KSL Story

[grinch]

Sombody should get this posted over on Pirate. They seem to see a lot of traffic on that site and could help get a few more e mails sent out.

 

[Klif01]

anyone gotten any replies from this?

 

[chadschoon]

this is what i sent them

first of all dont you guys investigate your stories before showing them to the world or is everything you guys do just total lies? we fellow moab goers respect the land we have fun but we also leave the land better then when we got there. ya sure there are some reall idiots out there but not to many. so therefor get your facts strait before you air something and i think you owe every 4 wheller out there an appologie on live tv and accually show what we can do with the land!!!

chad schoonover

 

[gksspot]

yeah lets let PBB get a hold of it

I would worry that the PBB members would include the "green smilie that is flipping you off with both hands" inside their emails to the manager?

 

[EZRhino]

I sure hope some of y'all used the spellchecker before sending some of those comments. Nothing takes the sting out of a venomous letter like the illegitimacy of spelling errors.

EZ (Didn't see the story; glad I didn't, my blood pressure is high enough).

 

[mesha]

Email sent.


I was very disappointed to see the story on the jeep safari. I just returned from my trip to moab. The group that I was with left everywhere we went better than when we arrived. Why would you report only what you are told by biased individuals with a hidden agenda. When dick Norse asked "Why are they ruining all those pretty rocks." I could not believe my ears. He has never been there I am sure. Yes, there are tire marks left on the rocks which would soon wash away. While I was down there, there was a group protesting our being there. They had signs with pictures of boots on them. As I drove past, one of them jumped out in front of me and yelled at me to "walk like ***** did". I found that very ironic considering how far moab is from anywhere else. I highly doubt that he or any of the group walked all the way there. I assume your "story research" came from one of them. Which would explain why you didn't drive down there and find out for yourself. My mother can not enjoy the back country on her own because of physical disabilities. It would be a shame for only those who can walk to see the beauty. Interesting that not one single person with disabilities was there protesting us. The real story is about people getting together and having a good time. Spending time with their families, and enjoying the outdoors. If you must have a scandal to write about, choose under age drinking. I was offended and disappointed by the story. I will go buy the Enquirer so I can get at least some truth in my news.
Davy Houle

 

[queenofmoab]

got a response from KSL

Here is their response.

Thank you for your email regarding our coverge of the Rock Crawl and
Jeep Safari events in Moab.
We've received a lot of comment from viewers that our story was biased.
After reviewing the story and how we came to report it, I tend to agree
with our viewers that we made several (innocent) mistakes that
adversely
effected the quality of the reporting.
First of all, it was not our intention to broadcast a comprehensive
report on the off-road events, or those who support or criticize it. We
used a free-lance photographer in Moab to shoot the pictures and our
producers here wrote a short (26 second) news story, intended as a soft
feature " moment " to end our newscast or lead in to our weather
segment.
Unfortunately, the person who wrote the item made a couple of mistakes.
They did not specifically identify the event, leading to unnecessary
confusion over which event the pictures came from. Secondly, they wrote
about complaints from people in the area about tresspassing and
property
damage, but again, did not include specific information about the
complaints, to whom or what they were directed, and whether there was
evidence supporting the complaints.
In short, the lack of specificity allowed the story to be translated by
some viewers as one-sided and opinionated. The ad-lib comment of our
anchors regarding the video tape made it sound even more like an
editorial.
I offer the above not as an excuse, but as an explanation. Our
standards of news reporting require us to be very clear with our
audience in each and every news item we cover. In this case, we failed.
I will work to see to it that we learn from our mistakes. Please
accept
our apology.
Sincerley,

Con Psarras
News Director
KSL TV

 

[footin fool]

Sounds like maybe we got through to them. To bad the damage has allready been done. I wonder if they will say anything on the news about it. I highly doubt it.

 

[parks_pop]

Unfortunately I didn't see this story on KSL. I am dissappointed in their coverage and will view their news in a different light from now on.

Now on a brighter note, I want to express how impressed I am with all of you who took the time to get involved. I can honestly say there have been times when I have been disappointed at being a part of RME. (When people have gotten flamed for simply expressing their opinions or when a newbie has been attacked for not using the "search" feature before asking a question.)

However, I would feel remiss if I didn't applaud this board for taking a stand and not allowing a skewed version of our hobby to be passed of as truth. I am very impressed and proud to be associated with the you.

Well done!!!

 

[DevinB]

Here is their response.

Thank you for your email regarding our coverge of the Rock Crawl and
Jeep Safari events in Moab..... blah blah blah... I like scotch.... blah blah blah...

Sincerley,

Con Psarras
News Director
KSL TV

I got this too. At least they took the time to address it to some degree. :-\
Devin

 

[Rusted]

I got this too. At least they took the time to address it to some degree. :-\
Devin

I got the same response as well. I wonder if we should nudge the U4WDA, or RR4W guys to invite a reporter on a family style trail ride, that was trail friendly, picked up gargage on the way, and showed them our true side.

 

[Stephen]

So I got the same response from Mr. Psarras as everyone else, and this is what I sent back:

Mr. Psarras,

Your apology to me is appreciated, but my question is when are you going to air an apology to the population of Utah in one of your upcoming newscasts? Your story did more than offend me, it painted a negative picture of a reputable event and demonized a large demographic of your viewer ship. By airing this 'soft feature' you have given the uneducated viewer an image of 4-wheeling that is not accurate and I would think that you, as a journalist, would want to correct this grievous error by not only offering an on air apology to your viewers, but also providing them with a factual, unbiased view of Off Highway Vehicle recreation in the state of Utah. So, Mr. Psarras, instead of offering me another apology, would you please tell me how KSL is planning on remedying this situation?
As always, your timely response is appreciated.

Stephen Robert Nielson

So, is every one else sending responses back to Mr. Psarras's cookie cutter reply? If not, you better get on with it!

 

[Stephen]

I got the same response as well. I wonder if we should nudge the U4WDA, or RR4W guys to invite a reporter on a family style trail ride, that was trail friendly, picked up gargage on the way, and showed them our true side.

Nudge appriciated, but not nessicary. I'm already working on something to present to KSL.

 

[Spork]

They had another "soft story" on tonight. Very positive. Actually showed people in Moab. :greg:

 

[DToy]

Here's my response to Mr. Psarras:

"Dear Mr. Psarras,

I appreciate your response to my email. Even though it was a general form-letter that you sent to everyone that emailed you about the story, it still shows me that at least in some way you are making efforts to respond to your viewers. I appreciate your explanation of the mistakes that were made in the story, however, a simple email response does not repair the image that your story placed in your viewers' minds of off-road vehicles wrecklessly damaging the Moab landscape and irresponsibly trespassing, littering, and being a general nuisance to the residents of Moab.

I am writing to respectfully request that you run another story to make right your mistakes, or at the very least write a few short sentences apologizing on-air for the inaccuracies in the story. I have seen your news reporters follow up inaccurate stories with corrections and clarifications in the past, and I would hope that you would treat this issue with the same professionalism and journalistic integrity.

There are several groups within Utah, and throughout the country, that have at their core no other desire than to close every dirt road or trail to all motorized travel. Your news story, however brief, did much to fuel the campaign of these activists that seek to destroy the forms of recreation that myself, my family, children, and friends hope to continue to enjoy in the future. Please stand up and clarify the errors in your original story. Please take the time to speak to the law enforcement officers that were present in Moab during the Jeep Safari. Please take the time to investigate the facts behind a story before simply blurting it out over your newscast. Please ask Dick Nourse to keep his opinons and comments to himself, especially when the story he is reporting is not factual.

Again, thank you for the response. It is a start, but there is more that needs to be done on the part of KSL to remedy the damage done by your story. I look forward to seeing your corrections in an upcoming story in the near future.

Sincerely,

Darrell Fordham"

 

[TK1]

Here's my response to Mr. Psarras:

"Dear Mr. Psarras,

I appreciate your response to my email. Even though it was a general form-letter that you sent to everyone that emailed you about the story, it still shows me that at least in some way you are making efforts to respond to your viewers. I appreciate your explanation of the mistakes that were made in the story, however, a simple email response does not repair the image that your story placed in your viewers' minds of off-road vehicles wrecklessly damaging the Moab landscape and irresponsibly trespassing, littering, and being a general nuisance to the residents of Moab.

I am writing to respectfully request that you run another story to make right your mistakes, or at the very least write a few short sentences apologizing on-air for the inaccuracies in the story. I have seen your news reporters follow up inaccurate stories with corrections and clarifications in the past, and I would hope that you would treat this issue with the same professionalism and journalistic integrity.

There are several groups within Utah, and throughout the country, that have at their core no other desire than to close every dirt road or trail to all motorized travel. Your news story, however brief, did much to fuel the campaign of these activists that seek to destroy the forms of recreation that myself, my family, children, and friends hope to continue to enjoy in the future. Please stand up and clarify the errors in your original story. Please take the time to speak to the law enforcement officers that were present in Moab during the Jeep Safari. Please take the time to investigate the facts behind a story before simply blurting it out over your newscast. Please ask Dick Nourse to keep his opinons and comments to himself, especially when the story he is reporting is not factual.

Again, thank you for the response. It is a start, but there is more that needs to be done on the part of KSL to remedy the damage done by your story. I look forward to seeing your corrections in an upcoming story in the near future.

Sincerely,

Darrell Fordham"

Nicely written, I am interested to see the response.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

... I wonder if we should nudge the U4WDA, or RR4W guys to invite a reporter on a family style trail ride, that was trail friendly, picked up gargage on the way, and showed them our true side.

As Steve noted, he is working on something for the U4WDA... Hopefully some good comes of it.

 

[Stephen]

As Steve noted, he is working on something for the U4WDA... Hopefully some good comes of it.

If KSL would reply to my e-mails and calls! Grrrrrrrr

 

[cruiseroutfit]

If KSL would reply to my e-mails and calls! Grrrrrrrr

Stay on em'...

Will you be at the Board meeting thursday to offer a report?

 

[leorn]

thats crazy i heard they even put my rig on tv. definitely sending a well written email. my truck was definitely not destroying, and for that matter it seems like people were a lot more friendly to the trails this year. Feels like we are all trying to do our part.