It is painfully obvious from the way the article is written, that it was a makeup job after someone saw the KOAM story on the lawsuit on its early evening newscasts:
The Globe was unable to obtain a copy of the lawsuit before the Jasper County Courts Building in Joplin closed Monday. But the court’s electronic records available on the Internet note the filing of the lawsuit.
What the story fails to mention is that the Globe was unable to get a copy before the courts building closed because it did not know about the lawsuit until after 5 p.m. since that is when KOAM had its first newscast. The information was obviously there since the television station had it.
What harm would it have done, except to the Globe's ego, to give credit to the television station, and provide a little more information to its readers. By doing so, it could have stated the amount of money in question, $63,000, the reason the Drug Task Force and Lundien had Marrett's money in the first place, and provided a much better-rounded story for its readers.
Instead under the byline "From Globe Staff Reports," always a sign that not much original reporting took place, readers received the bare information provided by case.net and the fact that the Globe couldn't find anyone willing to tell its reporter or reporters anything about the case before deadline.
Every once in a while, it makes sense to just swallow your pride and give credit to a competing news organization for breaking the story first and providing more information. I have no doubt the Globe will catch up in the next few days and make the story its own. It's a shame it could not have acknowledged at this point that someone else came up with the information first.
6 comments:
Well, KOAM gets stories from the Globe too...so I guess turnabout is fair play.
Sometimes it's so bad... they read them word-for-word right out of the Globe, without any credit given.
Maybe we should be writing stories criticizing them too?
Oh, wait... that wouldn't be fair! *shakes head*
Its also never mentioned when KODE/KSN scoops KOAM....but I guess Randy wouldn't know that since he is a loyal KOAM viewer.
Back to the story.....I think it is a fairly awful thing that this policeman is accussed of. I guess he thought if he couldn't get a case on the druggie he would at least take his money and put it to good use in his own pocket. If this is what happened he is a disgrace to law enforcement.
About the KOAM remarks, it does seem that some people have forgotten the compliments I paid KODE when it jumped all over the McDonald County sex cult case.
As for the first anonymous commenter, you are absolutely right. I remember in the summer of 1979, when I was editor of the Lockwood Luminary-Golden City Herald, and on my day off I listened to an announcer at KRFG in Greenfield reading my stories verbatim, leaving out only the byline and the newspaper name. I always tried to give credit when a story came from another source. It's simple courtesy and it's the right thing to do.
randy, you have little man's syndrome.
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