Comments on: Today’s top story on the Times Union website is simply embarrassing http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/ Musing & misadventures of a writer, comedian, and local treasure Thu, 31 Jan 2013 04:17:00 -0500 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 By: Muse http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7057 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:43:03 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7057 @ 23:

Interesting question! Suicides are often a way of expressing that a person feels alone and ignored.

So it would probably be a bad idea, because it would feed it.

Also, I had a friend commit suicide in New York City, and the handful of papers that covered it made fun of him:
[http://articles.nydailynews.com/2005-03-10/news/18300470_1_fatal-plunge-gust-sill]. Not cool, New York!

]]> By: Eric http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7056 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:17:31 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7056 Does the T-U cover suicides?

]]> By: Rachel http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7055 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:32:38 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7055 This is kind of off-topic but if this were two grown women fighting, most men wouldn’t want to stop that. Seinfeld episode about this topic was quite funny.

]]> By: Kristin http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7054 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:53:02 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7054 Kevin I am so with you on that last statement. The Times Union, has such a double standard on human decency. What it allows in its comments are absurd. People can degrade and demoralize someone anonymously without any fear of reprisal.

To those girls: They say time heals old wounds, but the TU successfully ripped them open and poured salt in them by making that a front page story.

]]> By: Kevin Marshall http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7053 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:49:57 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7053 Mike (#18) – Not to play tit for tat, but there was the story of the State’s budget and the suicide over the weekend on SUNY’s campus that you could have gone with. I’d also argue that the moment the decision is made to highlight this as the main story on the front page of the website for the duration of the working day but also to have two (if not more) staff reporters assigned to write and work on follow-up pieces, it’s no longer a “throwaway” story.

It is good for all of us to be interested. It’s also good for all of us to have a place to go that shows consistency in its standards. Not just on story selection but also in comments; as one commenter who said s/he is an employee at Shen pointed out, the blog linked from the front page featured many, many comments making fun of the girl(s) involved, particularly about their weight. That the Times Union would and could allow it speaks even more on the perceived degradation of standards.

Also, to those commenters: those are just little girls, you cretins.

It is indeed comforting to know that there are readers concerned with what passes for news, but it’s overwhelmed by the concern I have for how this whole situation was handled from start to finish.

]]> By: Muse http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7052 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:22:58 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7052 @ 18:

“Was it award-winning journalism? Hell no, and we don’t pretend it’s anything other than a quick, throaway story.”

:-)

Like the Quran-burning guy!

LOL! ;-)

]]> By: Michael Huber, timesunion.com http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7051 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:17:11 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7051 Actually, yesterday was a bit of a slow news day, and that’s one of the reasons we’re afforded the opportunity to play up this sort of story. Was it award-winning journalism? Hell no, and we don’t pretend it’s anything other than a quick, throwaway story.
Still, this episode is comforting in a way. It demonstrates that readers care about the news and its relevancy to our lives. Good for all of us to be interested.

]]> By: Muse http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7050 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 05:03:21 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7050 An id-drive that no-one seems to discuss in ANY psych text I read:

The drive to cover one’s butt! :-)

– Muse

]]> By: Chet http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7049 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:38:42 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7049 Their headline should read:

Shen backs principal in video of fight (that we blew way out of proportion)

]]> By: Eric http://www.kevinmarshallonline.com/blog/2011/04/04/todays-top-story-on-the-times-union-website-is-simply-embarrassing/#comment-7048 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:03:22 +0000 http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/?p=4773#comment-7048 I have to disagree with you on this one. If it was the same article that was up this afternoon, the story to me is obviously not, “Here’s a video of two girls fighting,” but “Here’s a video where a local principal questionably assaults a female student that suddenly has national exposure.”

That can be a big deal for parents of students at the school who weren’t yet aware of the video (according to WNYT, it has only recently surfaced for the first time), for the school system who might have to make a judgment call based on a shaky cellphone video, and a principal who could face punishment up to the point of losing his job, depending on outcry.

So…I’ve just had a look, and actually it looks as though the article you’re talking about is the Stephanie Lee article, which I suspect was actually a placeholder for Tim O’Brien’s later article. And I think that’s what this was — a placeholder to say, “This is going on, we’re aware of it, and we’ve put in a call to the superintendent.” What would have been best would be to mention that they were following up, but I’m sure they didn’t have a timetable. But I’m also sure the placeholder article was put up to prevent 600 people from calling the T-U to say, “Have you seen this?” and was probably put up after 600 people had already called to tip it.

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