Why does the media avoid negative stories about chasing / chasers?

[Boris Konon]

A related problem, which I found out about first-hand years ago, is that the person that writes the headlines is not always the same one that wrote the article. In that case, I was misquoted as using a word I did nut use, then the headline-writer made that word the headline.

Yes, and this is standard now at many TV stations and other outlets. You have people whose specific job is to write teases and headlines, and that's it. They read the article, and then figure out how to make the headline the most dramatic and apply spin, hence the frequent disconnect.

I always get a laugh at how just the nighty national newscasts at 630pm ET are now and have been for some time. They spend *so* much time on teases at the start, basically revealing every story they will talk about, and then repeat it going to commercial break with stories they have not talked about yet. Teases are becoming more important than the actual content!

 

[Jeff Wright]

Some recent news

What do storm chasers really do? Two tornado scientists explain the chase and tools for studying twisters

Storm-chasing for science can be exciting and stressful—we know, because we do it. It has also been essential for developing today's understanding of how tornadoes form and how they behave.

phys.org

Weather trucks search for answers about extreme heat in Tucson's 'data deserts'

It was only in the low 90s, but a bona fide swelter had set in across Tucson by 9:45 a.m. on June 28, if the sights at Reid Park were any indication.

phys.org

 

[Warren Faidley]

At least the stories linked above involved real scientists, not the fakes who use science to justify their antics. Good job.

 

[NGobbo]

There has been a lot of discussions about bad / dangerous behavior by chasers, including a lot of physical evidence seen in video feeds. There is zero question such behavior is occurring, now more than ever. It's a slam dunk, page one story.

The hit list includes reckless driving, endangering the public, destroying private property (rental cars), encouraging idiotic behavior and misleading the public about the reasons behind such behavior.

As someone who has worked in the journalism business for over 35 years, I'm completely flabbergasted why no major media source has produced a story about the shenanigans. I'm not the caliber of writer, nor do I have the national outlet power to produce such an article or I would do it myself. Some of you know that I have turned down past media opportunities in protest of journalists and producers who refused to expose the truth, e.g., the Discovery Channel. It seems like every time a journalist sets out to break this story, they get hoodwinked or enchanted by the offenders into believing some concocted reasoning or fuzzy logic to explain their behavior. "I'm doing it for science," or to "save lives." Bull shit. Of the very few negative storm chasing articles, they are so homogenized, the main offenders becomes everyone who chases instead of focusing on the individual(s).

If the journalists are afraid of libel, I remind them that truth and opinions are not "libel" and there is enough truth now days to make a good story.

They are too busy writing these types of stories, Warren:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1814837701142618461

 

[Warren Faidley]

Yet another sanitized, poorly researched article. For example, no mention of destroying rental cars. This is exactly what I was referring to.

 

[Elizabeth Andrews]

I agree with Ben. The current goal of “journalism” isn’t to report facts and inform, it’s to rile up people’s anger at each other. Unfortunately that’s the only thing that gets clicks and advertising revenue, an outfit reporting to inform the reader would not survive. Any story about chasers would exist only to maximize the outrage at us collectively.

There are a few good writers and reporters still out there thankfully, but what happens in terms of what gets published is not in their control. There isn’t any outlet right now that I would trust 100% to get something fair published.

I fully agree with this even though I am not a storm chaser. Unfortunately news and media outlets in general have become heavily biased (in my honest opinion) in order to appeal to or to avoid offending one particular group or another (not calling out anything specific here) with what is being published - and as far back as the late 1800s (think of the inflammatory news articles about the explosion and sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor that got the US involved in the Spanish-American War) this has been 'in practice'. If I remember correctly from my junior-year U.S History class in high school, the term was/is 'yellow journalism'. And unfortunately it has evolved with the times, even extending to social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, etc.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Reed Timmer just posted on X that he can no longer rent cars. He also posted that he understands why. I might be over my skis on this, but I think pretty much everybody understands why.

 

[Blake Naftel]

As a professional broadcast geoscientist and former AccuWeather colleague from 2018 to 2020 with Dr. Timmer, this announcement by him via social media does not come at any shock to me nor should it anyone! Reed Timmer was directly reprimanded on numerous occasions by then managers at AW, to the point where he was informed in 2018, after he destroyed a rental vehicle while chasing, that he would need to buy his own vehicle if he wanted to remain under the employe of that company. He folded and complied, but the ridiculous sky drama continued.

As I was an executive field producer of our team of four full time, contracted (not freelance) employees at AccuWeather, I will state for the record here that I was highly disappointed at Reed's behavior and flagrant actions while there. If I had been his direct manager, which I was not, he would have been fired on the spot and kicked to the curb, regardless of the analytics, numbers and his social media "followers" brought in for AccuWeather.

That said, I'm happy to read that Reed cannot rent rental vehicles anymore! Much deserved justice there! Hope he learned his lesson once and for all!

 

[JamesCaruso]

That said, I'm happy to read that Reed cannot rent rental vehicles anymore! Much deserved justice there! Hope he learned his lesson once and for all!

I’m sure RT will just drive a vehicle rented under someone else’s name as the primary driver. Yeah, you’re not supposed to do that, but even I allow secondary drivers without formally signing them up and paying an insane second driver fee. I’m sure RT will find someone to do the same for him…

 

[Blake Naftel]

Regardless of opinion, destroying a vehicle to chase destruction is not right. Period! Grow up. I sincerely hope he get's professional help and does better. Already he is trying, but beyond the influence he has had on the majority of "chasers" for the past 20 years, know that the respectful boundary of private property is all about common decency and mutual respect of a public service or business (i.e. a rental vehicle service). Far too many people abuse that luxury, and it's now coming back to kick them in the seat of the pants. Challenge me on that! I will meet you head on.