Update: TV Anchor Demonized in NY Tabloids Resigns
Updated February 20, 2012
Rob Morrison, the WCBS news anchor who was arrested Sunday for allegedly strangling his wife, has resigned.
After an “extremely inebriated” Morrison was detained, he told police, “I can’t go home tonight man, I’m f—ing killing her,” according to a police record obtained by the New York Post.
Morrison, who is married to CBS MoneyWatch reporter Ashley Morrison, released a statement on Wednesday that said, ”My family is my first and only priority right now and I have informed CBS 2 management that I need to put all of my time and energy into making sure that I do what’s best for my wife and my son. I very much appreciate the opportunity that CBS 2 has given me and I thank them for accepting my decision.”
Since news of his arrest broke, Morrison has been the subject of tabloid hyperbole:
Very few traditional news outlets reported the story. None of WCBS’ competing television stations covered the story. The New York Times covered it, but did not deem it important enough to cover on the front page.
The difference in coverage by these media outlets is extreme. “Bruise at 11″ versus no report at all. Both the New York Post and New York Daily News are notorious for flamboyant headlines, but why cover such a personal story with such malice?
The bottom line: It’s about money. It’s about selling papers. And it’s wrong.
It is a sad reality that newspapers must face when these shots are aimed at a fellow reporter. Morrison, after all, is a representative of the very journalism industry of which both tabloids claim to be a part. No one condones domestic violence, but sensationalizing the crime with a bloody mug shot for the sake of newspaper sales crosses the line.
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