A recognizable voice takes on a hostile inflection. Provocative questions are raised as questions appear on-screen. "More state funding is needed...but at what cost? And why does Spokane need this when STA routes are already in place?" Barring the fallacious nature of that question (Who or what gives KHQ the authority to say that STA has sufficient route coverage? Isn't that for STA and urban planners to decide?), it is clear the KHQ has overstepped its bounds with the promotion of this story. The role of the news media is to inform the public; not inform the public opinion. By taking a clearly anti-trolleybus stance in the run-up to Thursday, the station has chosen to pass judgment and deliberately influence the opinions of citizens. But their role as a news agency is not to tell viewers what is right or wrong. It is to tell viewers, clearly and precisely, the news. And only the news.
Shame on you, KHQ
Shame on you, KHQ
Shame on you, KHQ
A recognizable voice takes on a hostile inflection. Provocative questions are raised as questions appear on-screen. "More state funding is needed...but at what cost? And why does Spokane need this when STA routes are already in place?" Barring the fallacious nature of that question (Who or what gives KHQ the authority to say that STA has sufficient route coverage? Isn't that for STA and urban planners to decide?), it is clear the KHQ has overstepped its bounds with the promotion of this story. The role of the news media is to inform the public; not inform the public opinion. By taking a clearly anti-trolleybus stance in the run-up to Thursday, the station has chosen to pass judgment and deliberately influence the opinions of citizens. But their role as a news agency is not to tell viewers what is right or wrong. It is to tell viewers, clearly and precisely, the news. And only the news.