Predictable Reports on Consumer Rip-offs   

Local TV excels at those, but produces few in-depth investigations.

What passes for investigative reporting on local TV news these days is often a mishmash of self-serving, superficial reports on consumer rip-offs and government waste. Much of it is utterly predictable.

See the local auto dealer turn back odometers. Watch as the hidden camera catches the janitors sleeping when they should be sweeping. Be there when the reporter and videographer burst into the room to catch the bad guys on the telephone selling aluminum siding or vacation real estate to "unwary" customers.

Certainly there are genuine stories of everyday consumer deception, government fraud and illicit behavior that need to be told. Such stories have been a staple at many local stations for years. What's scarce on local newscasts are the classic, months-long, in-depth investigations that discover serious corruption and immoral conduct and have long-range implications for the public welfare.

"There are a lot of bubble-gum investigations that are easy to do," says Joe Rovitto of Clemensen, Sheehan & Rovitto, a television consulting company. "It's the kind of stuff we confront in our daily lives, like getting screwed on the price of tires, rather than the secrets in the smoke-filled rooms that may have more impact on our lives but do not affect us on a daily basis. I'm sure the purists would be critical. They'd say these are the kind of stories any general assignment reporter should be doing and it's not really investigative reporting."

Rovitto and other consultants say research shows that viewers not only like the "slam-bang" type of consumer-oriented stories but are clamoring for more.

"Viewers have a different view of what investigative reporting means than the people in the news department," says Jim Willi, president of Audience Research & Development. "Viewers give stations credit for investigative reporting if they actually do stories where they say 'We dug deeper' or 'We checked further.' "

Even among journalists the definition of investigative reporting varies. Perhaps the best description is provided by Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE), whose membership roster includes most of the best investigative reporters in print and electroni journalism. IRE's former executive director, Rosemary Armao, says a true investigative report must be "original work on a serious topic of interest to viewers or readers on material being kept secret or that some parties are working actively to keep secret."

Within that broad definition, the easy-to-do stories Rovitto and Willi are talking about would qualify as "investigative reporting." But quality may be lacking. In IRE's awards competition last year, there were just 65 entries in the top 20 TV markets and 49 entries for markets 21 through 250, woefully low figures when one considers that about 758 local stations do daily newscasts.

What many stations do these days is produce a couple of "investigative" stories a week, usually by the same reporters who are directed to get something on the air quickly. Few news executives give their investigative team the leeway to work on a story for months.

"If you look for a return on your investment, it is not very efficient to have a team come up just every six months with something that isn't always that terrific," Willi says.

Gary Wordlaw, vice president of news at Washington's WJLA says it's a matter of priorities. He believes a station can do both long and short investigations. Wordlaw is expanding his award-winning investigative unit to 12 persons, including four reporters and four producers, who will be working full time on stories. That's more than 10 percent of his staff.

"Yes, it's very expensive, but our investigative stories drive our news," Wordlaw says. "We've spent as much as 18 months on a story and the average is six months, but we believe it's worth it." Wordlaw's staff also turns out the "quickie" consumer-type stories to fill the gaps between the blockbuster reports. It's a strategy being used by a handful of stations across the country.

"WAGA in Atlanta and WTVT in Tampa do the long form on a regular basis and supplement it with the turnaround stuff," says Rovitto. "So the investigative unit gets on the air more frequently and the audience has a chance to form an identity with that station."

Boston's WCVB created a new special assignment unit this fall after realizing it was not doing enough with its traditional one-man investigations. News Director Candy Altman, who is married to the investigative reporter at her competition, WBZ's Joe Bergantino, believes firmly in investigative journalism.

"Yes, it's in the family," she laughs, "and sometimes Joe does a story that I twinge at because I wish I had done it. But I think investigative and in-depth journalism is the way to go. You can distinguish your station with enterprise, investigative and in-depth reporting. The challenge is to figure out how to do it within your organization." l