Channel 12 (WPEC), the One To Turn To...Or the One To Run Away From?

Well, our friends at Channel 12 (Ch12) did it again. I alluded to this briefly last Wednesday. This time Ch12 sent a relative newcomer into our city, a fella named Jonathan Beaton. He did an 'investigation' (red flag) on the new Lake Worth Aggressive Panhandling ordinance and created his own special spin on the story, but more on that a little later.

On October 21, a full 29 days before Jonathan Beaton's 'investigation' a reporter at Channel 5 (WPTV) named David Gould did a very good story on the panhandling issue. He kept to the facts and avoided the hyperbole and misrepresentations you'll read later from Ch12. You can read David Gould's story here.

All ordinances in the city must have two readings. The first reading on the panhandling ordinance was on October 21st. The second reading was on November 4th. The ordinance passed 4 to 0 with Commissioner McVoy absent. A full two weeks later, on October 18 we have this from Ch12:

Breaking story?! Read Mr. Beaton's story here.  Ch12's Jonathan Beaton goes on to write: 

"CBS 12’s is [sic] investigating and found out commissioners have passed a new law targeting begging in the downtown area."

Investigating what? Is Mr. Beaton suggesting there is something here we haven't known for a least a month? If Mr. Beaton did 'investigate' the issue he would learn the law does not ban begging or panhandling. If he truly did an investigation he would have learned that the downtown Lake Worth merchants have been the targets of some very aggressive panhandlers of late. Mr. Beaton's investigation wasn't able to uncover this very public information. Truth is, his 'investigation' didn't uncover anything new at all.

Jonathan Beaton continues:

We hit the streets in Lake Worth today talking with business owners like Judy King, who’s had a consignment shop in the downtown corridor for a whopping [sic] 25 years.
During those years King’s seen plenty of homeless and plenty of panhandling but she tells us it’s [sic] rarely affected business.

I'm not an expert on panhandling, but don't think a second hand woman's consignment shop is high on the list for panhandlers to target. If Mr. Beaton had interviewed someone at Igot's Martiki bar, Starbucks, or the merchants near the Cultural Plaza he would have gotten a quite different view I suspect. I also suspect Mr. Beaton didn't just by happenstance come upon the lone Lake Worth merchant who supports and encourages panhandling.

In the last paragraph, Mr. Beaton has this sentence:

"We also spoke with the ACLU Tuesday who’s calling the law unconstitutional."

This leads to two questions. First, why does Mr. Beaton use the royal "We"? The byline for the story states, "Story by Jonathan Beaton". And second, who did Mr. Beaton speak with at the ACLU? He took the time to find a contact at the ACLU, spoke with someone who claims Lake Worth City Attorney Glen Torcivia is wrong, yet Mr. Beaton does not disclose an important material fact: who did he speak with?

If you're going to get your news from local television I suggest you watch Channel 5, WPTV.