RTNDF’s “New Tech Creates New Pressures” workshop in Kansas City over the weekend provided the perfect opportunities for local news viewers to sound off about coverage of the Coast Guard training exercises on the Potomac River last Friday that set off intense reactions among the media and media watchers. (You can watch four videos from the workshop in our new homepage video player.)

Led by the Poynter Institute’s Al Tompkins and KPNX’s Lynn French the very evening of the incident, a focus group made up of 16 Kansas City-area residents gathered in front of nearly 50 news managers from around the country to review examples of television news and provide insight into how our audiences react to our best—and worst—work.  Tompkins began the session by reviewing clips of CNN’s coverage of the Potomac incident and asking group members how they thought CNN and other media did on the story.  You can see CNN’s coverage and its aftermath here.

(Also be sure to see Al Tompkins follow-up to the coverage here.)

A handful of the participants seem to have followed the story closely that day, while others were unaware of it altogether. Whether or not they had seen the coverage, viewers shared some strong feelings about getting the story right, over-hyping what we cover, and even a little anger at the government.

Several of the panelists used the incident to point out a rush to air that sometimes exsits among too many news organizations.  Throughout the session, the viewers repeatedly called for reporters to take more time to tell stories so that they could be sure they had the facts correct.  While some said they were interested in breaking news coverage, nearly all said they would be willing to wait to hear about a story until reporters could be sure they had it right.

(Double click the image below to watch the video)




The panelists said that events like the one on the Potomac River could often lead to news organizations overdoing coverage.  Most were quick to use the word “sensationalize” when referring to Friday’s and other coverage.  They said news organizations make the story out to be more than it really is or tease stories making them sound bigger than they in fact are.  Returning to their call to present the facts, panel members said they wanted pared-down versions of most stories without a lot of hype.  They said they could decide for themselves just how big a given story really is.

(Double click the image to watch the video)



One participant had a particularly sophisticated and critical view of overblown news coverage.  His perception was that small events can sometime turn into large events when news organizations set the agenda for one another through intense and repetitive coverage.

(Double click the image below to watch)



And though many of the panelists spoke of mistrust of the media and showed a certain amount of anger at what they see as poor journalism practices, reporters were not the only target of their ire.  Several of the viewers stated a strong distrust of the government and its work.  While these critics were not necessarily in favor of the way media covered the events on the Potomac, they did see a need for the media to ask tougher questions of the government more often.

(Double click below to watch)



Tompkins and French led the panel through a number of discussions that evening, ranging from graphic video to invasion of privacy.