August 19-25, 2004

slant

Missing the Guv's Point

How NBC 10 blew the McGreevey story.

by Amy L. Webb

A week ago Thursday, our interim editor, Brian Hickey, heard a rumor from his buddy who works in the New Jersey Statehouse. Not only will Gov. Jim McGreevey resign in a couple hours but — get this — he's gay!

Coming from anyone else, I'd have just nodded and tried to resume the course of my daily fantasy — the one about myself living among intelligent skeptics. But when I see Hickey smiling blithely and palming a fresh reporter's notebook at 2 p.m., I know he's nailed a story.

City Paper's editorial staff gathered around a small color television in our conference room two hours later and channel surfed before settling on NBC 10. At this point in their special broadcast (Dr. Phil was kind enough to surrender his time for this greater political cause), anchors Vince DeMentri and Renee Chenault-Fattah were already speculating about McGreevey's big announcement, saying that he might resign in November. But it became apparent that McGreevey was running late, and that Channel 10 had little advance reporting to fill time before the news conference.

So instead, DeMentri, Chenault-Fattah and various weathermen speculated about Hurricane Charley, which would bring DEVASTATING! rains and DANGEROUS FLASH FLOODING!! to Philadelphia.

Special projects editor Brian Howard laughed — not at the hurricane, but at the penchant for television reporters to turn any bit of news into The Biggest Story of the Century. Terrified residents wondered if they should find a hotel. When McGreevey finally made his way to the lectern, Channel 10 cut back to the news conference, and we turned up the volume, ready to take notes.

"Good afternoon," he started. "Throughout my life, I have grappled with my own identity."

Hickey's friend was right.

Minutes later, McGreevey said that it "makes little difference that as governor I am gay. In fact, having the ability to truthfully set forth my identity might have enabled me to be more forthright in fulfilling and discharging my constitutional obligations. Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign."

McGreevey would resign on Nov. 15th — and he is gay.

DeMentri and Chenault-Fattah apparently heard differently. Chenault-Fattah summarized his entire soliloquy with one, simple statement: Gov. McGreevey will resign because he is gay.

Music editor Pat Rapa shouted first, "She did not just say that!"

Maybe she just slipped up. But as DeMentri was finishing his comments, Chenault-Fattah announced the same thing again: McGreevey will resign because he is gay.

"How can anyone reduce that speech to mean A equals B? A does not fucking equal B here," I shouted.

We all agreed and wondered if anyone else had made the same mistake. Rick Valenzuela, our resident news savant, rushed into the conference room minutes later with a stack of wire reports. The headlines read similarly: "McGreevey to Resign, Citing Homosexual Affair." The stories explained that it was an affair that prompted the decision, not a sudden change in sexual preference.

The next day, the Inquirer used an explanatory headline, "McGreevey Resigns, Admits Affair Ahead of Ex-Aide's Possible Suit."

Soon, the story was all over national television with myriad talking heads offering their own uninformed analyses of McGreevey's decision. Sex! Gay sex!! Gay political sex!!!

What if the reason McGreevey resigned is because he was dumb enough to get caught promoting his secret boyfriend to a superfluous Cabinet position making a ridiculous amount of money? To me, that seems like the real story.

But real journalists cite new trends. Government corruption? So '70s. Illicit affairs? Sooooo last decade. Everyone who's anyone knows that gay, illicit affairs involving government corruption are today's coup de grace.

Because I write for a newspaper, I have the luxury of time to apply analysis and rhetorical criticism to what I hear. TV people are forced to start swimming before their food has digested. And as a result, Chenault-Fattah and DeMentri — either because they weren't really paying attention or because they just didn't get it — got a serious side cramp and started to drown.

On the other hand, it's somewhat difficult to fault the networks for feeding us hyperbole when we eat it up, complacently asking for a second helping.

Amy L. Webb is a City Paper staff writer. If you would like to respond to this Slant or have one of your own (800 words), contact Brian Hickey, City Paper interim editor, 123 Chestnut St., third floor, Phila., PA 19106 or e-mail hickey@citypaper.net.