Check out this story by Barrett:
http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/news/local/wupw_Fine_tuning_mass_casualty_training_ba_110509

I got a chance to participate in this panel discussion about how to deal with a mass casualty situation. It is rare that people think to include the media in things like this, but it was nice to give my input.
Media members respond to mass situations like this all the time, although our role is certainly different than those who put their lives on the line.
But a question was asked about whether or not the media would get involved in the situation. Like for example is someone needed pressure applied to a wound, and a camera guy was standing there, would that camera guy get involved.
My answer was “maybe”. So why is the answer not an emphatic “yes”? Part of the answer is that the media is not supposed to be apart of the story, we just report it.
There could also be liability issues because few in the media are trained in proper techniques, so people may not feel comfortable getting involved.
I am not pretending I have the right answer or even an answer about what I would do. But it’s always good to step back and examine what you do for a living and how it fits into the big picture.

If you missed the Fox Toledo/UTMC town hall about the swine flu, you ought to check it out online.

I thought it was a good talk about a topic that many people think is way too hyped.

I did get a chance to ask a question that a lot of people wanted to know: Is the media hyping this thing too much?

Now since I am part of the media, you might have some skepticism about the way I took the answer, but what I gathered is that there is a lot of unknown about the H1N1 virus.

So I look at our coverage as giving people a lot of different pieces of information about a topic even doctors say is very much a day to day illness that changes rapidly.

Sure the media can take a beating sometimes and I think sometimes the media deserves it.

But in this case, I think we, here, have practiced a lot of reserve and tried not to feed to the hype. I know some people like to lump all the media together, which is unfair. All I can look at and speak on is my shop.

PS…. Phillies in 5.

For most of us, it feels like we’ve been talking about the new Lucas County Arena for 20 years.

It’s certainly not been that long, but finally the completion is upon us.

I have a couple of observations since I have now been inside.

1) It’s kinda tucked into downtown more than I thought it would be. People from out of town will be looking all over for it and boom it will sneak up on them.

2) It looks big time. I am not saying that as a judgment on the old sports arena, but this one just has the feel of a big city arena. It’s pretty impressive with no one in it, and should be even better with real warm bodies inside.

3) It’s filling fast. The GM over there told me that weekends are booked through the first weekend of April. We are getting to the point where the “There’s nothing to do in Toledo” excuse will go away.

4) Toledo seems to be responding. Season tickets for the Walleye are pretty close to where the team wanted (so I am told) and events like the Trans Siberian Orchestra are close to being a sellout.

Now comes the balance for any new venue. Will the fans come out for the events, so bigger events start coming? That is paired with, can the arena staff get big enough events that people want to go see?

The balancing act, like the circus that comes with it, can be found under the new Lucas County Big Top.

There are probably lots of people who are sick of the swine flu, as opposed to being sick from swine flu.

Is it hype or something you really need to worry about? That seems to be the questions everyone wants answered, yet the answer seems to be different depending on who you ask. But check this out if you get a chance:

http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/news/talk_back/wupw_FOX_Toledo_Talk_Back_Sept_24_H1N1_prevention_and_discussion_tfajrsh_092409

This was an interview I did with a doctor from UTMC. I encourage you to watch it because getting informed is the only way you can answer, for yourself, the hype or harm question.

I feel like you can’t let a newscaster answer that question, you need to do it. You can listen to that news guys, you can listen to the doctor, you can listen to your brother in law, but don’t let them make up your mind. Do it yourself. I am pretty sure it is still your mind.

Election day in Toledo has come and gone. All of the polling I heard about had the winners dead on. Turnout was expected to be light and it was. The results took forever to get, and well that’s pretty much part of the deal.

But the biggest surprise of the night came after work. I made my way to a local grocery store for some milk. I ran into an employee I see quite often. I talked to her about how the election results played out and how our night went on the air.

I asked her if she got out to the polls and she proceeded to tell me that while watching the news late in the evening, she (for the first time that day) realized it was election day. It was too late to vote by the time she realized. Seriously Seriously? (That’s a line I stole from my wife).

HOW COULD PEOPLE NOT KNOW IT WAS ELECTION DAY. I was thinking about it. We have only talked for probably about the last three months about this election. It was on the news just about every night. How could people not know.

I guess I don’t get it because I am in the news business. I am around this stuff all day so I guess I can’t miss it.

So here comes the rhetorical questions of the night: What is worse, not knowing or not voting while knowing?

So with just about every TV station in town doing a Toledo mayoral debate, which one was the best?

That question is an amusing one (even though I have asked it to people).

Several people told me that the Fox Toledo/Toledo Free Press/Glass City Jungle/Columbia Gas was the best. I would like to think they are all telling me the truth, but I really doubt anyone would say: “Shaun when I think of your debate the word average comes to mind.”

Some people have told me they like the content of our debate, although it had very little name calling and not majorly heated debates.

Do you need yelling for a good debate? I say no, but do you talk more about a debate with yelling than you do a debate with civil discourse? Yeah you do.

But here’s something that corporate big wigs probably don’t want me to say: watch every station’s debate. Get all the info you can. That’s the point. We do these to inform people, not try to outdo the other stations in town.

So between you and me, ours was the best, right?

Getting ready for the big mayoral debate this week. I have heard some of the suggested questions already and I think in this debate you are gonna hear some real tough ones and hopefully some very helpful answers.

Debates might not always be your thing, but I would encourage you to watch, becuase with so many candidiates it can be hard to figure out who stands for what.

Our hope is that next Tuesday at 4:30 we can clear things up and really give you a clear view of your candidates (remember you vote for 2 of them).

Please submit a question if you have a specific concern. News@foxtoledo.com

Hopefully we will use yours.

10 years ago today, I was just moving into my dorm at Syracuse University. I was going to my first floor meeting (where I met my wife). I was settling into a place hundreds of miles from home, a place that would become my home for the next four years.
I was trying to think back to what that Shaun was thinking back then.
Some trepidation was certainly going through his head because out of high school he didn’t get into the journalism school, so the plan was to transfer in later (which did actually happen).
That Shaun was would never have dreamed about a first job in Texas, a second job in Ohio with a child and a wife 10 years later.
That Shaun probably dreamed big dreams and slowly those dreams are coming together.
That Shaun didn’t imagine all the twists and turns that this current Shaun would experience but that’s OK. Knowing the results before the game even begins isn’t much fun.
So now this Shaun moves onto another 10 year chapter in his life.
This Shaun doesn’t know what 10 years from now Shaun will be like.
Talk to me in 10 years to find out.

Smoke on the Water has just wrapped up. It was another good one.

I enjoy the event every year because they ask me to be a judge in the rib tasting contest. Best gig ever.

Just seeing people hanging out on the grass at Promendae Park, enjoying some food and some tunes was a great site to see along the Maumee River.

It’s also a time, where the phrase “There’s nothing to do in Toledo” bugs me. This was a great event to get out and enjoy the weather, food and music. There was also a lot of fun at the Lucas County Fair over the weekend.

So if you don’t take advantgae of great things like this, then I don’t wanna hear you say, “There’s nothing to do in Toledo.”

There is stuff to do. Your part in the deal is doing it.

People have asked me the last couple of days about what I think about the death of Walter Cronkite.

I think people want me to have some story about how he inspired me to get into the news business.

I am sorry to say he was before my day and to be honest with you I have never watched a lot of his work aside from the more famous clips you see like the JFK assassination.

What I have though about in the last couple of days is how the news industry has changed since Cronkite came into your living room every night.

The first thing is that people don’t run to the TV to catch the 6:00 news. The internet has changed news forever.

News is now more interactive. No longer do you simply deliver the headlines of the day. Newscasts are more interactive: Phone banks connect you to legal help, video resumes are put on the air to help people find work, and often times organizations try to reach out to viewers if they are in financial trouble.

Not the kind of newscast Cronkite brought you, but it’s the evolution of the news. When it’s my time to leave this business, I will be excited to look back and see how much things have changed. I may be very surprised.