1996 Was Not A Banner Year For The Media

If there’s any segment of American society hoping to reverse its luck this New Year from what generally is thought to have been an abysmal performance in 1996, it’s probably network television news.

By most accounts, ‘96 was a disastrous year for the news divisions of the major U.S. television networks.

From the residue of the CBS and ABC debacles regarding some previously reported tobacco stories from 1995, to NBC’s out-of-court settlement with ex-bombing suspect Richard Jewell, the just-ended presidential election year was not a good year.

Add to that ABC’s bone-chilling trespass and fraud loss just the other day to the Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion grocery store chain for another previously reported story, and 1996 becomes an awful broadcasting year.

Despite these setbacks, though, I’m confident the network news divisions will fully recover from whatever missteps they might have made and continue with the important job of disseminating information to the public. They have to.

But my biggest concern is the effect the recent spate of court decisions is likely to have on sound investigative reporting.

I’m convinced that ABC, perennial news leader and my former employer, blew it big time 18 months ago - just before a high-profile Disney takeover - when it capitulated to tobacco interests rather than fight a $10 billion lawsuit filed earlier by the Phillip Morris Co. against the network.

I’m convinced there was an equally big mistake in the initial failure of CBS’ “60 Minutes” to air antismoking sentiments of former Brown & Williamson executive Jeffrey Wigand.

Admittedly, to the credit of “60 Minutes” and the network, previously unaired versions by the former Brown & Williamson official were made public last year following an industry and public outcry. Unfortunately, by that time, damage to the network’s credibility had already been done.

Truth is, lawsuits by such mega-companies are designed to produce a journalistic chilling effect. Far too often, these court challenges to informing the public and getting at the truth somehow manage to succeed.

For instance, who would have thought, in the ABC-Food Lion case, that a rapidly growing southeastern grocery store chain would have come out on the winning end when the accuracy of the network’s news report was never questioned? A 1992 “PrimeTime” news report showed expired meat being resold to the public. The food store chain won primarily on fraud and trespassing charges against two producers of the ABC News program for their controversial undercover report, rather than on the authenticity of the expose’ itself.

That’s the basis on which a Greensboro, N.C., federal jury decided last week, with the result that ABC News was ordered to pay an assortment of damages. Without question, the ABC ruling was an industry black eye.

However, the NBC settlement with Jewell came as a surprise. Jewell, who for a time was suspected but never charged in the Atlanta Olympics bombing, threatened to sue the NBC for defamation of character. NBC, apparently wanting to cut its losses and avoid a potentially damaging public trial, decided to settle out of court. According to the Wall Street Journal, NBC paid Jewell more than $500,000.

Rightly or wrongly, the NBC decision ended up as more fuel on the anti-media fire. And in the eyes of the public it was tantamount to an admission of guilt.

While aggressive journalism is often rewarded, the tables for the media lately seemed to have turned.

In a business predicated on trust and accuracy, things can only get better in the New Year ahead.

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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fred Davis, Washington State University