not exactly deep throat

News organizations are known for protecting their confidential sources. In that spirit, I will never reveal how I ended up with a copy of an internal memo from WVLT-TV. It reveals that they will start sharing video with WBIR-TV on certain types of stories like news conferences or announcements by the mayor or governor. They will coordinate schedules so that only one of the stations will send a camera, instead of two. The new policy doesn't apply to "enterprise acts of journalism." According to the memo, WATE-TV declined to participate in the video sharing program.

On the surface, it looks like another cost-cutting move, such as the switch to "one-man band" news gathering in which the reporter has to be their own cameraperson and editor. However, if you look at it from the point of view of a community event or a charitable organization trying to get some news coverage, it could mean that they get seen on two channels instead of one. For example, if this policy had been in effect a couple of weeks ago, there would have been fewer cameras at the new bishop's press conference. And the footage of the cantata at All Saints Church that was on WBIR could have been on WVLT too. More coverage could have meant more people at our second performance and therefore more money in the collection basket for Catholic Charities.