The Missed Point with #pointergate

It’s hard to comprehend what was exactly going through the minds of the news department at KSTP, Channel 5, on Thursday night, when they broadcast their exclusive #pointergate story of Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges flashing notorious “gang signs” with a person who apparently knows some gang members.   The gang sign referenced is of a pointed finger. That’s right, Channel 5’s condemnation of the Mayor stemmed from a photo of the Mayor doing the same hand gesture as Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Stephen Colbert, my children and millions of other people in our selfie obsessed culture.

            The story alludes to someone in law enforcement bringing the photo to KSTP’s attention.  They, lead by reporter Jay Kolls, looked at the evidence, and made their first mistake, not laughing at the suggestion a pointed finger promotes gang activity.  Instead, they looked at the photo through a distortion prism, turning an innocuous hand signal into a Hunger Games-esque anti-police gesture.  To make their pro-gang mayor story more damning, they left out the fact Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau was standing near the mayor when the photo was taken.  And they based the ridiculous connection to gangs on the fact she was standing next to an African American male, Navell Gordon, who was helping with a get out the vote campaign, not committing crimes.

            Mr. Gordon, the man next to the Mayor, does indeed have a criminal record, but many people have an arrest record, including KSTP reporter Jay Kolls (DUI). You’re supposed to give people a second chance when they make a mistake, and Mr. Gordon clearly seems to be setting his life straight.  As far a condemning the young man, and the Mayor, for some questionable relationships, isn’t KSTP owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, the same Hubbard Broadcasting which aired convicted ponzi schemer Pat Kiley’s financial show on their airwaves?  It’s easy to condemn someone with guilt by association, but good journalists don’t need to fall back on such tactics.

KSTP also glossed over a potential ulterior motive by the individual who first brought the photo to the station’s attention.  Some police officers are upset with Mayor Hodges criticism and improvements of the Minneapolis Police Department.  A disgruntled individual might have brought this photo to KSTP, purposely distorting the intention of the image, in the hopes KSTP would do exactly what they did, try to smear the Mayor’s character.

One thing is definite about this story, Navell Gordon is black.  They shaded his face, but one could argue the shading made it more inflammatory.  If this picture were of Mayor Hodges at Lake Harriet standing next to a preppy dressed, young, white man with a criminal history, who also might have some sketchy friends on social media, would KSTP still have run the story?  Would their police source have even fed the photo to KSTP?

KSTP has tried to validate their mistake by quoting other law enforcement who insists the pointed finger is a gangland call to action.  You can’t be rational after you’ve been so irrational.  There is no way you can turn this story into something more than the train wreck it is.  Any police officer, retired or active, is only hurting their own standing by acting as Channel 5’s cover.

KSTP, at the very least, seems to be trying to make Mayor Hodges look bad.  Maybe they aired the story, wanting pizzazz in sweeps month, without realizing the justified public backlash against the station’s racially tinged narrative.  Regardless, it clearly isn’t journalism’s finest hour.  To save KSTP and Hubbard Broadcasting any further embarrassment, they should apologize to the Mayor, the Police Chief, Mr. Gordon, the Twin Cities African American community and the public as a whole.  Regardless, you can’t deny one thing, the #pointergate story holds true to KSTP’s catch phrase; “it’s a story you’ll see only on 5.”