NY Tabloids Run With Arrested Anchor Story, Stations Don't

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Poynter.org has an interesting look at the way the New York media covered the arrest of Rob Morrison, WCBS New York anchor, for “strangulation, threatening and disorderly conduct” stemming from a dispute with his wife.

The story positively screamed from the covers of the tabloids yesterday morning, though the TV stations’ coverage of it was more way muted.

Morrison took to Twitter to blast the tabloid coverage:

To those who prefer to believe the outright lies printed in the tabloids, I ain’t mad at ya. Good luck. Says Poynter:I was unable to find stories about Rob Morrison on the websites of WABC, WNBC, WNYW or NY1. WCBS does cover the story, in 102 words. There is no link to it on the station’s Facebook page, but the “Recent Posts By Others” box on the page is a different story. TVSpy is reporting that Morrison has resigned from WCBS.UPDATE: Morrison has resigned. His statement reads:My family is my first and only priority right now and I have informed CBS 2 management that I need to put all of my time and energy into making sure that I do what’s best for my wife and my son. I very much appreciate the opportunity that CBS 2 has given me and I thank them for accepting my decision.”

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.