News Media
Another Dope Reporter Award
June 22, 2006 
The GUARDIAN was out of town and missed the severe weather–which was nice. But we also missed what was apparently a classic DOPE REPORTER situation.
Here is the nomination:
You probably missed Alyson Outen on the roof at the KTVB studios, right after we had a tornado warning in Ada County and a Severe Thunderstorm warning was still in effect. The large hail (1/2-inch plus in diameter) started as she was standing there on the roof. After her report, they said, “DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!” Well, duh! Why on earth would you send a reporter to the roof of a building when tornadoes and lightning are a real possibility?! I would give the dope award to the assignment editor or news director who was willing to endanger the lives of their reporter and camera person.
A second GUARDIAN reader made the nomination, but also offered a “common sense” award to Rick Lantz who “ordered” Alyson off the roof. Nice job Rick. Those meteorologist academy classes paid off.
Congratulations to the award winning news team at KTVB-7!
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Jun 22, 2006, 2:59 pm
Good to see the Noble Guardian is back from the European Continent and freshly bestowing Dope Awards, the bete noir for all reporters. While in Europe, the Guardian…peut etre… may not have noticed — entre le diner y le dejeuner — that Dan Rather has left CBS News. During a CBS retrospective on Rather’s career, there was old film of Rather reporting on Hurricane Carla from Galveston in 1961…and, yes, he was WADING IN WATER! I immediately wondered if there is a statute of limitations for Dope Awards.
EDITOR NOTE–Even more reason to stay out of the water if you want to keep your job. He obviously didn’t have sense to come in out of the rain.
Jun 22, 2006, 4:16 pm
I offer the observation that as a young reporter, Dan Rather’s committing what the Noble GUARDIAN considers both a reportorial sin and crime against journalism did nothing to hurt his career. Rather went on to become one of the country’s premier broadcast journalists. To be sure, though, Rather’s detractors might suggest that, in the end, he was,indeed, all wet.
Jun 22, 2006, 6:36 pm
Well, Duh!!! Boise doesn’t get a whole lot of exciting things going on. Just think … if Alyson got bopped on the head with one of those ice clumps… or maybe got whisked away in a whirling funnel cloud.
That’s better than jumping off Perrin bridge and it’s free! She might start speaking in ” tongues” to appeal to our religious wing-nut crowd!
Light’s ,camera, action. Fox news special!
The local TV news stations would have had some real news to report for the next few days.
It’s gotta get boring raving about hollywoods latest success’s after giving farmer Brown’s cow top billing on the international news scene!
Jun 22, 2006, 8:00 pm
How about a “dope” award to Dave, who can’t spell Rick Lantz (because it’s so hard to take 5 seconds to look it up).
EDITOR NOTE–Don, thanks for the spell check. We fixed it in the text, but it wouldn’t be right to honor myself. Spelling or typos don’t qualify for Dope Awards.
Jun 23, 2006, 8:19 pm
Alyson was just taking a cue from Carolyn. Follow your mentor. Isn’t that how you get ahead in the television news business? Besides there’s that nice microwave tower on the station roof to attract the lighting and help protect her and her cameraman. Of course, if there is some spillover from the lighting hit on the microwave tower it’s crispy critters time. Especially when you’re outside holding electronic equipment during a thunderstorm.
Snooze 7 seems to have a penchant for risking the life and limb of their reporters “to get the story.” There was Carolyn’s brush with lighting a few years back, this rooftop adventure, and Adam Atchison’s bravery, while off duty no less, during a heavy duty thunderstorm about a month ago.
For those that missed Adam’s bravery (sorry no visual, just sound effects like in the olde radio days) it went something like this. As Rick is about to begin the weather forecast they “break” to the incoming report from Atchison who is OUTSIDE on the phone at home during the rather nasty thunderstorm. Adam proceeds to say (not an exact quote) “I don’t know if you heard that” and then refers to the close by thunder clap that just occurred. He then tells us that we should stay indoors. He’s outdoors. Guess that’s do as I say, not as I do category. Or maybe that’s how you keep your competitive edge.
JQP
Jun 27, 2006, 2:42 pm
People will do anything to get on TV or the radio, etc. Are we all that lacking for attention?
Jul 1, 2006, 12:06 am
Don! Please! A Dopester award for getting Rick Lantz’s name wrong in the Guardian! Wow. It usually takes a TV news person to find something that trivial and meaningless to talk about. Does it upset you that little Ricky refers to himself as Idaho’s Chief Meteorologist? He deserves to have his name misspelled for having the nerve to give himself such a deceiving title.