CBS 2 Shark Finning Story

[MaxBottomtime]

Now I'm going to have to find another news co-anchor to admire? Does one exist?

Elita Loresca, Elita's Closet
Elita is now the Weather Babe on Channel 4

 

[Ann Marie]

Dr. Bill,

It makes it worse to know that she is a diver! How can someone that has seen the beauty under the surface, not want to do something to protect it!?

Thanks everyone!!

 

[drbill]

Agreed Ann Marie. I'm not sure how often she dives or where or even if she still does. I did send a note to her a few years ago with an offer to dive with her. She wisely ignored it!

 

[paradicio]

Thank you so much for posting this Ann Marie! I've sent my letter:

I am sending this message in response to Sharon Tay’s flippant remarks regarding shark fin soup. As an avid SCUBA diver and average citizen who just happens to be very concerned with the plight our world’s sharks are facing, I was absolutely abhorred to hear said comment. Over 100 million sharks are killed annually, primarily for their shark fins. In the last few decades we have obliterated 90% of our world’s shark population. If these numbers seem exaggerated to you then consider this, these are only the sharks that are counted. We have no method of counting sharks that are finned illegally. These numbers aren’t exaggerated, they are conservative estimates. Shark finning is a multi billion dollar industry that is destroying the apex predator in our world’s largest and most neglected eco system. There is no excuse for this type of behavior. Her comment only discounted the story that had just ran. CBS owes it to their viewing audience to re-affirm their stance against shark finning, and Sharon Tay owes the CBS audience a VERY public apology.

 

[Leejnd]

As a relatively new diver (two years) who has recently been awakened to the wonders, and plight, of our oceans' ecosystems, I've been pleased to see the media attention that the horrifying practice of shark finning has received of late. I was on a cruise ship in French Polynesia last year, and they had a speaker from the Cousteau Society on board who gave a fabulous presentation about sharks, including encouraging information about various organizations working to stop shark finning. I learned a lot. Progress is being made, albeit way too slow...and ANY publicity can only serve to help the cause.

So on the one hand it's fabulous that CBS made an effort at all to publicize this story...but on the other hand, it certainly wasn't helped by that boneheaded remark by the co-anchor. I tend to think that it was just a thoughtless, dunderheaded moment on her part, rather than any actual desire to trivialize the story. One of the reasons I stopped watching most network news shows is due to those uncomfortable moments when anchors try to sound witty, intelligent or funny with those stoopid off-the-cuff filler comments. (Oh, and the fact that most newscasts are 80% trailers, 20% content!) And this is certainly not the worst stoopid off-the-cuff filler comment in network news history - I don't know how many of you are old enough to remember Tex Antoine, weatherman on WABC New York in the late 70's. On one broadcast, his weather spot came up just after a report of a violent rape of a five year old girl. Tex quipped: "If rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it." He was promptly fired, and his career was forever destroyed. (I grew up in Connecticut and saw that broadcast live...and even as a teenager, I recognized how awful that comment was.)

But the fact is, she said it, and it probably did serve to minimize the impact of the story. I do think that CBS should do something to address what she said, and remind viewers that shark fin soup is an abomination to millions of majestic animals, not a tasty appetizer. I'll send something suitable as well.

And I would love to see broadcast news stop with the doofus ad-libbed remarks. If they did, I might start watching them again.