their earlier story.  I know the media has to cover good and bad stories.   How they choose to frame the story and where they put the story in the news cast says a lot about their integrity and character.  I can appreciate a balanced story even when the facts aren’t what I would have hoped for.



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http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle

Middletown USA

News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio.


Replies:
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Feb 09 2017 at 1:02pm
I hate the spin the media puts on stories just for a click or a subscription. #badpress

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http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle

Middletown USA

News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio.

Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Feb 09 2017 at 2:39pm
maybe quit whining and actually fix something that equally benefits the entire community?

Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Feb 09 2017 at 8:05pm
Got another story on the subject of Middletown coverage. Channel 9 did a segment tonight on the "successful" redevelopment of our favorite topic.....the downtown.

Yeah, it seems that the Channel 9 reporter did the story and demonstrated the worst case of one-sided journalism I have seen in awhile. He interviewed the Downtown Middletown Director (Greenham?) and, of course, she painted a flowery picture of success, conveniently not mentioning such trivial things like the Rose Building, the Manchester Hotel fiasco, the former hobby shop fiasco, the Thatcher building purchases and the city buy, city sell, city buyback transaction with the old Senior's Center building. Didn't mention Bucks closing or the Liberty building's lack of success either.The old Journal building plans that have never materialized was not on the table either.Oh, the Goetz Tower building was mentioned but not the leasing by the city to fill the first floor. Hmmmmm. Objective story reported for the channel 9 viewers? Nope, Not even close. I sent a note to Channel 9 indicating a poor objective journalism attempt as they mentioned there was some downtown resistance but never tried to find people who would have presented the resistance side of things. Also recommended that if they are interested in the other side, they should read this blog.

Pathetic reporting, if the goal would have been to show both sides of the coin. Apparently, the media doesn't think it important to present both sides of the story for their viewers.   

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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.


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