Has anyone noticed a shift in the editorial tone at WABC recently? It might just be for sweeps, but coverage of things like crime or city nuisances seems much less neutral and much more tabloid than they had been previously.
For instance, a report by Lucy Yang tonight on subway crime was much more forceful and scathing in attributing it to bail reform than I would have expected from WABC, nearly FOX-like in tone. The following report on a dirt bike crash referred to the familiar city nuisance as a “scourge”. I don’t think these examples are bad journalism or even ethically fraught, but they are an abrupt shift from the generally empathetic, descriptive, and non-analytical tone that I associate with Eyewitness News.
I’m curious to see if this continues - could management changes be the root of this? Happy to see them test new waters but if this is indeed a new approach, I’m not sure the New York Post is the best font of inspiration.