ratings stunts

[jamie_miller]

Yesterday the local ABC/Belo affiliate, WHAS, decided that it would be a good idea to attempt to "infiltrate" a local high school in the wake of all these school shootings.

They ordered some production peon to sneak into Atherton, where zilly works. A student let the guy in and he wandered around until accosted by an administrator. The guy then went to

Comments

I wrote a letter

[nezmaster]

Thought you'd want to see it.

Regarding your recent school invasion, I have a question. You site that it is your right as a news organization to do the job of the police, security and school personals job to test security. Where does it end? Do you have the right to check security at other buildings public and private? If you break into someones home can you fall back on "checking security".
Would it be reasonable of you to call in a bomb threat to test our local swat teams, or check the schools reaction. After all, what you did had the potential to cause almost as much panic.
If you believe you had the right to call in a bomb threat to the school, potentially upsetting hundreds of lives, costing the county thousands of dollars, and disrupting our children's education, than you are obviously to far gone to deal with.
If however you recognize that this would be 'going to far' where is the line exactly. What you did had the same potential. Several parents were contacted. Schedules were disrupted. Security measures were unecesarily taken. This is just an attempt to breed into our culture of fear and boost your ratings. I wish he'd been arrested, not just cited, and moreso who ever ordered him into that school needs to be arrested, as if he had caused public panic.

The truth is that the school officials showed remarkable efficiency in dealing with this problem. They deserve kudos, and you should be ashamed.