"I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal. People know me. I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."
In 2004 actor Will Ferrell had us keeling over with laughter as the dimwitted, self-centered news personality Ron Burgundy in Anchorman. Never before had we met a journalist so conceited, arrogant and simply full of themselves. Cue Britt McHenry.
If you haven't yet seen the story, Britt McHenry is a younger female reporter for ESPN. The 28-year-old was originally based out of Washington D.C. for the sports entertainment channel appearing on such shows as SportsCenter, Outside the Lines and NFL Live. McHenry is what you would likely expect of an ESPN sports reporter: a former athlete (soccer) who turned her passion for sports into a career. (We don't need to discuss the stereotypes of a female ESPN reporter: tall, blonde hair, easy on the eyes for the large male viewership. You can scroll through her countless selfies on her Twitter page for that.) I can honestly say I have never seen a report from McHenry. That could be from my lack of interest in ESPN programming that isn't an actual sporting event, or perhaps she has not yet "made it" as a household name. That all changed in mid-April of 2015. Back story: in early April, McHenry had her car towed for an alleged parking violation. No harm in that. But when the reporter arrived at the tow company to receive her vehicle, a surveillance camera caught her berating a female clerk. See for yourself:
These are probably not the kinds of comments viewers expect to see from a so-called trusted television reporter. During her tirade, McHenry crudely vocalized the following comments:
- “I’m in the news, sweetheart.” - “I will f***ng sue this place.” - “That’s why I have a degree and you don’t.” - “I wouldn’t work in a scumbag place like this.” - “Makes my skin crawl even being here.” - “Yep, that’s all you care about is just taking people’s money. With no education, no skill set, just wanted to clarify that.” - “Do you feel good about your job? - “So I can be a college dropout and do the same thing?” - “Why? Because I have a brain? And you don’t?” - “Maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh?” - “‘Cause they [the employee’s teeth] look so stunning … ‘Cause I’m on television and you’re in a f***ing trailer, honey.” - “Lose some weight, baby girl.” To quote Mr. Burgundy, "You stay class Britt McHenry." Let's clear the air about TV stereotypes. Not all television reporters are conceited. The majority do not believe they are better looking, better educated or better in general than anyone else. A good reporter, hell a good human being, will respect the work done by others no matter how glamorous it may appear. Sadly, this is not the case for the entire journalist population. You meet them in this business, the so-called professionals who are in the industry for all the wrong reasons. Many times the melody "you're so vain" pops into my head seconds into our hands shaking upon introduction. Want proof? I once worked with an anchor who actually mouthed the words, "I pretty much always want to be on camera" to the control room when discussing whether or not her 10 second tease should include video of the house fire she was telling viewers to tune in to learn about. Stuck up doesn't even begin to describe it. It has always been my goal that others would not perceive me in a similar manner, but rather enjoy the person I am before forming an opinion on my journalistic skills. A viewer may not prefer my sports report over someone else's, but I hope they respect the hard work I put in to said report. Have I made mistakes along the way? Of course I have. Have I upset people? We all have. Are there instances I would approach differently? Hell yes! Although I believe I am better because of the lessons I have learned along the way. For me working in television isn't about being on television. When I was a freshman in college trying to decide what I wanted to do with my future, I thought to myself, "being around sports would be fun." This was the simplest way for me to make that dream a reality. When I began this journey I was the low man on the totem pole, a newscast assistant. Daily responsibilities included editing videos for the newscast, printing scripts and running studio cameras. I quickly transitioned to a field photographer which allowed me to shoot sports. To this day my true passion lies there: attending a sport event of any level, watching athletes compete for an hour or two with everything they have. Watching them through the lens of the camera will always be more enjoyable than standing in front of it. Perhaps Britt McHenry once thought this way. Perhaps she never did. What I know to be true is that her actions have fed to the common misconception that television personalities are egocentric. Furthermore, she has added to the common stereotypes regarding female reporters, particularly female sports reporters. While it is not fair to lump the majority of these hard-working individuals in with Miss McHenry, women across the country agree her actions have hindered feminism even more.
McHenry has since apologized for her actions, albeit not until the video of her rant was released. ESPN also suspended the young reporter for a week, though many believe she should be fired. I don't know that this offense is worthy of losing her job, but if I'm in charge of keeping an image at ESPN, McHenry would have been long gone. NBC punished Brian Williams because he is held to a higher standard as a trusted individual in millions of homes. His fabrication of events is no worse, perhaps not as offensive, as the ugliness portrayed by McHenry.
I must admit I find it interesting the vide released from the surveillance camera is edited to show only Britt McHenry's dark side. Was the woman at the towing company spouting equally crude remarks? We may never know. It's also important to note that the Better Business Bureau rates the towing company with an F. Many reviews of the company reveal how poorly they were treated as customers. Was there a similar situation with McHenry? Again, we may never know. Perhaps there is more to the story that led to only a seven day suspension rather than a termination. What I do know is that McHenry should hold herself to a higher standard without imagining herself on a higher pedestal. "I look good. I mean, really good. Hey everyone! Come and see how good I look!" No thanks, sweetheart. The entire world now knows how you truly look. And it isn't pretty.
0 Comments
|
AuthorRichie is a small-town boy chasing big-city dreams. When he's not involved with sports, he's spending time with his wife, Fallon; their yorkie, Tinker; and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rosie. Archives
April 2016
Categories
All
|