The country cheered when Jon Stewart took on CNBC’s Jim Cramer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi6bxKAAHzQ) a few weeks ago, and is still talking about it. But it seems to have gone right over many people’s heads that the same problem exists in our our own communities, on our own local television stations.

Many local stations carry business “news,” though in truth it more often than not it seems to consist mostly in reading aloud various press releases from local corporate outlets, Walmart is a prime example of this.

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The retail behemoth will issue a press, excited news anchors will gush over the “news” – without a dissenting view in range, unless it happens to be Walmart shareholders Week, and then the obligatory story about Walmart protestors will run.

But for the most part, the “facts” in the press releases are allowed to run unchallenged. Just once I’d like to hear someone say, “Well, actually, Walmart is full of crap about this. And here is why . . .”

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But that isn’t likely to happen. Whether it is journalistic laziness, or fear of challenging anyone in authority, or the dread of osing advertising revenue, business “reporting” on local television stations will most likely just consist of reading aloud press releases, and hoping that no one notices the similarity between what they are doing and what CNBC does.

Maybe a moratorium on corporate press releases that are nothing more than puff pieces?

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Yeah, that’ll happen.

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This just in! Walmart announces that . . .

One waits in dread for the day that Walmart announces that its parking lots are all 100 percent “sustainable.” It’s both nonsensical, and environmental  – in a corporate sort of way.

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And I have a feeling that it would be read aloud with a straight face, too.

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Quote of the Day

It is part of human nature to think wise things and do ridiculous ones. – Anatole France

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Danaher cuts employee pay five percent

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Come April, employees at Danaher (including the local plants) will take a five percent pay cut, from the CEO down, it was announced at employee meetings last week. 

Will this be enough to ward off yet another lay-off in the Danaher realm?

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Maggie and the Magic Ears

Word came to me yesterday about a children’s book that sounds pretty charming, Maggie and the Magic Ears. It was written by Kimberly Bright, who wrote it for her daughter, when she began feeling self-conscious about her hearing aids. As the description of the book goes:

Princess Maggie is a beautiful fairy tale princess who happens to be hearing impaired. Wizards from all over the kingdom are summoned by the king and queen to find a way to help the little girl. A helpful audiologist fits the princess with hearing aids… and her whole life magically changes!

http://www.lulu.com/content/6460463?cid=en_google_products
    
rsdrake@nwark.com

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