Update: The next morning after my post Metro Pulse weighs in. Here is the link to Metro Pulse "Ear To The Ground"
Until this afternoon, I had no idea that News Anchor Gene Patterson of WATE TV 6 had a blog. But I was informed that there is some interesting commenting between Patterson about his station having to work a story and Martha Dooley pointing out "The Real World" to Gene. Here is the blog post with the comments, for your review in its entirety.
Interesting little tidbits for you are these.
Patterson saying:
"I think its healthy when people communicate and certainly that's our goal."
Was that Channel 6's goal and was that healthy the morning of the City of Knoxville election when the report that an incumbent member of council had withdrawn from the race, without communicating with the candidate. City Councilman Steve Hall.
Patterson continues.
But we got nothing, no return calls, nothing.
Finally, frustrated with the lack of response, our reporter went to the Sheriff's office seeking information. She was forced to sit and wait. After a couple of hours you did speak with her. According to our reporter you said you had been busy and missed her calls and then forgot that she was waiting in the Sheriff's outer office.
Could it be that a tax paying Knox County citizen needed Mrs. Dooley's assistance or that Mrs. Dooley was in the middle of something, important. What is with this media elite mentality believing that public service employees should drop what they are doing for the department they are assigned to or the citizens they are assisting to immediately respond to a request from the local abc affiliate.
Patterson continues.
So you were busy, fine, but while you didn't have time to return our calls, someone must've been returning the other stations calls. By the time, you allowed us to talk to Chief Sexton, everyone else had already interviewed the Sheriff.
Maybe the other two stations worked harder on that day to locate the Sheriff and didn't sit in an outer office for two hours.
Patterson continues
About my comment on its your job to keep media under control - I'm surprised you would even question that statement, because of course it is. It's every PIO or spokesperson's job to control information. I did as best I could when I worked for Mayor Ashe as his deputy
Just because you did, Gene doesn't mean that "EVERYBODY" does.
Patterson continues
You mentioned your response to "countless" requests from us for mug shots, reports, or interviews. We make those requests because we are constantly told in the field by officers that you're the only one who can release information.
How many officers carry reports and mug shots in their cruisers or in their possession? None and they shouldn't. The reason to maintain a Records Department is to ensure the law is followed on permitting someone or some organization on obtaining public information. Officers are trained to keep our communities safe and maintain law and order, not to professionally answer questions from the media or to distribute mug shots and reports..
Patterson in conclusion continued.
Frankly we weren't sure how you might react. For all we knew you might call the officer and try to stop the interview or worse, call the other stations and tell them where Officer Johnson lived so they could get the interview.
It is obvious that WATE was being sneaky and contemplated a negative reaction. Paranoia is alive and well in the circles of influence at WATE.
Interesting.....
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