Media

Our communication channels are corrupted. Now what?

Posted on November 30, 2017 Written by Carl

By Carl Carter, APR

Let’s talk about corruption. Not the kind that involves bribery and kickbacks, but the kind that makes stuff stop working.

Remember what happened when a file in your computer got corrupted? Everything came to a halt, whether it was a document you couldn’t read, a program that wouldn’t run or (God forbid) an entire hard disk garbled.

The corruption I’m talking about is destroying our channels of communication. Public relations professionals used to refer to the “corruption of channels of communication” in our Code of Ethics, but it’s been sanitized in recent years to gentler language. I decided a few months ago to find out when and why it disappeared. I called a PR professor who teaches ethics and even the national office of the Public Relations Association of America. Nobody I talked with could remember.

Channels get corrupted in a lot of ways. Most of those ways involve lying in one form or another. And all of us learned from our mamas that if people catch you lying, they won’t believe you next time.

Our ways to communicate quit working.

Right now, the problem is much, much bigger than the lies of children. We can’t even trust communications are coming from our own friends, because phishing scams are impersonating them. As treasurer of an organization, I’ve received dozens of emails from the president, requesting that I send money to vendors. None of those actually came from her.

Our phones are inundated with junk calls from spoofed numbers that use our own area codes and exchanges, to make them appear local. Robocalls are disguised – with response programs – to appear to be real people. Facebook accounts get hijacked, and I’ve had to resort to vetting “friends” contacting me before I will communicate to them – usually asking a question only the real person could answer.

Just this week, the Washington Post nailed an attempt to trick the newspaper into running a fake story about Roy Moore. A couple of other reporters have been secretly captured on video talking loosely about their colleagues – mostly harmless stuff, but a good reminder that talking too much out of school can get you into trouble.

I had a phone conversation this week in which the organization on the other end of the phone told me they were recording the conversation to capture a voice print for use in confirming future conversations.

In that environment, who cares that the White House has become a fountain of easily documented lies? Who cares that the rules of logic are ignored? Terms are reversed and abused. Fact checkers can debunk a lie, but it doesn’t go away. Instead, the same lies can be repeated and amplified, and they work just as well. In short, we’ve developed a preference for lies over truth. This is why the labeling of legitimate media as “FAKE NEWS” is so destructive. In a society based on lies, the truth tellers must be executed.

Now, in the last two weeks of the special Senate election in Alabama, Roy Moore seems to have retaken the lead simply by repeating the words that “anything is better than a Democrat.” How did we reach a point where a public official credibly accused of attempting sex with a 14-year-old is preferable to anyone belonging to one of our two major political parties?

It only happens “when logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead.” My God, I’m having to dredge up stoned-out Jefferson Airplane lyrics to make sense of it all.

I communicate for a living, and our tools for that have become so corrupted we can’t trust them any more.

Until we find a way to get them back, things will only get worse. I’m open to suggestions.

BirminghamWatch steps into the breach: Veteran journalists provide in-depth local coverage for the city

Posted on February 23, 2017 Written by Carl

By Carl Carter, APR

When I arrived at The Birmingham News with a newly minted journalism degree in the mid ‘70s, one of the first people I got to know was Carol Nunnelley, then covering City Hall. We and dozens of others worked hard on a newspaper that went through four editions a day. There were endless boring meetings, all nighters counting votes, and occasional shouting matches as reporters competed for space and resources for stories they cared about deeply.

After a decade, I bolted for a PR career, but Nunnelley and many others soldiered on. And at a point when most would be content to sit and reminisce, she has once more emerged as a major force in Alabama journalism, as co-founder and editor of BirminghamWatch. It’s an ambitious — maybe even Quixotic — undertaking for anybody, but especially noteworthy for someone who long ago earned her spot in the annals of American journalism.

After a full career capped by eight as managing editor of The Birmingham News, she took on a new challenge with Associated Press Managing Editors, a job that took her across the country, training journalists and building bridges between media and readers. Meanwhile, back home, The Birmingham News was following the national trend for newspapers, cutting back on editions and coverage, reducing staff, and leaving stories uncovered.

Nunnelley wasn’t willing to concede the news business to mediocrity. At least not in her home town. She and two others founded the Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism, setting it up as a 501(c)3 nonprofit entity, similar to about 100 others around the country, including the widely followed Pro Publica. The AIIJ publishes BirminghamWatch, which — like most nonprofit news organizations — relies largely on philanthropy and reader donations for support, much like Public Radio. The AIIJ also received a welcome grant in August 2016 from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.

The project began with some financial backing from individuals, with experienced journalists who were willing to donate their time to help get it launched. BirminghamWatch published its first story in September 2015 and has never looked back. Key to its operations and success from the very beginning has been another Birmingham News alum, Emily Jones Rushing, who serves as president of the board.

“We try to focus on news that matters, especially on topics that aren’t getting the attention we believe they deserve,” said Nunnelley. “We’re able to focus on the longer term, without the pressure of day to day deadlines. At the same time, we’re seeking just the right balance between beefier, in-depth stories and shorter pieces that might have more immediate reader appeal,” she said.

Education, state and local government, the economy and the environment have been major topics of coverage, but she takes extra pride in the voter guides prepared for the most recent elections. BirminghamWatch partnered for those guides with WBHM 90.3, Weld, B-Metro, Starnes Publishing (publisher of regional newspapers around metro Birmingham), Trussville News, Public Libraries of Jefferson County, and the League of Women Voters. The guides provided key non-partisan information about key races in Shelby and Jefferson counties.

Most recently, BirminghamWatch has established a partnership with Weld to ensure that all meetings of the Birmingham City Council and Jefferson County Commission are staffed. “The people of Birmingham need to know what’s happening in their community, and how it affects their lives,” said Weld Publisher Mark Kelly. “For us, working with Carol and BirminghamWatch is an integral part of our efforts to fulfill that mission.”

Things aren’t perfect. Nothing in media is, these days. Nunnelley is acutely aware of the gaps in sustained coverage of surrounding cities and counties, where many councils, commissions, school boards and other government agencies work without the oversight of any watchdog media.

“There are budget limitations, of course. We have to do what we can based on the personnel available. But we’re continuing to work hard to provide coverage of things that are important for the people who live, work and do businesses in greater Birmingham. We’re getting more traffic at birminghamwatch.org, and we continue to work to earn local support. We’ll continue experimenting with various models for providing sustainable coverage, but we do rely on the financial backing of local individuals, and I think we’ll see more of that support as people get in the habit of relying on our coverage and gain confidence that we’re in this for the long haul,” she said.

As a note, I must point out that while I engage in public relations work for clients, I follow a strict policy of disclosing whether I’m getting paid to write something, and by whom. That is a requirement of the Public Relations Society of America’s Code of Ethics. BirminghamWatch is not a client. They didn’t pay me a dime to write this. BirminghamRaw does not publish sponsored content.

Donations to BirminghamWatch are tax deductible and may be sent to:

Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism, Inc.
147 Glenview Drive
Birmingham, AL 35213

Wrasslin’ at Channel 42: More exciting on TV

Posted on March 29, 2014 Written by Carl

Long before Hulk Hogan, WWF, Wrestlemania and whatever they call professional wrestling nowadays, there was live studio wrestling on Saturday nights at Channel 42.

And Len Rossi, a barrel chested, dark-haired good guy. And Tojo Yamamoto, a bad guy supposedly from Japan. And a host of lesser lights, like Jackie Fargo and a pair called the Bounty Hunters. Everybody had a trademark move. One had been a boxer, and when he was on the ropes he’d start punching and soon get the upper hand. Another had some move that consisted of tangling his legs up with those of his opponent, causing the opponent to immediately concede. Rossi’s trademark move was a sleeper hold that consisted of squeezing the other guy’s head from behind until he passed out.

Every Friday, the TV station assembled a ring and set up a few rows of bleachers around it for a show that was broadcast live. Seats were free, and the events were really a big teaser for the Monday night wrestling matches at Municipal Auditorium. Between rounds, there were interviews with promoter Nick Gulas and Cousin Joe Denaburg, of Levy’s Loan Company.

When it was time for the studio match to start, a fellow named Joe Aloia would climb into the ring. Joe was a neighbor and family friend, who had married a girl named Judy Matthews, and they were members of our church (Woodlawn Baptist). His day job was working as a news reporter for WSGN 610. It was the popular Top 40 station, and home of the Good Guys (their name for the colorful DJs), the best known of whom were Steve “The Mop” Norris, and the nighttime king, Dave Roddy. Everybody I knew listened to “Rockin’ with Roddy” every night, as he played tunes by Rick Nelson, The Beatles and Dave Clark Five. They had a real news department, headed by Dave Perry, who had a long career in radio and TV, with a public relations gig wedged in between.

Dad and I watched the wrestling matches nearly every Saturday night. We knew it was fake, but it didn’t matter. We saw Tojo strut around clapping his hands and doing some sort of pre-match ceremony, often interrupted by a good guy opponent itching to get the fight started.

One Saturday, Joe called and asked if I’d like to go to the studio for the matches. I got my friend Andy Young to go along, and Joe picked us up. The studio was cramped and dark, but it didn’t matter. We were there, in the middle of it, as Joe climbed up to introduce the wrestlers. Given the tight quarters, there was little space between the spectators and the ring. I don’t remember who wrestled that night, but when I saw them pass by, a couple of steps away, they were awfully unimposing — basically rednecks with beer bellies.

I guess I could have gone back anytime in hopes of seeing a better show, but it seemed a lot more exciting on TV. Of course, most of the TV matches ended in some kind of dispute which would be settled on Monday night, when you had to pay to get a seat.

When my son Todd was in middle school, the WWF was at its height, and one night, the regional tour was at Boutwell Auditorium. His main observation on the way home: “There seemed to be a shortage of teeth in there.”

Teeth or no, in working on this post, I did come across a video of a retired Len Rossi talking about how tough a business it was. He makes a point.

The best job ever: Being a reporter when we still valued news

Posted on December 8, 2013 Written by Carl

My Birmingham News appeared on the driveway this morning, bearing the expected news of Auburn’s win over Missouri in the SEC Championship.

But the bigger Page 1 story was about woman who collects Santa dolls. It “jumped” to the formerly precious Page 5, where it shared the page with a column about potholes and traffic. Page 2 offered up celebrity birthdays. Page 6 was “this day in history.” Page 7 was dominated by a story about UAB needing volunteers for a diabetes story.

And then there was the biggie on page 10 – the Weinermobile visiting Gardendale.

All I can do now is sigh and remember when I was a kid (I was just 30 when I exited the business in 1984 for a public relations career and a bigger paycheck). The second floor at 2200 Fourth Avenue was a busy, noisy place filled with people who felt they were doing something that mattered. We had dropouts and Ivy Leaguers. Hard-bitten old guys who drank too much and got too chummy with sources. Idealist kids who still hadn’t started to figure things out. We weren’t in it for the money, and we didn’t get much of it.

But we had something today’s reporters don’t have: A world – and a management – that believed that news mattered. A beautiful, ugly world where elbows and other things occasionally got thrown, and where we laughed and sometimes cried. There would be a shouting match now and then when a reporter and editor (shall we say) worked through their differing visions of how a story should shape up.

And the truth is that we had an extraordinarily well trained, talented and committed group of folks. Many moved on to the big time. (I had a long list of names here, but I deleted it because I’d never get the list right.)

To be sure, there were problems. The paper had shamelessly fought the civil rights movement and relegated news about black people to what one black co-worker called “the black page,” right next to the obituaries. We carried the water time and again for the local powers that be.

But at least the Newhouse family (which still controls The News and AL.com through Advance Publications) – kept its paws off and let the local publishers (the Hanson family) run it as long as the paper made money – which it did.

Most importantly, we had something the newsroom has lost: A knowledge that when the chips were down, we’d get the resources and the backing to do the right thing. If there was good enough evidence of corruption, they’d turn loose a reporter on it long enough to work the sources, look through the files, and get the story. If the city council or school board tried to shut the doors of public meeting, our lawyers would back the reporters and, if necessary, go to court. When a major advertiser, or bank president, or the family member of the publisher got arrested, the story would usually find its way into the paper. Not always without a fight, but in the end, our beliefs in what we were doing won out.

We let people cover their beats. Sure, reporters goofed off. We wasted time. But that was part of the game. Sometimes you had to spin wheels to find the tidbit, or gain the perspective, that lets you really understand and explain a story. Nobody was telling us we had to file four stories a day, shoot our own photos, and post some video to Facebook. Not every story can be covered properly with two interviews and a cloud of dust. If you goofed off too much, you got a bad reputation and somebody tightened your leash. You got to write stories about garden clubs and such. The system worked.

We wrote our share of mindless trivia and soft features. Young and underperforming reporters got a steady stream of mundane assignments. (My story on a lady’s crusade to establish a rhododendron garden at the Botanical Gardens is a painful reminder of my own rookie season.) For years, I wrote a useless weekly column about food prices. The job consisted of calling the same people every week – a grocery guy, a produce guy and a meat guy – and having them say “yeah, prices are going up on buttermilk.” People still remembered that stupid column 20 years later.

We had stars, ass kissers and assholes. Some of us got to play most of those roles from time to time.

But that’s OK. We had a big paper to fill, and most days we went through four editions, with deadlines from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. It was a massive job, and our idea of technology was an electric typewriter and a pneumatic tube to carry stories upstairs to the typesetters. Somehow, we got it done every day.

Today’s paper made me sad. There are still very good people trying to produce a good product. People who are better trained than we were, who believe in the same things just as passionately.

But there are far too few of them, and they are spread too thin to do much. So we settle for weinermobiles and celebrity birthdays.

To this day, the greatest job I’ve ever had was that of a reporter. If I could wake up tomorrow and do whatever I wanted for a living, I’d gladly put on a cheap suit and drive downtown to do it all over again.