TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders • Hacker News Board

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#11

Post by js2 » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 3:51 PM UTC

greenyoda wrote: post #9

js2 wrote: post #8

AFAICT there's no universally agreed upon meteorological definition for "code red day." Rather, this is just something Sinclair made up for "risk of severe weather." A "code red" is also used to refer to air quality[1]. And fire risk[2]. There's also the CodeRED alert system[3]. So since this is just made up by Sinclair and doesn't have any technical definiton, what's this guy complaining about? This is Sinclair afte…

The problem is that most of the people who are watching don't know that "code red" has no real meaning, and they may decide what action to take based on what the TV station says. Those actions could end up being costly and unnecessary. As the article says toward the end: > Other meteorologists aren’t a fan of proprietary alert days to begin with, expressing reluctance toward alerts that don’t originate from the Natio…

Since the term has no real meaning, maybe desensitizing people to it by overusing it is the best outcome.

I'd honestly be surprised if people acted on these faux alerts. I think folks are pretty used to local stations claiming just about everything is urgent, breaking, and important.

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#12

Post by save_ferris » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:00 PM UTC

deogeo wrote: post #5

raldi wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this situation is a lot like the "shouting fire in a crowded theater" example.

Sorry, I was referring to the firing of the reporter, not the initial push for 'code red' reports.

The meteorologist made some very valid points, though. The Sinclair alert system isn’t clear and well-designed, unlike the long-standing NWS alert system.

Indirectly related, but it’s worth reading up on some of the political battles being fought in the US meteorological world at the moment.

An Accuweather executive, Barry Myers, was nominated to head the NOAA, which he’s spent years lobbying against to cut off public access to government weather data[0]. This story was featured in Michael Lewis’ latest book, The Fifth Risk, which documented instances where private companies are trying to block public access to various types of government data.

Private interests are materially altering reporting systems that have worked for years, and many professional meteorologists are becoming more concerned about this influence.

0: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-06-14/trump-s-p...

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#13

Post by jjoonathan » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:07 PM UTC

js2 wrote: post #11

greenyoda wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that most of the people who are watching don't know that "code red" has no real meaning, and they may decide what action to take based on what the TV station says. Those actions could end up being costly and unnecessary. As the article says toward the end: > Other meteorologists aren’t a fan of proprietary alert days to begin with, expressing reluctance toward alerts that don’t originate from the Natio…

Since the term has no real meaning, maybe desensitizing people to it by overusing it is the best outcome. I'd honestly be surprised if people acted on these faux alerts. I think folks are pretty used to local stations claiming just about everything is urgent, breaking, and important.

I suspect it's the intended outcome. "Silly librul media calls code red every time it gets a little warm -- they must be getting desperate to convince me about global warming."

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#14

Post by bonniemuffin » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:11 PM UTC

js2 wrote: post #11

greenyoda wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that most of the people who are watching don't know that "code red" has no real meaning, and they may decide what action to take based on what the TV station says. Those actions could end up being costly and unnecessary. As the article says toward the end: > Other meteorologists aren’t a fan of proprietary alert days to begin with, expressing reluctance toward alerts that don’t originate from the Natio…

Since the term has no real meaning, maybe desensitizing people to it by overusing it is the best outcome. I'd honestly be surprised if people acted on these faux alerts. I think folks are pretty used to local stations claiming just about everything is urgent, breaking, and important.

The problem is that people who've gotten desensitized to fake Red Alerts, are also going to be skeptical when the National Weather Service issues real alerts, because most people can't tell the difference. Do you know what specific terms the weather service uses for real alerts? I sure don't.

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#15

Post by krapp » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:12 PM UTC

csbrooks wrote: post #6

I guess I'm not super concerned, because I stopped watching TV news a long long time ago. In general they do everything they can to spread fear, and this is just an extension of that.

It's not really about spreading fear, per se, it's marketing. Stations want their weather team portrayed as the most accurate and most dependable with the most cutting edge 3D no 4D no HYPERCUBIC storm tracking technology.

They want viewers to rely on their station alone for weather forecasts simply as a means of ensuring viewership and increasing the value of their ad time, so they make those forecasts seem as critically important as possible. It's the same phenomenon that leads to all news being breaking news.

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#16

Post by bonniemuffin » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:13 PM UTC

csbrooks wrote: post #6

I guess I'm not super concerned, because I stopped watching TV news a long long time ago. In general they do everything they can to spread fear, and this is just an extension of that.

Does it worry you that this kind of fear-mongering might be bad for society even if it doesn't impact you personally? You might not watch the local news, but many other people do.

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#17

Post by bonniemuffin » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:16 PM UTC

deogeo wrote: post #3

[flagged]

Sinclair media owns most local TV stations in the US and uses them to shape public discourse in less-than-ethical ways. I think when local news has gotten as consolidated as it is, it ought to have some kind of obligation to the public, and shouldn't be able to hide behind "it's a private company" to justify bad behavior.

John Oliver did an informative bit on Sinclair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvtNyOzGogc

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#18

Post by whenchamenia » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:19 PM UTC

jjoonathan wrote: post #13

js2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since the term has no real meaning, maybe desensitizing people to it by overusing it is the best outcome. I'd honestly be surprised if people acted on these faux alerts. I think folks are pretty used to local stations claiming just about everything is urgent, breaking, and important.

I suspect it's the intended outcome. "Silly librul media calls code red every time it gets a little warm -- they must be getting desperate to convince me about global warming."

This type of ad hominem just sets back your case, no matter how much facts may be on your side. Stick to facts and leave the insulting stereotypes at home.

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#19

Post by ncmncm » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:36 PM UTC

bonniemuffin wrote: post #17

deogeo wrote: post #3

[flagged]

Sinclair media owns most local TV stations in the US and uses them to shape public discourse in less-than-ethical ways. I think when local news has gotten as consolidated as it is, it ought to have some kind of obligation to the public, and shouldn't be able to hide behind "it's a private company" to justify bad behavior. John Oliver did an informative bit on Sinclair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvtNyOzGogc

Yes, this weather-report manipulation is the tip of the iceberg.

The station managers get frequent directives from corporate management to hype more-or-less fake stories, and suppress other (real) stories, largely for political purposes.

Before the FCC rescinded its balanced-reporting rules this sort of foolishness was contained, at the cost of sometimes requiring airing fringe lunacy. Now fringe lunacy is often the whole story.

Re: TV meteorologist objected to management’s ‘code red’ orders

#20

Post by PunksATawnyFill » Sat, Jun 08, 2019, 4:45 PM UTC

"Code red?" That doesn't even mean anything! Where is the word "weather" in that? Or "severe?" Or whatever it is that they're pretending to convey?

This is about as cravenly stupid as California's "red flag alert." WTF does that mean? Red flags will be falling from the sky, snarling traffic and causing mayhem?

Human stupidity is boundless.