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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

City / Media Leschi School vs. KIRO's Chris Halsne, the Video

Posted by Eli Sanders on Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 6:00 AM

If you're interested in watching the whole Washington News Council hearing into KIRO TV reporter Chris Halsne's "inaccurate" investigation of a Leschi Elementary School janitor, it's now up on TVW.

One of the more compelling moments at the hearing came when Leschi administrative secretary Teresa Stout spoke of all the things her school has had to deal with this year (in addition to Halsne showing up with a hidden camera and, according to the News Council, unfairly damaging the reputation of their beloved custodian, Chester Harris). Starting at about 57:25 on the TVW video, Stout explains:

At Leschi Elementary School this year, we have had more than our share of difficult situations, from students being taken into protective custody by CPS, to KIRO's story on Mr. Harris, to my battle with breast cancer, and finally to the untimely death of one of our students' fathers in a random shooting just a few weeks ago. During this year we have come together to cry together, to laugh together, and to persevere under the worst of circumstances but we always hold our heads up high and support each other in a very unique way. All we are asking for is that KIRO apologize to Mr. Harris and the Leschi School community on air, and on their web site, and admit that the story was false.

KIRO tells me it stands by its stories. More to come.

UPDATE: Over at Crosscut, Ted Van Dyk, one of the News Council's hearing panel members, writes:

All members of Saturday's panel, including myself, were thoroughly dismayed by the conduct displayed in the Leschi matter by KIRO 7 and, in particular, Halsne. Though new media have made inroads, KING, KOMO, and KIRO primetime TV news coverage remains important to area viewers' understanding of events in their communities. If I were KIRO's general manager, or an executive of CoxMedia Group, the parent company in Atlanta, I'd have the KIRO news director in front of my desk and would probably have long since reassigned Halsne to more appropriate duties — let us say, as a custodian.

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I sure wish this would lead to change in what KIRO and the other "news" stations do but it won't. Hell, Halsne will probably get a nice bonus this month.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on June 19, 2012 at 6:53 AM

Batshit crazy black family (can we mention THEIR race, since the custodian's gets mentioned?) goes to liberal media after school employee properly disciplines their little thug. Liberal media does hatchet job attempting to defend bat shit crazy black family that has been causing problems at Leschi for years.

Maybe the lesson here is, don't listen to batshit crazy black families screaming about being persecuted?

Posted by Leschied on June 19, 2012 at 7:21 AM

KIRO is hardly liberal. Owned by Cox - very conservative, and prior to that, owned by the Mormon Church.

Posted by StuckInUtah on June 19, 2012 at 7:30 AM

Oh please, in the Seattle market they are the first to play up the blacks/minorities as victims card every time.

Posted by Leschied on June 19, 2012 at 7:34 AM

I wonder if any news organizations passed over doing the story. Was KIRO their first choice, did they have to get a second opinion?

Posted by internet_jen on June 19, 2012 at 7:38 AM

King 5 supposedly turned it down.

Posted by StuckInUtah on June 19, 2012 at 7:40 AM

@5, Ted Van Dyk is on the news council that Eli's reporting on here, and he did a piece for Crosscut yesterday in which he said the complaining family member shopped the story to KING-TV news first, which passed because they didn't find it credible. Here's Van Dyk's story: http://crosscut.com/2012/06/18/media/109…

Posted by gloomy gus on June 19, 2012 at 7:43 AM

We watched the video and there was testimony that KING 5 turned the family down and passed on the "story"

KIRO should be ashamed.

Posted by rexhavoc on June 19, 2012 at 7:43 AM

Good on King for ignoring a crazy black family's attempt to claim 'persecution'.

Posted by Leschied on June 19, 2012 at 8:12 AM

The ONLY thing that will get an apology is a boycott.

Posted by Geraldo Riviera on June 19, 2012 at 9:07 AM

I see a future for this hack KIRO Reporter on Cable News. I wonder if he's sent his resume to Mr. Murdoch?

Posted by CC-Rob on June 19, 2012 at 9:08 AM

I love how Eli repeatedly mentions the race of the custodian in order to suggest that racism is behind this hatchet job but not once mentions the race of the family who made these accusations and tried to use the media to push their persecution agenda.

Double standards much?

Posted by Leschied on June 19, 2012 at 9:21 AM

Say uh, "Leschied",

I was at the hearing. The custodians race was brought up in testimony (watch the video) by a parent complimenmting Mr. Harris for being a role model in the school.

That's not Eli mentioning, that's Eli reporting a story.

I think what you are calling "love" is merely self service on your part.

Posted by Noam D. on June 19, 2012 at 10:09 AM

Local 609 put the following message out this morning to all 609 members:

"With the end of the school year there is a natural flurry of events that overtake us all. However, I wanted to stop for a moment and point out what a Profile in Courage our custodian is at Leschi Elementary.

It has become fashionable in our political culture to speak out against “government” these days. Whether it is in Wisconsin, Indiana or on the national political scene, public service has become a bad word. To hear politicians talk about it, “government” and the work it entails has been portrayed as some sort of sea of faceless bureaucrats sitting at desks moving paper around at huge salaries or wasting taxes going on junkets around the world. Teachers, police, firefighters and all public employees have gone from hero’s to bums in the last few years. Politicians feel they can “score a few points” by voting to cast thousands out of work in order to further the notion.

The media has played right into the hands of this portrayal (why wouldn’t they as the media, like KIRO, are owned by the wealthy hoping to evade taxes and put their burden on the rest of us) and continues to do so daily.

However, here in Seattle, we have stood up and we can be very proud yet determined to continue to point out that the real work of government goes on daily in places like Seattle and at schools like Leschi. School goes on, kids attend class and the school runs thanks to the contributions of our members and other public employees.

As a custodian myself, it has been truly inspiring to watch the community and staff at Leschi (and in the Seattle community as a whole) rally in support of Local 609 member Chester Harris. The quiet class he has demonstrated while those of us around him have undertaken to “right” the wrongs done to him in the last few months really lifts the spirit.

This morning, the full video of last Saturday’s WNC hearing has been posted by TVW. You can watch it here:

http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwp…

It will also be on our website (www.iuoelocal609.org) along with a summary re-cap of area coverage.

On behalf of all of 609, we say; thank you Chet, for setting an example all of us can be proud of and work towards in our daily performance of our jobs.

Local 609"

More...

Posted by Noam D. on June 19, 2012 at 10:13 AM

It's unfair of Crosscut's Ted Van Dyk to suggest that Halsne be demoted to custodian. Chester Harris apparently does his job well and with honor; I don't think Halsne is up to the job.

Posted by northbound on June 19, 2012 at 10:20 AM

@13 So why no mention of the race of family who made these accusations and used the media to push their false persecution agenda? Basically what you have here were a bunch of black families accusing this poor custodian of abusing their thuggish children when he tried to keep them in line and a media machine that bought the story hook, line and sinker.

Posted by Leschied on June 19, 2012 at 10:45 AM

@14 Oh right, now it's a union issue. Getting desperate?

Posted by Leschied on June 19, 2012 at 10:51 AM

Halsne shouldn't even have a job after this fiasco in Oklahoma City.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/93953866/Oops-…

Posted by burb on June 19, 2012 at 11:22 AM

@16: Is the race of the complaining family relevant?

Posted by venomlash on June 19, 2012 at 12:39 PM

Seems to me KIRO has had libel issues in the past more than the other outlets. I hope Mr. Harris is successful if he pursues legal action.

Posted by Teslick on June 19, 2012 at 1:05 PM

Great, Van Dyke, with your snide remark to demean Chester Harris and his profession even more. Talk about an elitist attitude!

Posted by Farbe on June 19, 2012 at 1:18 PM

@19 Is the race of the custodian relevant and if not, why does Eli keep mentioning it?

Posted by Leschied on June 19, 2012 at 4:02 PM

@19 Is the race of the custodian relevant and if not, why does Eli keep mentioning it?

Posted by Leschied on June 19, 2012 at 4:11 PM

Just for the record, the race of Chester Harris was relevant because the IUOE Local 609's complaint contended that KIRO's on-air listing of Harris' past arrest record (with only one conviction) could be considered racially discriminatory. The union noted that African-American males are arrested at a rate disproportionate to their percentage of the population. The union accused KIRO of perpetuating a stereotypically negative perception of black males. Watch the entire video and you will see/hear a discussion of this point. In addition, a Leschi mother testified that Harris was indeed a good role model to young black males -- in fact, to all students, of whatever race or gender. We invite members of the public to watch the video, read the news coverage by Eli Sanders and others, then vote and comment online through June 30 at: http://wanewscouncil.org/leschi-vs-kiro/

Posted by John Hamer on June 20, 2012 at 6:16 AM