WTKR sues Suffolk over media restrictions in tornado areas

I called it. Our police and city officials did a wonderful job. The citizens expressed their thanks to all of them last night for a job WELL done both to keep them safe and to keep other citizens safe. I also might add that they were just fine with some of them not being able to get to their homes until the day after (Tuesday) and not the 3 days that WTKR stated last night on the news of them dropping the law suit. Sad that they don't even know the actual facts of when the residence were allowed to get to their homes. Again, Good Job Suffolk!

I'm sure in the days to come you will all see that they will withdrawl this lawsuit. Keep reading the paper and you will see it. WTKR knows that they are dead wrong. The citizens in this city are behind what has been done and continues to be done for the safety of the citizens and their belongings. The neighborhoods effected are now open so take a drive through them and you will see the banners and yard signs made by the victoms thanking the police, fire, and rescue for their work and concern for their safety over the past week and a half! Remember, you can come to Suffolk this weekend to help clean up the neighborhoods and get these people back on their feet. GOOD JOB SUFFOLK!!!!

"...What if the media just sat back and waited on the government to tell us everything was okay in New Orleans after Katrina hit? All you would have known was what a 'nice job' FEMA did and how everything was okay. I'm not saying Suffolk emergency workers were up to no good behind the scenes, but they definitely should not control whether or not the media has access to it"
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September 2005
CNN Wins Injunction

CNN won an injunction late Friday to prevent any federal agency from limiting the cable news network's ability to cover any aspect of the Hurricane Katrina story. CNN asked for an injunction to remove the "zero-access" policy imposed by FEMA...

Whether or not WTKR has a valid complaint doesn't matter. It's the timing of the lawsuit. This is something that could have waited until Suffolk recovered. We are all in shock over this tornado. For God's Sake WTKR. Let these people get themselves together!

As I said before Henry you really do not have a clue as to what you are talking about on here. Doesn't matter what experience you may have at that point you could not enter. Parents were able to get to their children via police escort (because of the dangers). People were able to get in via police escort if the needed to get meds and they could even get to their houses. Roads were covered with HOUSES and PIECES of HOUSES, POWER LINES, and so on. Alot had to take place before everyone could enter these neighborhoods. As someone who assists FEMA as you stated you should know very well how it all goes. The people who live in suffolk and these neighborhoods have been behind what the city and the police dept. have done for them even the day of. So no Henry you very well do not know what you are talking about. Find out the facts before you start to bash the people in our city who are working around the clock to do what is right to keep our people safe. Theres alot that was done to help these people that you are not aware of. There is a clean up scheduled for this weekend. You should come out to participate.

I guess the people who work in the media field don't get it, they want to report their way even if it's the wrong way. They don't they blame the city of suffolk who gaves orders to the police department. The police department only did what the city officials who have control over them as in any city would have. The police department were told to who to let in and who not to let in which included the media who for some unknown reason feels they are special. The media could do the same reporting without showing the damage homes at that point until it was clear. Each channel wanted that big scoop and 3 fell short of that big scoop, they didn't have a chopper to film from the air to get that view of the damage. Reporting the news? getting the word out? Everyone knew what happen they didn't need to see the damage. Seems WTKR lost out on the ratings again and this time it's the suffolk police fault. The police or city didn't prevent the media from doing their job, they just kept them from sticking a mike in front of one of the home owner's face and asking stupid questions. Good work to all of the Police, fire and rescue folks who spend many hours. Not too many people are supporting WTKR

Again, you should not put the power of the press in the hands of the government. Regardless of how honorable and how great they are, the Suffolk emergency workers should not control the media. How do you know that all the information that was needed for the public was getting out? No one was inside these blocked areas to see if that was true. As for protecting the media, let them get electrocuted by downed lines. They know the dangers of going in and its their responsibility to protect themselves.
How come none of you were complaining about the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina? Why was the media allowed to go into the flooded areas? They could drown and cause more problems for police and fire. Let the police and fire departments do their job without the intrusion of the media knocking on people's doors hoping to catch some crying person.
Luckily you WTKR haters weren't in charge or more people would have died because no help would have come. The media shed light on the bad job the government was doing and saved lives. Luckily that didn't happen in Suffolk, because the media did not have the access it should have and could not do the job its supposed to do in a FREE

Henry...With the exception of a few saying residents should have been kept out for safety reasons, most of the people in support of the restrictions are commenting in reference to the MEDIA restrictions. As I wrote in an earlier comment, I'm all for residents arguing that they should have been in earlier and WTKR should be backing THAT angle rather than their self-serving complaint about media restrictions. Again, the media was not prevented from obtaining and reporting the necessary facts of what happened; I think they are just upset that they didn't get to have cameras pointing in the face of suffering residents or get to ask obnoxious, insensitive questions.

Who even watches WTKR? I never do!

Agree, but I have found their personnel to be much more receptive to critical comments and admit when they are wrong. WTKR personnel do not do this, in my experience.

and it's not just WTKR. As soon as someone is killed the news media is banging on the door of the victims family wanting an interview. They have no shame and simply won't leave people alone. And no, it's not because I want to know or see these family members even if some people do. I don't blame the City of Suffolk or the Suffolk Police. The news media needed to keep a safe distance. We could see all we needed to see, and the residence didn't need a camera stuck in their face.

Regardless of what anyone thinks... State Law states that the news media CAN NOT BE EXCLUDED. The First Amendment trumps any state or city laws. The news should NOT have been kept out.

That's WTKR's complaint. I think it's a valid one. The city violated state law and ultimately, the Constitution.

As for the money damages... I can't say much about what their motive was since ... well... only WTKR's owners (My Local TV LLC) knows that. Usually in such a case...the money is just to prove the point of the lawsuit. I may be wrong...but I think in a lawsuit a money amount MUST be claimed.

Now for those who want to bash WTKR...let's not forget that WAVY and WVEC and ALL OTHER tv news stations are doing the same thing...trying to be first to broadcast human tragedy. "If it bleeds it leads" is the mantra of broadcasting these days.

Channel 10 and 13 are JUST AS GUILTY of this. And anyone who thinks 10 and 13's broadcasts aren't biased is an idiot. They are owned by HUGE companies and all their news stories are slanted.

Ratings really has nothing to do with it, except the fact that if viewership falls because the city breaks the law... WTKR loses money as well.

WTKR is looting Suffolk the same as those three arrested earlier. Any items that cause Suffolk to expend city officials time and tax payer dollars for any reason other that tending this horrible diaster at this time should be criminal. I am in agreement with most postings that WTKR is the lowest rated local news organization in this area for a reason, their personel and habits. Once a proud leader in the local news area has now become a laughing stock, a bottom dweller. In recent encounters with WTKR, I have found their news personalities to be argumentative and unresponsive to any attempt to point out on air mistakes. Concerning the Suffolk diaster, one reporter tried to imply that 48 hours equalled 3 days for sensation purposes. And he mistakenly called a police Captain a Lieutenant. At other times, a WTKR official and anchor introduced a story about Age Related Macular Degeneration as being caused by deteoriation of the muscles in the eye, wrong. A weather forecaster said there was an area named (KEY COTTON) in the area. And they threw a poor young reporter into the ring labeled as a military expert who had no knowledge of the military and military affairs.

Although I doubt the news personnel weren't aware of the request for monetary damages, withdrawing that request is a step in the right direction. I also support the freedom of the press, but there is a distinction between reporting necessary facts and sensationalizing the news for ratings, and I think WTKR is using freedom of the press as an excuse for the latter. Even with being blocked from the area, aerial surveys and reports from outside the hardest hit areas was sufficient to assess that significant damage was done and where. Why do you need to intrude on those already suffering to get a closeup? Why do you need to report live at 11:00 at night about something that already occurred? The only answer is ratings, because you could just as easily record the story at the allowed times and then run the story at 11:00. Also, it seemed there were enough residents coming forward willingly to tell their stories while outside of the restricted areas without the media having to go in and bother someone who may have wanted more privacy.

I couldn't help but chuckle at one of the comments..."next thing you know the hawaiian tropic/traffic girl will be made anchor....seems they already did that just a short while ago...Bianca Martinez

Featured User Comment- - mermaidonna
Story - WTKR sues Suffolk over media restrictions in tornado areas
"If the public weren't so hungry to see other people's misery, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. This is what sells, people, and you made it that way. Don't blame WTKR for their tasteless response."
---Actually, all the public isn't watching the local news for precisely the reason you stated. Tidewater is much better seen from interacting with it, then from believing the fear mongering of the media. There are plenty of resources for finding out about all the news, especially the good. Question? The publics' so-called "need to see other people's misery" makes a double negative producing response justifiable? In other words, can a crack dealer tell the judge it's the publics' fault for wanting it? You said,"Don't blame WTKR for their tasteless response." Why not? Are they a victim of the public without responsibility for how they respond to it? "But, but mommy, they maaaaaaaaade me do it!" Pilot, are we to imply that by featuring this comment, you are protecting against culpability in your promotion of tasteless responses?

Well, WTKR you're "Taking Action" all right. You've succeeded in alienating the entire City of Suffolk. WHAT IS YOUR MANAGEMENT THINKING? Good luck in trying to get any leads for stories out of there...you've just blown it BIG TIME...and it won't matter how many "funny" news promos you run on your air. . .because the door will be shut for quite a while I bet.

You're supposed to be broadcasting in the public interest. At least, that's what your FCC license says. Oh, and by the way, you might rent a lot of storage space. You're going to need it when your license comes up for renewal and all of the letters from viewers, which you must keep on file, start arriving. It's called the Public File and anyone who lives in the Hampton Roads area can request to see it.

I feel sorry for the ones that couldn't get to their children, but you have to understand what the police and rescue workers were dealing with. There were power lines down all over the place. It was NOT SAFE for citizens to be trying to get through those areas. Nor would it have been safe to try to move out those people who were inside those areas, but were safe at their present location. Believe me, I know how frustrating it was, what with roads closed down all over. I sat in traffic for hours just trying to get home. But I would much rather be stuck than be allowed in someplace that wasn't safe for me to enter.

As for the WTKR thing, KUDOS to Suffolk for standing their ground and not letting themselves be bullied by the station. Had they not done so and they entered the area and were hurt, you know a lawsuit would immediately follow, alleging that if it was unsafe, they shouldn't have been allowed in in the first place.

Some of us went to help our friends who live in the affected area and we were turned away by the Suffolk Police STATE. So we have attempted to get up from our keyboards and offer assistance. No matter that we are Homeland security certified and trained and are a part of FEMA. No matter that we have dealt with disasters much worse than this. BUT according to you the response of Suffolk authorities was perfectly okay with you. I hope you never have the misfortune of having a loved one such as a child or elderly relative that is very upset and in a completely intact structure and you are prevented from comforting and caring for that loved one because of the Suffolk or other local POLICE STATE. What you are saying if I read you correctly is that we don't know what we are talking about and it is okay to make a small child or elderly person sit and wait for 12 to 20 hours while the authorities take their time to give the all clear. No matter how upset or terrified the loved one is. According to you this is totally acceptable. I'm simply saying this NOT acceptable to me.

Okay, the point here is that the station is holding its ground on an important issue... the law. This article is a bit out of date... WTKR is no longer asking for monetary damages. It also does not list the law in question. It seems station management simply did not want police to have the power to keep them from information on a story. Suffolk police may have had their hearts in the right place, and since I've had experiences with several of their officers, I know they did their best in the worst of circumstances. However, when it comes down to it, they violated a Virginia Statute. How would you feel if this was another police crime scene in an un-named city and there was the chance that police failed to investigate properly, or worse, police were the ones committing a crime... without the media having access to critical information, bad people can do bad things. Nothing may have been lost on the restrictions placed on the media, but the principal of the fact still stands. Police, nor any government body, can be allowed to rise above the law. If you don't like it, write to your state representatives and tell them you want the law changed.

The Suffolk Police Dept. and the City of Suffolk were doing exactly what they should of done, they protected not only the victoms but what was left of what they owned. The victoms and media were allowed back in the neighborhood after the houses were searched and cleared of no dead bodies, and there were no risks of further injury after these people went in to view their damage. Alot of you have very negative things to say about our City and our Police Dept on here; have you maybe thought about getting off of your tails away from your keyboards and driving your tails to Suffolk to help these victoms clean up or rebuild? Doesn't seem like you have to me. Think of how you would feel if you lost your home! Think of how the city or police officers would feel if one of these media people went in there to get their big story and stepped on a live power line! Give me a break people use some common sence before you put some of this stuff up here! I live in Suffolk and I love our city and our police officers. Job well done SUFFOLK!

WTKR is doing all media and viewers a favor. Are you sure you want the government controlling what information gets out by denying access to the media? What if the media just sat back and waited on the government to tell us everything was okay in New Orleans after Katrina hit? All you would have known was what a 'nice job' FEMA did and how everything was okay. I'm not saying Suffolk emergency workers were up to no good behind the scenes, but they definitely should not control whether or not the media has access to it.

Well....I think I've seen it all. Can anyone out there believe what WTKR has stooped to? I mean I guess they think the City of Suffolk should be a little more well rehearsed on how to handle a situation THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN IN? Congrats to WTKR to stooping lower than those Navy guys who where caught with backpacks full of items they looted from the houses demolished by the tornado. You know, in the morning when I first wake up I USED to turn on the tv and switch immediately to WTKR to watch The Early Show and the WTKR local news coverage. The keyword here is USED to. I think they owe the entire population of the Hampton Roads area, not just the City of Suffolk and their citizens, an apology. Do it now.....its called Damage Control. You know....kind of what the City of Suffolk was trying to do!

WTKR if you weren't almost bankrupt before, you sure will be now. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot !! You people are morons.

Let me ask those who complain about the news media ... if not for news media coverage the government would have been able to tell the world that the response to Katrina was magnificent. If you block the media you run the risk of blocking independent verification of events. Instead you are left with the government response to each and every issue arising from a disaster. While some of you are apparently 100 percent comfortable with the receiving all of your information from the government, I am not. If you all want to live in a government-run, police state you be my guest. Just don't turn my country, state and city into one. The press isn't perfect ... far from it at times … but neither is government infallible. I for one want an independent watchdog reporting on events IN ADDITION to a government voice. The tension between the two (government and press) is what we rely upon here in America ... sometimes it appears that you all want to live in Cuba or North Korea. Freedom of the Press is extremely important, both in the relative calm of daily events and especially in times of crisis.

I don't get it, In this Republic of America all laws should apply to all people. If a town decides it is too dangerous for civilians to enter disaster areas then that should apply to everyone who is not involved in rescue opperations.
last I checked the media is not trained in emergency response or law enforcement. shoot you don't even need to be a journalist anymore to be considered " media" . Actually bloggers are now considered part of the "media"
Don't forget the media is a private buisness making money on advertising.
They are not enabled to any more rights than citizens.
No Constitutional Law has been broken here.

"The complaint by WTKR, filed in circuit court, asserts that city officials and the local and state police do not have the authority to limit media access in such a way. It contends that the restrictions keep necessary information from getting to the public and hampers the ability of charitable groups to identify needs and give help.

Funny all the other stations did a great job with the same conditions,and I don't see them complaining. I guess we can see why WTKR keeps getting low ratings,they have low management.

And who's the clown who stated " WTKR also contends that its viewership may suffer if its news crews are not able to timely and fully report the news" So before the Tornado who's fault was it?

Someone needs to buy out the station, knock the building down nd turn it into a starbucks or Wa-Wa.

What's not being said is that Suffolk told WTKR that their ratings were not high enough to be allowed in when they allowed the other news groups. Now on to the important things. First will we ever get the story of why Les Smith left WAVY and went to WTKR? Okay, the person who described the situation where they could not get to their intact apartment where there child was. This is a totally unacceptable response by Suffolk authorities. This person needs to sue. So If my property is fine or not and I have a very upset child that is in the affected area, authorities prevent me from attending to my child? It seems we live in a police state. I wish I had been in one of the affected areas. I would asked for a federal injunction and been escorted by US Marshals. It is my property and the life and comfort of my child are paramount. Please note that in other tornado disasters that have occurred in other states the residents are not kept from their property or loved ones. Why is it that here in Virginia in the event of a disaster we no longer have access to the property we own and in other states they do? I guess the authorities think we are really dumb.

It's been that way since they fired Dr. Dwayne and Ed Hughes died.

maybe Les Smith can shake things up.....

I for one will boycott WTKR. I will tell at least ten people about this article and ask that they do the same.Can WTKR get any lower???Suing for monetary gain over getting photos of people who are in shock and grief stricken over a total loss.WTKR management are slim balls.Hope they clean house!!!Because that is the only way I will consider watching EVER again!