There is a great deal of discussion about how many of today’s television talk shows are tasteless and exploitative.

They are, so the line goes, just plain out of control. I will not argue with the accusations made by William Bennett and others against these shows. As a rule, this type of programming appeals to the worst in people.

Of much greater concern to those of us living in central Iowa, however, should be the deplorable state of local television news coverage. Those who live in the various communities which comprise central Iowa need to be provided with information on current events, and this a need which local television news coverage should be helping to fulfill. And yet what do people receive? To too large an extent it is coverage which is best described as tasteless and exploitative. Why are we so concerned with what is going on in shows which can make no claim in being anything more than the most base form of entertainment, when shows on which the health of our communities is contingent upon are doing the same thing?

All three of the local network affiliates are guilty, but, without a doubt, WHO-TV 13 is worse than its competitors. Inevitably, all the local news shows will start out with the stories which appeal to the most prurient aspects of human nature: murders, shootings, stabbings, and celebrity trials (some of which have become celebrities through the coverage of their trials and alleged crimes).

WHO-TV 13 distinguishes itself as being a step below the rest by having longer, “more in-depth” coverage of such events than do the other stations. Next time there is some really juicy local news event which is barely newsworthy, try the following test: start by watching Channel 5 or 8, then, when they are through covering the event, switch to Channel 13. You will often find that they are still covering it, and will probably continue doing so for a few minutes after the other stations have stopped.

The best example of just how low WHO-TV 13 is willing to sink in its never-ending attempt to raise its ratings was its coverage of the murders at the Forsyth house in Norwalk a couple of years ago. After one woman and five children were found murdered in a Norwalk home, the local television news crews converged on the location, and evidently, from the length and amount of coverage there, set up encampments.

WHO-TV 13, however, was determined not to be equalled, let alone outdone. Rick Forsyth, who it was believed had killed his family and then attempted to kill himself, had been shipped to a hospital in Des Moines. WHO-TV 13 sent a reporter, I believe it was Jim Strickland, to track down the prime suspect. Does having Jim Strickland run around loose in a hospital trying to catch a glimpse of a man who may have shot his own family strike anyone aside from me as tasteless?

Later, WHO-TV 13 really went beyond all limits of acceptability when it started airing commercials for its news coverage of the murders at the Forsyth house. The very fact that they were attempting to entice people to watch their broadcast by exploiting this event is bad enough in itself. But they went well beyond this. The commercial actually included music from a horror movie, apparently to set the proper mood. At the time I thought it might be the music from Halloween, but my father thought it was from The Exorcist.

It should be emphasized that all the local network affiliates here in central Iowa are guilty of having tasteless and exploitative news programs. The difference between WHO-TV 13 and its competitors is largely one of quantity, not quality. To rephrase the question: Why should we be upset about what Jerry Springer is doing in the name of entertainment when John Bachman is doing the same thing in the name of the news?

Tyler Wayne Roach is a senior in philosophy, English and religious studies.