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10

Congratulations to our winners in the “Flock to Florida” vacation giveaway.  And thanks to Pal’s, Tri-Cities Regional Airport, and Allegiant Airlines for sponsoring the great prizes.

Here are the winners.

Grand Prize (4 round trip tickets from TRI to Ft. Lauderdale on Allegiant Air and 4 nights at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort): 

Rhonda Anderson
Kingsport, TN

1st Prize Winner (two round trip Allegiant tickets from TRI to Ft. Lauderdale)
Cynthia Adair
Johnson City, TN

2nd Prize Winner (a set of pink luggage)
Elizabeth Gruhler
Chuckey, TN

Posted by Josh Smith
Contests

Today on the Morning Edition blog, we’re sharing some photos of a recent Halloween Party attended by members of the NC 11 Morning Edition family.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the party.  But Rob...er… William “Braveheart” Wallace… did.  So did our morning director, Sheri Hamilton.  She’s sportin’ the groovy hairdo as Cleopatra Jones.  And that dashing news reporter Clark Kent with his alter-ego peeking through?  That’s Toby Laek, our morning production assistant extraordinaire.

What will you be this Halloween?

Posted by Josh Smith
Behind the Scenes

Yesterday in court, Judge Lynn Brown was not a happy man.

I can’t blame him, really.  He’s had a front row seat to a five year legal circus, and the ring leader is the man now about to stand trial for double murder: Howard Hawk Willis.

I wasn’t there, but our Darius Radzius says Judge Brown “called out” News Channel 11 for our coverage yesterday morning which previewed the start of jury selection.  He - and this is a summary of what I’m told he said - believes we should not have gone into specific details of the case.  Judge Brown thinks we acted irresponsibly by telling our viewers, some of whom could have been called for jury duty, enough about the case to make them familiar with it and, possibly, to allow them to form an opinion about it.

Judge Brown, a brilliant and highly esteemed man by most accounts, sees the public as a potential jury pool.  Journalists see the public as people who have the right and the need to know what’s happening in the community and the world in which they live.

Judges are courtroom supervisors charged with upholding the law and implementing justice.  Journalists are information brokers charged with the mandate to report the facts and, with only a few restructions, report without “filters”.

Yes, I know.  This is the “ideal”, and we cynics would insist some journalists - and judges - have wandered away from it.

Scholars may debate whether reporting the details of a murder case on the eve of jury selection is right or wrong.  But when we start picking and choosing what people need to know and when they need to know it, where does “the line” get drawn?  And for that matter, who gets to draw it?

I think that if the case hadn’t been allowed to drag on for five years, far fewer people would know the specifics of the case.

What do you think?  I promise - the only filters we place on your blog comments are for removing dirty words and nasty comments about my hairdo.

Posted by Josh Smith

Rob and I got a flu shot live on the Morning Edition today.  Lori Hamilton, RN gives a great shot.  I barely felt a thing. 

Rob quietly wept during the commercial break.  KIDDING!

We did it to encourage everyone to get the flu shot.  Young, old, and in between need to be protected against influenza, a disease which kills every year.

Lori says the flu shot will not give you the flu.  The current vaccine is a dead virus.

Kids, the elderly, the expecting, and the infirmed really need the vaccine as they’re most “at risk”, Lori said.

Are you planning to get a flu shot?  If not, why?

Posted by Josh Smith

Today on News Channel 11 Morning Edition, I said something I’ve never said before.  I actually apologized for all the bad news.

Around 5:40 a.m. after reading the latest in an endless line of stories about murders and missing people and child pornography and terror attacks, it hit me like a brick that every story today… I mean EVERY… was about the worst of humanity and the most tragic turns of events.

I know, the news is the news.  Just report it.  Emotions… esmotions.

I stole the title of today’s blog from the an old Anne Murray song.  She must have had a similar kind of morning as I’m having today

Sometimes, I’ll meet a viewer who greets me like this.  “Josh!  When ya goin’ to give us some good news?” Usually, he’ll ask me about that “rowdy ole’ Tim Cable.” I think one of the many reasons people like my co-worker Tim is that, in “Cable Country”, you get a break from the depressing headlines.

Now, before you send me an angry response to the blog about the pain and suffering in the world and the need for an informed public, please know this: I’m with you on this.  But somedays, you need a break.  Okay?

So here’s some good news: it’s Friday and it’s going to be a beautiful weekend. 

("But what about the drought,” I’m thinking as I write this.  “Don’t forget to mention that bit of bad news.")

HEEELLLLLPPPPP!

Posted by Josh Smith