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Forum: katu problem solvers you must be kidding

By gagandpuke — Wednesday, January 27, 2010; 5:56 pm

how can one who repeats what consumer reports put in their magazine be called investigative reporting? i like katu news bu8t come on do we really need 5 minutes of filler every day i don't believe they all can be slow news days.

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Thursday, January 28, 2010; 1:44 pm — Chris (not verified)

consumer reports is a joke

why?

Companies send them the low end models and all of their so called "reports" are based on personal opinion and 60 year old men who dont have a clue to what a ipod is.

thats why I trust reviews from the actual people who own the device after all they own it. CR just has it for a week nefpre they hjave to send it back

Your rating: None
Tuesday, February 2, 2010; 9:40 am — Anonymous Source (not verified)

Consumer Reports

You obviously don't know how it works there. They buy all their stuff anonymously (including the cars), then sell them after testing. They accept no advertising; how much more unbiased do you want?

I get great tips from them all the time, for example those little green bags for salad greens are a total waste of money because they already did the trial that saw no difference between those and regular plastic bags. Now I don't waste my money on them. Same with TVs, vacuum cleaners, cars, etc...That subscription is pays for itself over and over again in my home.

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Saturday, January 30, 2010; 7:21 am — gagandpuke

that would be my point

people now go to such sites as cnet and the like to see what others have to say about a product. the days of the consumer report reviewers is just about over. these people know a little about a lot of things and a lot about nothing.

Your rating: None
Friday, February 12, 2010; 3:40 pm — Anonymous Source (not verified)

You cannot trust those

You cannot trust those "consumer reviews" on web sites anymore. Companies now post fake reviews of their own products, or pay others to post shill reports. Sometimes they get caught ...

NEW YORK, N.Y. (July 14, 2009) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a settlement with cosmetic surgery outfit Lifestyle Lift over the publishing of fake consumer reviews on the Internet.

Under the settlement, Lifestyle Lift will stop publishing anonymous positive reviews about the company to Internet message boards and other Web sites, and will pay $300,000 in penalties and costs to the State of New York. The case is believed to be the first in the nation aimed at combating "astroturfing," a growing problem on the Internet.

Lifestyle Lift employees published positive reviews and comments about the company to trick Web-browsing consumers into believing that satisfied customers were posting their own stories. These tactics constitute deceptive commercial practices, false advertising, and fraudulent and illegal conduct under New York and federal consumer protection law. The settlement marks a strike against the growing practice of “astroturfing,” in which employees pose as independent consumers to post positive reviews and commentary to Web sites and Internet message boards about their own company.

http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2009/july/july14b_09.html

This is just one example. Run a Google search on "fake customer online reviews" to see how widespread this really is.

Independent and verifiable reporting from Consumer Reports now take on a more objective and honest view than those "customers opinions."

Your rating: None
Tuesday, February 2, 2010; 6:31 am — Anonymous Source (not verified)

Why so down on Consumer Reports?

I just read this: "Packaged Salad Bacteria: New Study Finds Salad Can Contain High Levels of Fecal Bacteria." I'm kind of glad CR did the study and told us about it.

One station in each market can partner with CR. It makes sense for the "On Your Side" channel to be the one who does it in Portland. It's not like they don't also do their own stories.

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Thursday, February 11, 2010; 5:34 pm — Anonymous Source (not verified)

not really down on consumer reports

not down on consumer reports just down on reporters reading from a magazine. this is not investigative reporting as it is reading a script. news stations could hire a person out of micky d's to do that.

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Thursday, February 11, 2010; 5:52 pm — Newsjunky (not verified)

You Have No Idea What You're Talking About...

You say: "just down on reporters reading from a magazine."

If you have ever spent one day in a newsroom, you'd know that your statement is 100% factually incorrect. The reporters that put together investigaive and consumer segments may garner some leads and even the basis for some parts of their story from magazines, etc... but they also field phone calls, research the web and talk to real, live people about products.

You ought to give what you're saying some thought... before you denigrate the journalists that try to do a service to their viewers.

Your rating: None
Thursday, February 11, 2010; 8:12 pm — Mitch Nolan

Actually, while KATU does do

Actually, while KATU does do their own consumer stories, the Consumer Reports stories are pre-packaged. CR sends stations video, graphics and scripts, and what results is essentially the same story read by different reporters across the country. Compare the "-2:00" mark on KATU's story:

With the 20-second mark on WABC New York's story:

(Sorry for the volume difference, just turn down KATU's volume and turn up your computer's.) This isn't to say that these stories aren't as useful as what the stations might create on their own, and Consumer Reports isn't the only service like this. Sometimes, you can even see the same AP stories and video on different stations in the same market.

Your rating: None
Monday, February 15, 2010; 9:42 pm — Anonymous Source (not verified)

Consumer Reports VNR

I would fire a reporter who does a VO for Consumer Reports as part of their daily story quota.
The reports are nothing more than a packaged VNR. Fisher has the contract with Consumer Reports and what is promoted as a "Consumer reporting" is nothing more than reading a pre packaged news piece. Almost like the pre packaged movie previews or affiliate press tours. You'll see the same report with the same script if you're in Seattle, Boise, Coos Bay or Eugene.

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