From a Loyal and Concerned Reader

Some time ago I contacted the FAU Multimedia Studies program and explained in great detail the news reporting by Channel 12 (WPEC, the local CBS affiliate) and Michael Buczyner in particular. Without urging them just suggested this might be a worthy examination of TV news reporting, what is acceptable and what is not. Who knows maybe it's a Senior thesis in the making? Many who read your site will not understand the significance of what happened but many who live and work in Lake Worth most certainly do.

It is not insignificant that all of the reporting by Michael Buczyner, and to some extent Peter Schaller, that was highly critical of the City and the administration, portraying them very badly in short two-minute segments, was in the leadup to a municipal election in the City of Lake Worth. Curiously, there have been no such news reports since the election season passed. And also very curious that two of the news stories by Mr. Buczyner are no longer accessible on the Channel 12 website. 

It is clearly evident that most cities in PBC, to one extent or another, have unhappy tenants, potholes, travel budgets, eyesore properties, graffiti and crime.

Yet the frequency of TV news stories highlighting Lake Worth on the Channel 12 news made some very curious and infuriated others. It was simply unbalanced and unfair. For some, when Katie McGiveron and Lynn Anderson were portrayed by the Channel 12 news as just two ordinary citizens being victimized, well, that was the last straw. Of all the citizens Channel 12 could have featured they just happened to choose two of the most public critics of the current City administration who are also very vocal defenders of a previous City administration that were all voted out or did not opt to run for office again.

Indeed, two 'ordinary' citizens with a very big ax to grind.

In the end two good things did come from this fiasco. One, many good citizens utilizing various tactics rallied together to stop this unfairness, or what some would call a vendetta, and two, Channel 5 (WPTV, the local NBC affiliate) began doing news stories in Lake Worth featuring our Mayor Pam Triolo highlighting both the challenges and the good things being done in the City of Lake Worth. Some were critical to be sure yet they did their research and above all, Channel 5 was fair. Isn't that really what the citizens and viewing public deserve?