Nearly six years ago, in November of 2020, we posted on this blog about a recent episode of 60 Minutes with former President Barack Obama. Despite Biden’s win, Obama was lamenting the disturbing fact that 71 million people voted for a man with whom he felt he had absolutely nothing in common. But he made an important point:
“The voters are divided. It has now become a contest where issues, facts, policies per se don’t matter as much as identity and wanting to beat the other guy. You know, that’s taken priority. I do think the current media environment adds to that greatly. This democracy doesn’t work if we don’t have an informed citizenry.”
Those words ring even truer today. And nationally renowned TV news talent agent Mort Meisner emphasizes to those he represents the ways news media should educate the public. This was a driving impetus for him when he ran a news station, and reporters worked for him.
Covering the Emergency Landing of Air Canada Flight 797
Back in 1983, a fire started in the lavatory of an Air Canada flight. It quickly spread between the outer skin and inner panels of the plane, and the pilot was required to make an emergency landing.
Ninety seconds after the plane landed, the doors were opened. Unfortunately, the heat of the fire in combination with the fresh oxygen from the open exit doors created dangerous flashover conditions. The plane’s interior was immediately engulfed in flames, killing 23 passengers who had not yet been evacuated.
At the time, Mort had a source at the Federal Aviation Administration who provided him with these horrifying facts. Yet, the national newscasts were reporting there were few or no injuries. He felt it was his responsibility to provide this vital information on the broadcast from his local station. In other words, he knew the importance of reporting the facts to educate the public.
This underscores the importance of having impeccable sources. Especially now, when a lot of bad information is getting rolled out as factual.
The Tricky Coverage of the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan Debacle
One of the biggest stories Mort would cover in his career was the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan attack. The story made international and national headlines.
What came later that made the story so unbelievable and bizarre was that Tanya Harding’s gang of cretins had actually plotted to take Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan out of the competition by whacking her in the knees with a baton at Detroit’s Cobo Hall in January of 1994.
At the time, Detroit Police Chief Ike McKinnon remained Mort’s source on every aspect of the story. With McKinnon’s intelligence and the mad skills of investigative reporter Scott Lewis, Mort’s CBS affiliate station in Detroit was uncovering the whole twisted plot while national and international media circles couldn’t figure out how they were getting the story before everyone else.
They were breaking news on the case before every station and network in the country until it got to the point that the CBS network questioned the veracity of the story. They thought it was a little too crazy and asked Mort for his sources. He refused. So they threatened to not broadcast the story, to which Mort simply responded, “Fine. Don’t use the story.”
CBS turned it down, and Mort gave it to NBC instead. Despite the fact that NBC was the competition, he knew the information needed to get out there. That was job #1. And he followed through.
News Media Should Educate the Public
Mort’s objective has always been that news media should educate the public by uncovering the facts and presenting them with integrity and truth. He feels this at a particular visceral level today, as democracy is under threat. Unfortunately, not every person in the media sees it this way.
He holds onto the hopeful words of Obama, though. “I think we’re gonna have to work with the media… to find ways to inform the public better about the issues and to bolster the standards that ensure we can separate truth from fiction.”
Mort couldn’t agree more. And it’s what he demands of those he represents. So if you’re eager to work with a TV news talent agent who insists on truth and integrity to become the best reporter you can be, contact Mort today.
