CBS On Logo journo Jason Bellini isn't taking Doug Ireland's attacks lying down. Yesterday we published Ireland's irrate missive to Bellini in which the veteran newsman blasted Bellini and Logo for not including Iran in their year-of-the-end spectacular. He wrote: "…You call this show-biz fluff you’re doing 'news'?" Way harsh.
Last night, just minutes after posting Happy Endings, we received a note from Bellini to Ireland.
Read it in all it's glory, after the jump…
Dear Doug,
The premise of the CBS News on Logo Special Report: Year in Review broadcast is very simple. We asked gay journalists from across the country to tell us what they thought were the most important stories of the year. We sent members of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association a survey asking them for their thoughts. The top ten stories made our countdown. In other words, the actual stories were not our personal views but the views of gay and lesbian journalists.
We have covered the Iran hangings extensively. Just in the last three weeks we've done two stories. We led our second half-hour show, on November 19th, with an in-depth investigative report from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on the perils of being gay in Iran. Here's the link, in case you missed it.
We also reported in our most recent broadcast on 21-year-old Makwan Moloudzadeh, who was just executed in Iran. It's simply inaccurate to say we have dropped the ball on this story.
On another note, we did mention Ellen's dog in our Year in Review. But that was part of a commentary segment and a wrap-up of OTHER stories that DIDN'T make the top ten list.
CBS News on Logo covers a wide range of stories, including topical lighter stories we feel add balance to our broadcast. You know this, being one of our first guests when we started in August of 2005.
Sincerely,
Jason Bellini
Bellini would also like us to direct you to his interviewM with Mel Cheren. They boys chatted last week. Disco creator Cheren died last Friday.
Editor
Japhy Grant Editorial Director
David Hauslaib Publisher
Jossip Initiatives
And then Ms. Bellini snapped an "X" in Ireland's face and tossed her weave over her shoulder before taking another drink ticket up to the bar for a Cosmo.
Thanks Jason. Good work.
two stories in three weeks would hardly be considered covering a story "extensively".
I always enjoy a good one-round TKO.
i think that the news on logo is more geared towards people who might not be getting gay news from other sources such as blogs, and there are a lot of people like that outside the hyper-connected new york media bubble. there are a lot of things to cover in a limited amount of time; striking a balance between fluff stories and real news is how they keep viewers interested, and i think they do that well. extensive coverage of any topic isn't really a realistic expectation for a 30-minute, once a week program.
Let's be real. Have you watched their "news" segments? Half the time it's fluff on an upcoming movie or show or book, that mostly seems like an advertisement. "Gays are ANXIOUSLY awaiting the release of (put any light piece of media that has the briefest mention of art, fashion, hot guys or a gay best friend here)." The criticsm from Doug may have been quick and not 100% accurate, but it remains that Logo's "News" has a long way to go before it can be taken seriously.
Any "newscast" that mentions Ellen Degeneris' dog story in any context is beyond redemption. I also love the way he blames it on the old "news by committee" excuse. What a joke.
I've never even seen Logo, so this is all theoretical for me, but: how is this different from any other national news cast on tv? Even CNN seems to be 90% fluff these days.
News on American television died many years ago. Gone are the days of the three major networks having a mix of "hard news, both domestic and foreign. The only TV news programming coming out of the USA these days is CNN - but their "stand alone" International feed which is nothing like domestic CNN.
Interesting that Bellini cites the inclusion on CBS News on Logo of a short piece, which he called "an in-depth investigative report", on gays in Iran on November 19. As he said, this was from Canada - CBC. What he didn't say is that it was first shown in Canada in February, and represied just after the Iranian President's "we have no gays in Iran" comments last September at Columbia University. So more "history" than "news" when it ran on Logo, a channel aimed at the gay community. The orginal CBC programme - a superb piece of reporting - ran for just under 30 minutes on a "gerneral audience" channel. The "in-depth investigative report" on CBS News on Logo ran for 3 minutes 15 seconds. Logo will no doubt argue that they are giving viewers what they want - show biz fluff and minimal meaningful hard news. But then Doug Ireland is published regularly in New York's Gay City News - with many of his reports about gay issues from the far corners of the planet running over 1,000 words. The editor of Gay City News would not publish these articles if there was no demand.
hisurfer: the only time I ever see tv news is at the gym, on the monitors. it always looks irrelevant and boring and all the newsreaders are made up to look like vegas hookers. I read the NYTimes and about four other papers, it's enuff.
"The only TV news programming coming out of the USA these days is CNN - but their “stand alone” International feed which is nothing like domestic CNN."
So true. CNNs american feed looks a lot more like the today show every day.
HKG - same here … I don't have cable, but am subjected to it at the gym. Look for me - I'm the one on the treadmill talking back at the tv "What? Do you think we're stupid? That's not news! That's gossip!"
Sometimes the crazy just comes out.
Jason is not only smart as hell, but smokin' hot too.
A man whose emails actually contain verbs and nouns that agree - woof!
Who the hell is Ireland? Never respond to gossip from a lesser being - be a pro. Mr. B!
The news there is a terrible joke on our community, but at the very least it is being done.
Keep up the fight J