Channel 4 has apparently been duped by a guy posing as a homeless man battling cancer who lives in a van (down by the river?) with his wife and kids.
The Herald’s Joan Fleischman has the details in her latest column. WFOR ran a story recently in which reporter Ted Scouten told viewers about a newly homeless guy that was turned away from a Hot 105 gas give away promotion. And that he and his wife and 3 kids lived in a van. Then they asked people to donate by calling Neighbors4Neighbors. And the station and HOT 105 gave him $200 Publix gift cards.
After the story ran Hot 105 got calls from a Miami-Dade Police Department officer and from one of the guy’s cousins telling them they’ve been had. Acording to the cousin and the MDPD officer the guy wasn’t homeless, had no cancer.
The fake needy dude paid a visit at the Hot 105 studios where Scouten confronted him but ultimately kept the $200 gift card. WFOR is returning the donations to viewers who called to help.
Video of the story on CBS4.com
Didn’t Ch4 learn anything about basic journalism from the story where they called a cop’s son a drug dealer on TV?
Here is how this one went down. They got the story. The producers and assignment editors saw it as a great promotable story that had emotion tears etc. And since it had all those great elements no one did even the most basic fact checking (a Ch4 hallmark). Why let things like facts kill an easy softball of a news story? And now they act indignant and try to deflect the blame on the guy who fooled them. Easily I might add.
And then 4 has the nerve to confront the guy? Ch 4 was using him and his family for a worthless story that they knew had great emotional value. 4 seems to be pissed only because they were the ones being used instead of the other way around.
When news stations do these stories they act like they are doing the community a service. But those that work in newsrooms know this is never the motive. It’s all about sobbing, emotions, pity, promotions & ratings.
At least 4 didn’t say the man was arrested for dealing drugs.
had they simply done their homework on the guy, they wouldn’t have egg. lazy, do a background check!
Is there an Edward R. Murrow award category for this?
Still F/&ked up on 4… First the Parker mess, now this.
Sounds like they´re still fast and loose with the facts.
wfor has been going down the hill.
don’t expect it to get any better….
wfor has quietly let go of some more staff since the big layoff a few months ago and more is to come. ratings and ad revenue is drying up fast. all hands are on deck and eyeing the life boats…….
that’s another Edward R. Murrow award !
WHO LISTEN’S TO HOT 105?????? NO ONE! I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT THEY STILL EXIST… I NEVER HEARD OF A GAS PROMOTION EITHEIR…. HOT 105 SUCKS! OH, AND SO DOES CBS 4