Nope. (wsaw.com, waow.com)

Editorial: Central Wisconsin TV journalists need better training, because they’re a staple for many

By Brandi Makuski

I’m a big fan of the sitcom “Big Bang Theory.” In the 20th episode of season two, “The Hofstadter Isotope,” the brainy and nerdy savant, Sheldon Cooper, gets into an argument over comic book characters with his friend Stuart. The conversation goes like this:

Stuart: Oh, Sheldon, I’m afraid you couldn’t be more wrong.
Sheldon: More wrong? Wrong is an absolute state and not subject to gradation.
Stuart: Of course it is. It’s a little wrong to say a tomato is a vegetable, it’s very wrong to say it’s a suspension bridge.

Two major news got the same story wrong on Friday. But they didn’t call a tomato a vegetable. They called it a suspension bridge.

WAOW and WSAW independently reported on July 26 that suspect Jeffrey Miller was in custody. Miller, 32, was the armed fugitive wanted for the attempted murder of a sheriff’s deputy in Sauk Co. on Tuesday. Somehow, he made it to a home in Amherst, kicking off a 24-hour shelter-in-place order for the area beginning Thursday night.

The problem is that Miller was never in custody. At the time of both news reports, Miller was dead. At the time of this editorial, only one of those stories has been corrected, but no acknowledgment of an error or retraction accompanied the new story.

Throughout the ordeal, law enforcement was fired upon. Depending on which eye/earwitness you ask, as many as 50 gunshots were reported. Sheriff Mike Lukas said officers did not fire any shots during the incident.

Tactical vehicles and drones from three law enforcement agencies were brought in, as were SWAT teams from several more. According to Assistant District Attorney Robert Jambois, “copious amounts of tear gas” were also used in the home where Miller had barricaded himself — although none of the television reporters would know this, because none were at the bond hearing of the five suspects arrested on suspicion of harboring Mr. Miller.

Here’s what Sheriff Mike Lukas reported to the press:

Puzzling, how anyone could conclude that Miller was in custody based on the press release. When law enforcement takes someone in custody, they’re proud to announce so, and they always include where the suspect was booked and what charges were forwarded to the DA’s office.

Now, a disclaimer: Reporting any breaking emergency news scene can be tricky. And with a scene like what was happening in Amherst on Thursday and Friday, it can be doubly so. Curious residents filing out of their homes, dozens of officers carrying long rifles, SWAT teams, tactical vehicles, gunshots, and loud crashing sounds…it can be very overwhelming.

Add to that the heat, locating bathroom facilities, keeping yourself hydrated, and digging for the sunblock or a granola bar you know you have somewhere in your vehicle because you’ve been on the scene for hours and there’s no end in sight.

Throw in the heavy and expensive camera gear that TV reporters have to lug around — often, without any help.

Now, add to that the pressure of meeting a news deadline. Your superiors are back at the office with plans to put on live TV at a certain time. And your hair has to look good.

Oh, and don’t forget the low pay and lack of staff.

But this is what reporters are trained to deal with. At least, they’re supposed to be. Unfortunately, time after time, we see television reports in central Wisconsin containing misinformation, inconsistencies, or reported without any follow-through.

While covering the Stevens Point July 4th parade, I met a cub reporter at one of those news outlets in Wausau. As we chatted, she expressed frustration over not understanding how to properly interview police and other First Responders.

She hadn’t been trained to interview police or firefighters in J-school, she said. And no one at her company had the knowledge or time to clue her in. She does not understand rank or industry lingo used by police and fire/EMS, and she knows that lack of knowledge makes her stories subpar.

Her boss simply handed her a camera bag and said, “Go cover the story.”

A big part of the problem is that many television field reporters aren’t local and rarely stay here longer than their two-year contracts. Central Wisconsin isn’t considered a dream job for many seeking a news career. Our market is a stepping stone to bigger and better things in Minnesota or Las Vegas.

So, most of those reporters don’t know our community and usually don’t get to know it well enough to cover it properly.

Worse, still, is the reputation of some of these newsrooms. According to reviews left by former employees at ratemystation.com and GlassDoor, central Wisconsin journalists have described toxic work environments and low standards for news with an annual salary of less than $30,000 for some.

It’s no wonder the errors were made.

When a news outlet gets a story wrong, the fallout can range from a minor embarrassment to one of the worst days of a reporter’s career to a lawsuit, depending on the error. Every working journalist in the world has experience somewhere in that range.

Spelling errors, misuse of a word, or improper syntax can show a reporter’s inexperience or an editor’s lack of training or focus, but these are minor infractions when placed against the act of publishing unverified information.

When someone makes a huge error because they weren’t trained to read a law enforcement press release, that chips away at the public trust in all media outlets.

And we all know what happens when the public can no longer count on the institution of news…40 years of darkness…earthquakes, volcanoes…the dead rising from the grave…human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together…people turning to Facebook for news….you know, mass hysteria.

We all need to do better.