Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Bay Area Coverage of the Boston Marathon Bombings; KRON, KNTV and KTVU Steady; KGO, PIX, Meh; Radio Too


As news of the awful events in Boston began circulating on the net, TV, and cable, coverage started in earnest, especially on cable and most notably, over-the-air network outlets, with Fox, CBS, NBC, and ABC even interrupting daytime programming to broadcast the on-going developments from the Marathon.

It was TV at its best and worst. The visual images were, of course, disturbing. The sight of the older man collapsing past the finish line, (he was later interviewed and is OK), was one of those images that will linger forever. The sight of a woman bleeding profusely from one of her legs was hard to watch. It numbs the mind the more you watch it. Some of the footage was shown raw and without any warning from people that should know better.

In a fluid situation like what had transpired in Boston, the rush not to publish or air unsubstantiated information was a positive for the networks. Nobody cared to dare speculate about who, what, or why anyone would do such a terrible thing. More importantly, from the very start, when there was a question as to the cause of the explosions, most made a point of stating, (like, for example, Wolf Blitzer of CNN), that all of this could have been caused by a transformer explosion underground or natural gas). In the end, we now know that wasn't the case. But in this day and age of getting it first, it was the proper MO and it was right.

The inevitable comparisons to 9-11 began to percolate, slowly but surely. And while this horrible scene was indeed, horrible, it was, and is, apparently, nowhere near the scope, both literally and figuratively, of the events of Sept, 11, 2001 although, eerily, that it lacked both the death toll and sheer awfulness of 9-11, it still conjured up disturbing images of then and now.

LOCAL COVERAGE--TV and Radio

*KRON--Props again to the Channel 4 people for staying with the story almost from its inception, which given KRON's reliance on news since it's pretty much out of the loop on anything else, it was a nice touch not having to go somewhere else in case somebody else cut and split.

*KTVU--Steady and solid performance by Frank Somerville and Gasia Michalien. While the jist of their, (and mostly everyone else's), coverage was mostly network-driven, it was good that KTVU stayed with its coverage and nixed regular daytime programming. (And the right thing to do).

*KGO-TV: This is one of the few times I have an issue with KGO. While opening its 4 PM newscast with the Boston tragedy, (as of course, it should have), it then morphed into local news stories and that was a bad call. It also looked positively awkward when all the other outlets were concentrating on Boston.

Beyond the story from the Southbay where the parents of the young teen girl who had  killed herself after an alleged sexual assault, there really wasn't any big news emanating from the Bay Area. Sure, KGO might have felt the need to keep viewers aware of stories here, but it wasn't necessary and besides, obviously, the Boston events was topic-A everywhere.

*KNTV, (NBC Bay Area), stayed mostly with the story drawing a lot from the network and relying on its own team of reporters and anchors. In addition, the station sent Terry McSweeney to Boston to provide local coverage.

*KPIX5: Mixed reaction. While PIX was more than adequate with its coverage, the decision to send Ken Bastida to Boston began with a big-time thud. Bastida, somehow, some way, managed to get to the Boston scene, (in spite of the shutdown of Logan Airport most of the day) unfortunately, Bastida's first live-shot on the 11 PM news was both awkward and non-newsworthy. He was alone on a city street near the scene of the explosions but had nothing to report and only repeated "news" we all knew. It was sort of like: "we're Channel 5, we have a reporter THERE, and let's just get him on the air!" Great concept, only Bastida, a solid news pro had NO news to report--certainly nothing we all had already gathered.

RADIO--

KCBS: Nice work from the station with detailed news updates; comprehensive coverage and a number of local and national interviews interspersed with their own and CBS Radio coverage. It was nuts and bolts basic; nothing riveting nor out of the ordinary, but that's OK--listeners prefer reliability and know they get that from the all-news dominant station.

KGO: The coverage was adequate enough with some requisite interviews and network coverage back-up; nothing more to say other than this type of tragedy in Boston was the old-KGO's staple where listeners could vent and express feelings with the talk hosts later on. We now know that is not an option. And another reason to go to KCBS too.

*Follow me on Twitter and listen to me LIVE Monday-Friday from 1-4 PM PT on KSCO/KOMY.

Tips-E-Mail: Rich.Lieberman@Gmail.com

115 comments:

  1. Rich, since most of the live coverage was going on when presumably you were doing your radio show, how were you able to compare the 6 local outlets as well as CNN? Do you record them all or just flip from station to station, listening for a minute or two before going on to the next one?

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    1. Here is your reason for the Boston marathon bombing.
      According to a Homeland Security offical:
      "Obama administration SLASHED budget for domestic bombing prevention..."

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  2. You conveniently left out KSFO, particularly your buddy Michael Savage, who covered this story non-stop.

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    1. On purpose...as KSFO was hideous between their disgusting morning zoo disgrace and Savage being totally off the wall and frankly, embarrassing.

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    2. Guess Rich didn't find Savage entertaining as he usually gushes with enthusiasm for his hero.

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    3. There was a flurry of conflicting reports from the media that led to much confusion.

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    4. Did anyone listen to Rich yesterday on KOMY AM 1340 from 1-4pm? What kind of coverage or commentary did he share about the Boston Marathon explosions?

      What's on tap for "LL" today? We're less than 20 minutes for airtime.

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    5. This is the game changer for outdoor or indoor events. Whoever did this could of done it before at anytime they chose. They have to find who did it. Yes, let's continue to pray for the victims of the families, the people of Boston and our country, and continue to pray in good times and bad times .

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    6. So very proud of my president and his remarkable leadership. We could not be in better hands.

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    7. This is the 2nd terrorist incident under Obama's watch.!.....Benghazi,..now Boston!

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    8. Prayers for the three victims, those critically injured, all injured and their families. Such a sad day.

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    9. In a free society, there is no way to be completely protected against things like this. Sadly, there will always be a way for sick to kill and maim the innocent and create chaos. There is, however, room for a political discussion here. Many of our leaders have actively lobbied for cutbacks in homeland defense in order to prop up funding for military budgets, much of which are spent on campaigns overseas. If the majority of the American people had their way, I expect most would lobby for a larger homeland defense budget.

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    10. We, the people of Israel, while commemorating our dead, and celebrating the 65th birthday of the re-institution of our sovereignty in our homeland of Eretz Israel, also stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Boston at this very difficult hour as sisters and brothers stand alongside their kins. Life, brothers and sisters of the US in general and Boston in particular, is stronger than death and destruction that some evil people are driven to bring upon us. Stand tall and strong and we shall overcome this one too.

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    11. The significance of this being our federal income tax day, patriots day, an iconic event in a city of historical importance such as the Boston Tea Party needs to be considered. This smells of domestic terrorism by a crazy or a few crazies. My prayers go out to the victims of this awful tragedy.

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    12. Again pain and sorrow freed by the hand of a vicious murderer. A mass killer determined to get us involved in a war that’s only in his head. A coward whose madness makes him unable to enjoy his own life, enjoy and respect the lives of our fellow men, the life. Another rotten, brainless swine full of evil that’s not going to stop us. Americans, Bostonians, my heart is with you and with all good people now and forever. Let’s stop these criminal fanatics!

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    13. Why did our beloved Obama hesitate to call this a terrorist event even when it was clear that the explosions were triggered by explosive devices with the intent of causing mass casualties?

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    14. I see the media will be grasping at straws to provide meaningless stories until the next big thing comes along.

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    15. The media coverage is so predictable, and so are the comments. Local media everywhere looks for any local person anywhere near the event. Victims are profiled - all the tragic details pored over. Authorities caution against speculation, and commentators speculate nonetheless with a complete absence of actual evidence. Why don't we wait until there is actual news to report? Actual facts to base responses on? What is wrong with just saying "we don't know - yet."?

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    16. Homeland Security failure?

      How long do we take this before we call it what it is: An act of war!

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    17. Would be like a breath of fresh air if the media just shut up with all of their speculation and gave the people investigating an opportunity to do their job

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    18. Regardless of who did this, it didn't take the far left and their media long to politicize it. "It must be a right winger because it is tax day and the OKC bombing (an attack on a federal building)was this month." Already stories are popping up about how sequester could affect the investigation....

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  3. I also got to give recognition to Damon Bruce. He talked about what went on Boston yesterday for pretty much his whole show.

    Yes, I know some people on here don’t like Damon, but you have to give him credit for discussing non-sports issues like what happened in Boston yesterday, the Manti Teo situation earlier this year (even though it was a sports player, it was a non-sports issue since it was his personal life), or the Sandusky situation last year, and not being afraid to do so.

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    1. I agree. Damon did a professional job yesterday ditching sports talk and covering the news story in Boston. Damon has been consistent over the years when "real news" intersects with the sports world. He did the best job of any sports talk show in the market when covering the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State story.

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  4. Every broadcast and cable/satellite TV network jumped in to provide live coverage of the terrible bomb blasts in Boston.

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  5. I've seen enough re-runs of the Boston marathon bombing now. How about some coverage of the bomb blasts in Peshawar? Also, hundreds of lives lost daily in strife torn African and Middle Eastern nations.

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  6. Damon also talked about Newtown the day it happened. Damon gets it. Fitz & Brooks, Lund & Papa, etc. do not.

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  7. Too much coverage? As the day went on without answers, TV filled time with speculation.

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  8. BOMBINGS:
    ☑ IRAQ 55 dead
    ☑ AFGHANISTAN 30
    ☑ SOMALIA 30
    ☑ PAKISTAN 9
    ☑ BOSTON 2
    ☒ Death toll determines World Wide media coverage.

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  9. Ugh! media coverage of events in Boston gave me an ice cream headache.

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  10. I wish the press would get their stories straight. Late yesterday the press reported that there were ball bearings. Then this morning it was "no ball bearings, just street debris turned into shrapnel". Now we're back to ball bearings.

    They need to STOP rushing to print every little detail and CONFIRM THE FACTS FIRST. That's Journalism 101!

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  11. The media coverage is so predictable, and so are the comments. Local media everywhere looks for any local person anywhere near the event. Victims are profiled - all the tragic details pored over. Authorities caution against speculation, and commenters speculate nonetheless with a complete absence of actual evidence. Why don't we wait until there is actual news to report? Actual facts to base responses on? What is wrong with just saying "we don't know - yet."?

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  12. Why isn't Obama on the scene in Boston?!

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    1. He'll be there. And $500 says he has his sleeves rolled up like he's there "to work".

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  13. Is anyone trying to solve Benghazi?

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  14. Let's not turn this into a Richard Jewell sort of affair. Nobody know who did this yet. It could be a religious extremist - of any faith - or it could be a lone nutjob, or a myriad of other persons for just about any reason. Between mental illness and political / religious extremism, it could be just about anything as the situation currently stands.

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  15. What's the teaser for todays "Rich Liberman Program?" I'll give 30 minutes then I'll decide if I'm going to change stations to get more meatier discourse.

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  16. Hello from Boston!

    Local news here in Boston was both better and, in some cases, worse.

    WBUR - NPR station whose offices are maybe 1.5 miles from Copley Square - did yeoman work, steady, non-sensational coverage. They had all the people finder efforts (Red Cross and Google) and reasonable context in terms of history, Patriots Day, and other terrorist attacks. On the other hand, the slowly rising casualty count, was the hardest thing to take. Early counts were low, of course, and the uncertainty about the number became a dynamic. I mean, who cares if it was 22 or 27, when you know that you don't know how many it really is?

    Local TV had the videos of the blasts and immediate aftermath on a continuous loop, which was, all in all, pretty awful.

    The Globe dropped its paywall, and also launched an effort to coordinate folks willing to take in people who needed housing. They also had the most stunning video, a Boston.com sports producer who was standing at the finish line with a camera and went towards the blast.

    Social media, if you knew who to follow, shined. Yes, that was former NE Patriots player Joe Andruzzi carrying a victim to an ambulance. And that was Carlos Arredondo, Boston peace activist and Occupier, helping victims, too.

    I'm always reminded of the first (and only) time I was on the periphery of a major California earthquake. Our hotel room shook, a light fixture almost came down, and our first response, after WTF, was to turn on the TV to find out what happened. Of course, once broadcasts went live to news people, they were saying, WTF, and wondering exactly what happened. There's a period after an event where you don't know anything more than you can see, and news people don't have any magic glasses to see better. The need to go live and say something leads to inevitable embarrassment. Sportscasters have learned that there are moments when being quiet and letting events speak for themselves can be powerful. I doubt, given the dynamics of the industry, that cable news will ever learn that lesson.

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  17. Media should report only verified information. Don't report anything you can't put a named source to. How many "devices" were found and defused yesterday? What about this "dark-skinned or black man" in a hoodie seen fleeing the scene? All are bullshit in the absence of sources who are willing to put their names to the info publicly. 2. Never ask how someone feels. I discount most of the "news" I hear on the day of a disaster.

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  18. I’m just mad that local news is using this to publicize themselves.

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  19. There’s way too many local news teams across the country that are tremendous attention whores, overly eager to dispatch anchors and reporters to report live from Boston. The place is already inundated with local, national and international reporters.

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  20. We the God-fearing and hard-working people who support the Constitution of the United States do not wish to have our programming replaced by speculation from the liberal media. They could have done it tomorrow after they have facts, or the factual information could have been done in a news brief during a commercial I’m sure. We do not need to give the people responsible for these actions any more airtime, just gives them more power.

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  21. Dear NBC – did you forget you have a 24 hour news channel?? It’s called MNBC (aka MSNBC)…I feel horrible for the family’s and victims in Boston after the terror attack, but some of us needed an escape from the coverage we had seen already and wanted to forget for just a while that it happened and get lost in TV and watch “Revolution”. I think NBC should be more fair in their news reporting, it’s too biased and I for one have grown tired of it and I renounce my 36 years as a registered Democrat and will now be Independent. Prayers to those affected by the bombings yesterday…God Bless!

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  22. Sad that idiots like this exist in the world. The thing is, it will probably turn out to be an angry right-wing, home-grown, angry white man terrorist who is upset and trying to get politicians off the topic of gun control. If a mentally unstable person wants to do harm, regardless of any measures or laws put into place, they, sadly, will still manage to find a way.

    Sigh.

    My wishes to family and friends of any victims of these horrific attacks in Boston.

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  23. So sad and very much praying for Boston. But I don’t always agree with cutting off regular programming for this. Sometimes people need a break from the constant coverage…especially since most have been on air for three hours already just rehashing the same information over and over.

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  24. There are actual NEWS CHANNELS. For example: CNN and Fox News. Also, there’s this thing called the Internet that you can refresh every second. If you want to watch it and follow the story, by all means DO, but it doesn’t have to be on every single network channel or preempt television for the night. The information is everywhere…there’s no need to change programming. Really, there’s not. This isn’t the 1960s.

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  25. I am already SICK of the nonstop coverage, most of it repeating the same stuff over and over, much of it filler.

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  26. This is a horrible tragedy, way more important than a new episode of any television show, but at the same time, I don’t really understand why they are preempting shows for coverage. All that has been on TV since it happened is news coverage, and it’s not like we are going to have any significant amount of new information by 10pm when this airs. I would much prefer to see a news special on the event in a week, when we have more hard facts on the person and the motivation behind the attacks.

    I don’t mean that to be insensitive in any way, but as a journalism student, I would love to see the media take a break from coverage for coverage sake, and wait until they have more information to add additional reports.

    At least KOMY had the smarts not to preempt "The Rich Lieberman Program" yesterday for coverage of the Boston tragedy.

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  27. I think the news coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings is excessive, especially if there is nothing new to report or what is being reported is speculation.

    In my opinion, over coverage leads news organizations to fill airtime with any information — often with rumors or information that has not been adequately checked. Instead of informing us they mislead and confuse.

    Why not gather, fact-check and confirm for the regular news broadcast and leave the prime time shows on the air to let people get a break from all the bad news?

    Thank goodness for cable and for the ability to just turn of the TV and listen to "Lieberman Live" or read the Bible!

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  28. Hour #1 of "Lieberman Live" got off to a good start with an interview with the editor of "Radio Inc." But your long off-the-cuff commentary that followed for the next 45 minutes was boring beyond belief! Hope Hour #2 is better. Otherwise, I'm jumping ship. You can do better, Rich. Let MZ or your producer jump in or put some callers on the air. Do something! It ain't working.

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  29. You in America know nothing of the terrible tragedies we live with daily in Israel. Terrorist bombings are part of our daily life here. Shalom!

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  30. Rich, it is 2:40pm now, will you take a call? All this melodrama on your part today is starting to wear me out. We know it was horrible, you don't need to keep reminding us of life and its horrors. Take some calls, I'm about to switch to Dr. Future if this continues...

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  31. Although this is a sad tragedy, I don’t see the need for constant coverage into the evening, showing the same footage on a loop and having experts repeating the same things again and again. The investigation is in its early stages and no one has claimed responsibility. What is there new to learn at this point? Let TV viewers have a little escape. If someone wants to see non-stop coverage, they can go to an all news channel or stations can run a news feed at the bottom of the screen.

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  32. What has happened is absolutely heartbreaking. But the constant news re-hashing is just too much, and too sensational. And for those farther away who, at this time, can do absolutely nothing about it except pray, what is even more news coverage (and really, I use the words “news coverage” very loosely at this pt) going to accomplish? What big news item regarding it will they have to tell? And if it’s really news, then break into the programming to tell us. Otherwise, just stop with all the constant media blitzing and talking heads when you’ve nothing new really to report.

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  33. It’s pretty sad that the news media forces the repetition down everyone’s throats. Most people already know the news, not have to listen to different people rehash the same things over and over again. Until there is advancement in the story – they should tone it down.

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  34. NBC you just let the terrorists win! Yes 2 people died and many were hurt but by devoting all of your time to this you have given the terrorists just want they want. COVERAGE!

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  35. I can’t believe NBC isn’t letting me watch my shows. This has been on all day.

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  36. What happened today was tragic. However, I for one don’t need to see it all day and night. There is no new news to report, and for those who want to see it played over and over again, there are multiple outlets to do so. Life continues to go on, and the world can’t come to a halt because something tragic happened. Again, it was awful, but let’s not let the fact that a terrible and emotional event happened to the country stop us from moving on from it. Just because you can’t dwell on this all day does not mean that you are insensitive or that you don’t care.

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  37. Okay, to all you mediatutes, the media is using this attack as a way to draw you in to what they deem “good Tv”,it is sickening. Having seen first hand what real tragic attacks are, this is not one of them. Was it senseless yes, was it terrorism yes, does it warrant national attention yes, does it warrant a running loop of morons spouting their theories not at all! We as Americans should be ashamed that such a miniscule attack makes the nation tremble. America has gotten too complacent and arrogant. Just because we live in America doesn’t make us better than anyone else. Newtown nor Boston are tragedies they are attacks far less horrific than we make them out to be. You want to get up in armsabout something how about kids being killed with machetes in the African genocides or the Islamic people who are killed by our troops and the Taliban daily. Shut up and do something about it or just shut up!

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  38. understand that this is a traumatic event with national implications, and that there's a certain need to gather together for comfort. However, I'd still like to see less coverage of it at this point.

    Much of what can be reported, has been. There's not much coming out now that is "news." You're right about newsworthy information coming slowly until investigators have time to sift through the crime scene. Too much coverage lends itself to people guessing what happened, rather than reporting anything based on solid evidence.

    Earlier today, shortly after the explosions occurred, for example, Neil Cavuto (for some reason I can't fathom) brought on Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Phoenix on to discuss the event. They both moved in the direction of spinning it as an attack on the U. S. by undocumented immigrants.

    When people don't have anything new to report, they'll come up with all kinds of weird angles. Few of those do anything to enlighten viewers.

    There will be plenty to cover as various aspects of this emerge. Let's not forget that there are other things happening in the U. S. and the rest of the world as well.

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  39. Thanks MSNBC and liberal media for giving the terrorists what they were looking for:

    Media coverage ad nauseum, and a graphic to headline your morning news show.

    For the terrorist, it's mission accomplished.

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    1. yeah, faux news didn't cover it at all.

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    2. Oh of course, blame the liberal media! Don't you right-wing morons realize how stupid that claim is.

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  40. I thought of Saudis at first, since our "allies" are Still the largest funder of Al Quada, but this is not Al Quada's style. It smacks more of homegrown rightwingers who want to refight the Civil War and bring the "gummint" to its knees. They are egged on by Faux Fear News and the Hateradio rant of that radio terrorist, Rush Pigbaugh.

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  41. Another terrible tragedy, and unfortunately an excuse by the right-wing to blame muslims, and to demonize the left-wing for even suggesting the bombing could be linked to domestic terrorists i.e Right-Wing Extremists. The worst are those like Alex Jones who suggest our own government is behind the bombings. There is some good that will come of this tragedy- The bomber(s) will be found, and if a radical muslim is to blame, the country will be forced to re-examine its visa policy (toughen background checks on those entering our country), or if the perpetrator is a right-wing extremist, the country can perhaps move forward on redefining Anti-government / Hate groups as Terrorist cells, or at the very least supporters of terrorism. Makes it a little easier to send them off to those "FEMA" camps they keep fear-mongering about :)

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  42. If the bomb had been low in a fairly stiff metal container, such as a reenforced trash can or a steel mail box, the blast would have been directed somewhat by the container. It is possible a container could channel the blast to go either horizontal at knee level (through the wall of the container) or directly up, glancing off the container wall before it was destroyed.

    The inner pane of the double pane window just feet from the bomb was not blown in, so the horizontal blast from the bomb appears to have been weakened by something substantial between the bomb and the window. Much of the bomb energy may have been used shredding a container.

    Of course, having only the video to go on I am just guessing. When the FBI report is released there should be an expert analysis of the blast, probably in one of the appendices.

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  43. Its only natural to be curious and have theories and try to solve it. As the facts as we have been lead to believe come slowly tricking in,until our view and thoughts have a more realistic value. To me so far I think its a single person, one person... And will kill again if not captured. Seems clever to a certain degree a loner & likes to see the damage they have done. Had knowledge of the trash cans and probably practiced on the ones that where used as a hiding place. May have just walked down the street and placed them in them. And I wouldn't doubt had recorded video from a distance for their own private use to watch it over & again. My first knee jerk reaction was it was a 2nd Amender but that's foolish to thinks so because it would just be counter to the wishes of that. Lets not feed the fire as this person will just take it and use it to feed their ego for the next one!!!! Because after the interest dies down the next one may be in the works, and could be already. Could be more than one person but I don't think so. I think they did this in broad daylight dressed as a city worker attending to the trash cans in a disguise. Its easier to be the villain than a hero. And thats just what I can get from what I can see so far.

    I wonder if a city worker may not show up for work....or one that was a worker that was one disappeared about one year ago? Clue...

    This one is gonna be hard to catch.

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  44. Anyone who would try to make a dishonest buck off this horrible tragedy is really messed up.

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  45. For God's sake, Rich! You're overreacting to your critics of your radio show.

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    1. No, relax. Just calling them out and answering their barbs. It's OK, I'm up for it.

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  46. Don't lose your cool. It's not your best day on radio, and not your worst by a long shot. I'm in for the long haul.

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  47. LAURA INGRAHAM: This, in my mind, raises all sorts of questions. I mean, again, we don't know who did this, motivations, all of that. But it is interesting that at this moment -- we are considering legalizing or giving regularized status to millions of people. Pretty much none of them have gone through any rigorous background checks, to have a temporary status in the United States. And we don't -- I just think that there are all sorts of security implications aside from the other arguments on immigration -- national security implications that we don't talk about with enough frankness and I think certitude here. We can't stop every attack, but my goodness, if we had borders that were shut down and we actually had a proper screening process, maybe we could stop some of them.

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  48. In all seriousness, I remember 9/11. I won't get into where I was or what I was doing, but I didn't get a chance to watch TV until very late that night and by that time, they were not really showing the events for fear that it would cause mass hysteria.
    I never liked George Bush, but the next day, and a few days after that, I didn't see him as anything but a president responding to a national crisis. I was ready to see his leadership and direction to whatever course it may bring that very first week, and even supported his carpet bombings of Afghanistan, even though I loath war with heavy distain.

    Well, it sure didn't take long for the right wing, wing nuts of the world to pounce on their favorite target. No not the person, or persons who might have actually done this, but to president Obama himself. Hannity, O'Reilly, and many in the main stream right wing media are pointing their fingers not at a potential terrorists, but to the sitting president!

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    1. AGREED 100%.
      Blaming Obama, before the dust even settled, is crazy, unpatriotic, and says far more about the blamers than Obama.

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  49. 1. a “Federal official” confirmed 12 dead

    2. seven total devices confirmed

    3. JFK library bombed/set afire

    4. marathon first aid tent becomes temporary morgue

    Ya-da, ya-da…

    The “fog of war”, multiplied by TV crews and the need to fill cable news vacuums.

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  50. Are some of these media reports being suppressed even if true? That is, for the sake of allowing investigators unfettered and unbiased access to the relevant information?

    There has always been in the past a tendency for the media to hold a story for a period, if reporting might compromise an investigation. But with today’s media, I’m not so sure that holds true across the board anymore.

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  51. I think there is a big difference in ideology between the Newtown reporting and the Boston Marathon Bombing reporting.

    Seems that the anti-gun people immediately seized on the Newtown tragedy to advance the anti-gun agenda. The MSM is a part of the anti-gun lobby and gleefully went along.

    The Boston matter was a bombing. Everyone (virtually) is against bomber’s rights. I think the mistakes were largely minor (except for NYPost reporting 12 death — quite irresponisble) and “fog of war” type errors. Some of the errors were police errors reported by media, not media errors (JFK library bombed and connected to Marathon). Left wing tinge to reportorial mistakes seems to be missing.

    Thus, I did not detect the ideological flavor in the Boston errors like I did with the Newtown “errors”.

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  52. The fog of media continues. Most of these are just people passing on initial reports. A lot of what was said was true. It happens. It does not bother me when it is done in good faith.

    What bothers me is when those assign blame for their own agenda. We all (well those of us acting in good faith) want the responsible parties identified and punished. We will also not forget what was said.

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  53. Now you know why public confidence in the mainstream media is in the single digits…

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  54. It's a debate that seems to start up again each time a tragedy occurs: How much is too much when it comes to media coverage?

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  55. Evil people kill, because they are sick in the head. They have no respect for life, whether it be animals, insects or humans. Evil comes in many faces, whether it be politicians like Cheney/Bush, Saddam Hussein, Mahmoud, Kim Jong Un, religious fanatics, or extremists, they hate themselves, so they hate others. One can only turn his or her cheek twice, then it's up to the logical to exterminate evil with extreme prejudice to save the innocent. It's sad that people who wish to harm others do it in a cowardly way, by involving innocent people having a good time with their families and friends.

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  56. Your program is shtick whether or not you choose to admit it.

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    1. And you obviously LISTEN to this "shtick", damn is this a great country or what?!

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    2. YAY! Kay-Oh-Em-Why!

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  57. Don't be so thin skinned, you think we tune in to your show to hear you melodramatically rehash what transpired? ” There were bolts and nails and steel”. Duh! If I want that information I'll tune to CNN. Your show improved when you took more callers, the problem is KOMY seems to have an inordinate number of guys in their sixties who believe in conspiracy theories...

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  58. Rich: Calm down. Why do you insist on berating callers? Why would anyone want to call and talk you on Lieberman Live with your condescending attitude? You can do your programs without callers as far as I am concerned. You've said so enough times. Soon you won't have any of your few listeners left ...

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    1. You call it "berate"--I call it challenge. I like to engage and have a dialogue. So, if my show causes you to discern otherwise, you don't have to listen and read this, it's that simple and really nothing personal.

      Not everyone likes turnips--I love turnips!

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    2. Again, Liberman's childish "if you criticize me, you don't have to listen" response.

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    3. That is Rich's m.o. That is why I think it is hilarious when Rich claims to ” love a good debate”. I've yet to hear him debate anyone, he gets flustered with conspiracy theorists, imagine if I or Michael from Cotati called him? Stop being lame Lieberman!

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    4. Hey, schmuck: YOU want me, Mr "Anonymous", I'm ready for you and INVITE you to CALL me--I'll give ALL the time you need and slaughter your ass, Mr. Big shot hiding behind your keyboard.

      No, you, schmucko, are the "LAME" one, coward.

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    5. Hey, how about this? I'll call you when you can intelligently dismantle a fringe conspiracy theorist? You can't even handle those guys without shouting over them and interrupting them. You are afraid of a good debate tough guy! I'm giving your show one last try tomorrow and if it is another like today I'll tune you out like I did the Loyah, Ronnnnnn and Gross. Enough already!!

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  59. If today's blog is about media coverage, it's all pure sensationalism.

    In a 10 second span 2 bombs went off, 3 died and several others were injured. That's it. No other details. Period. There is no worthwhile intel available and if there was, they wouldn't be saying until the leads grew cold.

    For the gang that likes to "what if", speculate, or get gushy with their emotions, stay tuned in for more speculation. Blame the left, the right, the NRA, the arabs...

    As for the old guy, god love him for doing 26 miles at 78 years old but he wasn't even hit. It's like a Ferrelly Brothers movie, once you're in on the gag, the sad stuff is the funniest.

    They didn't even announce the one thing they actually knew...the marathon winner.

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  60. 1. Withdraw all troops from the middle east.
    2. Cut off all help to Israel and Egypt.
    3. Don't meddle in Syria.
    4. Pull out of Afghanistan.

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  61. I find that the portentiousness of the media can often undermine the real seriousness of an event. The bombing was vile and sad, and one of the many vile, sad things to have happened at the weekend, some reported and some not. It won't change much in the end though, other than for those directly affected, and the media should know this and report accordingly.

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  62. As a former reporter, I understand the desire to hype the story you're working on, to feel a part of history. But this sort of journalism exacts its own insidious damage. It fosters a culture in which the emotional duties and dividends of citizenship reside in consuming heart-wrenching spectacle, rather than engaging in genuine civic action.

    Which usually boils down to the excrable question, "how do you feel."

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  63. There is a general impression that the Americans 'milk' every event of its 'victim'-potential as if they can't get enough of being comforted like the helpless and deserving victim, suffering from the violence from an overwhelming enemy, or even an army of enemies.

    Today, just like yesterday, people die from American violence, from American supremacy and arrogance.

    I find it harder and harder to express any sympathy with them. Only the other day an American poster here made fun of a catastrophe in my country - it is beyond comprehension the way they lack all feelings for others.

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  64. BBC Radio 5 Live.

    What did you hear? A big bang
    What did you see? People running
    Give us a sense of the horror. It was horrible

    What did you hear? A big bang
    What did you see? People running
    Give us a sense of the horror. It was horrible

    What did you hear? A big bang
    What did you see? People running
    Give us a sense of the horror. It was horrible

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  65. The trouble with the news and with reporting in general is that real objectivity is frequently if not always compromised to some degree by the cultural filters of the reporters.

    Reporters who are too close emotionally and culturally to the story seem to have an imagined "viewer" in mind to whom they are pitching their piece. This means that instead of presenting the what, who, where, why, when of the story they start egging it further with additional responses and speculation that they think the viewer will want to hear and this is where the subjectivity begins. Rolling news is terrible from this point of view. Nothing new happening so lets have a mind dump of speculative opinions.

    I have also noticed that many of the newsreaders that formerly were scrupulously neutral when reading the news are now emoting as they read it, shaking their head at bad news and so on. It is a bit manipulative and faintly disturbing. I don't want them to tell me how to feel about something.

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  66. Rich: Have you read any criticism of your radio show that in your view was constructive and helpful? If so, please share. Show us that you're not a thin-skinned media critic who can dish it out to others like Ronn Owens but can't take even the slightest criticism himself. So, tell us, what criticism have you received that you would acknowledge as spot-on?

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  67. In fairness to Limbaugh, he did wait for the bodies to get cold this time to start the finger pointing.

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  68. Bottom line. NO ONE knows who is responsible yet. And anyone who speculates is being irresponsible.

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  69. Where are the moderate conservatives speaking out against this attack? I haven't seen one come out and condemn the bombing!

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  70. If it does turn out to be somebody on the right the right will say Obama pushed them into it if it is a muslim terrorist then the right will Obama is weak or let it happen.

    Either way this is all Obama's fault in the right's eyes.

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  71. Rush acts like he's not part of the media, when in fact he is one of the most influential mediaites. By complaing about other media groups not assuming it was a "Muslim" attack, he is making the assumption it was.

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  72. All indications say it is a right-winger.

    And God help the G0P and Conservatives if it is and/or a TP.

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  73. It's funny that Rich, who was so bothered by what he considered the excessive coverage of the two dead Santa Cruz police officers has no problem jumping on the Boston Marathon band wagon and run it into the ground.

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    1. Uh, I never said anything of the following...time for the meds.

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  74. KRON's coverage was abominable and I had to turn it off after a few minutes. Later I saw Gabe Slate make an ass of himself by basically saying "Hey, everybody was talking about this on social media!" Really? And the lovely graphic that read "Up to 140+ injured." Ran all night and no one noticed it made no sense. And Pam routinely read leads that made no sense, or were immediately contradicted by the package they tossed to.

    As for your radio show, having started listening to the podcast you plugged about how everything today stinks, *I* can offer a valid criticism, though you'll probably ignore it: it's too SLOOOOW. I tuned out after 15 minutes because you talked and talked and didn't say a damned thing. Sure can't complete with social media in today's flashcube attention-span age.

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  75. Bastida never really provides content. Even when it's hard news he sounds like he's doing his Ask Ken segment.

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  76. WOW! I don't have anything against what Savage did yesterday because this is entertainment, and I don't know if I even believe Wieney believes in what he says, but did anyone just hear what he ran at 8:30? He ran a montage of news clips but underneath it the Drop Kick Murphys with the lyrics "AND I LOST MY LEG!" That is the MOST TASTELESS THING I'VE EVER HEARD ON RADIO TO RUN THAT SONG. TRULY DISGUSTING.

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  77. Hey, 12:46--
    Your Boi Dubya had the MOTHER of ALL Terror attacks under HIS watch. Remember--that thing called 9/11--the one where Dubya continued reading to those school kids in Florida after he was notified of the Twin Towers attack?

    Oh yeah...let's not forget Ol' Ronnie Raygun's watch...when 241 U.S. Marines were killed in the Lebanon Barracks attack.

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  78. Times like these are when I really miss the old KGO, when it provided a sense of community in a time of tragedy.

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    1. Exactly. We no longer have a gathering place. The town square has been demolished.

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  79. I didn't watch much local coverage of this, but I would appreciate that KGO wasn't devoting all of its news broadcasts to Boston. If every other station is 24/7 Boston, then people who are interested can turn from KGO to those stations.

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