Our story on former University of Iowa football player- and current member of the Miami Dolphins NFL team - Matt Roth being busted for public intox in Iowa City last Friday generated a comment worth discussing here.

In part, the viewer wrote: "Please if you respect the state in which you sell your product, don’t act like Southern California Paparazzi.  Continuously your news department is tearing down anyone that has any shred of local stardom if they do anything wrong. Ask yourself this: if this was “Joe-Schmoe” of the ped-mall in Iowa City getting a public-intox. ticket would it make your news or even warrant consideration?"

The short answer to the last question is, no. We could care less if Joe Schmoe gets busted because our viewers don’t care. Star athletes, like other celebrities, put themselves in the public eye for fame and fortune. Unlike the “Joe Schmoes” of the world, they’re newsworthy when they succeed and when they fail.

As an NFL player and former Iowa Hawkeye football player, Matt Roth realizes public scrutiny comes with the territory. He has the potential to be a positive role model for eastern Iowans. Had Matt thought about that a little more, he might have made different decisions about his behavior on Friday night.

Matt Roth’s behavior is newsworthy in eastern Iowa because of his history with the Iowa Hawkeyes. I might add that it’s newsworthy in south Florida. Click here to read what the Sun-Sentinal is reporting.

Jon Okerstrom
News Director

Posted under Uncategorized

Our story on dog fighting generated some feedback from KWWL viewers. They weren’t upset about the story - that lawmakers were considering making it illegal to even watch dogs fight. They took issue with our decision to show video from an actual dog fight. One viewer wrote, "…What were you thinking? NOBODY needed to actually see that."

As a dog owner I share her disgust for dog fighting. However, I am also a journalist. And as a journalist, it is my view that using video to expose dog fighting for what it is – cruel and senseless – is far more effective in evoking thought and causing change than choosing to sanitize the story by showing nothing.

At KWWL, we do realize that seeing dogs fight can be upsetting to some people. We ran a disclaimer at the top of our 10 p.m. story specifically to let people decide for themselves whether they want to watch. We chose to show dogs fighting – rather than the often bloody aftermath – because our intent was to accurately tell the story without showing gratuitous violence.

I wrote this viewer an email saying as much. As upsetting as seeing the video may have been for her, my hope is that she can appreciate the greater good that can be accomplished by telling the story in an accurate and powerful way. I’d like to know what you think. Please feel free to post a comment and thanks for visiting KWWL.com.

Jon Okerstrom

News Director

Posted under News Coverage