Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Juvenile shooting scoop lifts KOAM

After a miserable Monday shutout for KOAM, the station's news team bounced back with an exclusive on the disposition of the hearing for the juvenile who shot eight-year-old Braxton Wooden to death earlier this month in Alba.
Veteran reporter Lisa Olliges covered all the bases in her report, which revealed that the teen son of the foster parents with whom Braxton Wooden was living, shot the boy to death while playing a game of cops and robbers.
No trial was held, Ms. Olliges noted, since the teen had already admitted that he was responsible. He was placed into the custody of Missouri's Division of Youth Services, where he will stay until he turns 17.
As in the scoop that KODE and KSNF had Monday concerning the FBI investigation into two Joplin police officers' questioning and handcuffing of an 11-year-old, what makes this story the scoop of the day is the public interest in it. When people hear about something like this happening, they want to know why, and just hope that they never have to go through anything like that in their own lives.
Though KOAM had the big story, it was by no means a washout for the competition. KODE appeared to have the jump on sex charges against a church bus driver in Delaware County, Okla.
Both KOAM and KSNF had updates on this morning's arraignment for Brandon Kahl, 25, Lamar, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of two-year-old Alexander Cole of Lamar.
Again, I will note that the stations are working hard to pin down stories, the competition improves the newscasts, and the real winners are the viewers.

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