I just posted this as a comment here, sorry for being redundant, but I would like to share with everyone my letter to GMA in response to yesterdays story: I am writing to express my disappointment in a recent story aired on GMA yesterday, October 13. Your on air reporters were either given false information or else they independently acted irresponsibly by attempting to sensationalize a NASCAR event without knowing all the facts, or just ignoring the facts. Driver Tony Stewart is a human being and deserves the same respect as any other human being, and to purposely report out of context on an incident that was initiated by another driver who acted impulsively and aggressively on a cool down lap and in the garage, then try to tie in recent tragic events that involved Tony Stewart two months ago in another series venue is outrageous and unacceptable, will not be tolerated, and does nothing short of minimize your shows credibility. I am specifically referring to the following inaccuracies which were but a few that were used to discredit Mr. Stewart and mislead the public: 1. You replayed part of the Kevin Ward, Jr. video in which this young, misguided man died as a result of a string of bad choices that included operating a race car while under the influence of an illegal drug. Your reporter did not include any of these facts but instead said, ...after his car struck and killed 20-year-old racer... What did that have to do with anything in this race? Obviously the only logical conclusion is that you were trying to disrespect the Ward family, discredit Tony Stewart, and mislead unknowing viewers. 2. His first incident since that deadly accident over the summer. The incident upon which this report was based was all about Brad Keselowski, who targeted Mr. Stewarts car in a chain of aggressive acts aimed at several drivers including Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin. But you let that be camouflaged by turning this into a Tony Stewart incident. 3. ...including Tony Stewart, whos under NASCARs microscope. No, hes not under any microscope, except sensationalistic so-called journalists and reporters such as found on ABC. If you had the facts or cared to use them, you would know that the driver who died while in the same race as Mr. Stewart caused his own death by running on a hot track and jumping on the wing of Tonys car; and that investigations done by the sheriffs department, the district attorney, and the grand jury ALL exonerated him, something you conveniently blurred over in the story. In August, Mr. Stewart happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. On Sunday, Mr. Stewart was again in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was rammed into the rear by an angry and out of control driver. 4. By highlighting the action of Mr. Stewart backing up into Keselowskis car, you turned attention away from the real story of an out of control driver being stopped in the middle of his rampage which was directed to drivers who -- and you did NOT mention -- did not have their safety equipment attached (HANS device and seatbelt) when they were targeted by Keselowski. Instead, you tried to make the story all about Tony Stewart whose action was the least of what occurred at that time, and served to stop Keselowski from further hitting more cars. 5. ...Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski bump into each other... This statement makes it seem as if there was normal contact between race cars, instead of what really happened, that being Brad Keselowski intentionally slamming his race car into other drivers who had angered him, even those who did not have their safety equipment attached, as per a statement made by Matt Kenseth, one of his victims. How interesting that this was also left out of your report. 6. By showing the video of Tony Stewart backing up into Brad Keselowski while Christine Brennan was making a statement regarding how unconscionable this nonsense was that was going on in light of what just happened to Tony Stewart is more unconscionable an act on your part than Mr. Stewarts, as you tried to twist her statement into conveying criticism of Mr. Stewart when she was clearly referencing Brad Keselowskis behavior, not Tony Stewarts! Shame on you! 7. One person who isnt talking just yet is Tony Stewart, weve reached out to him... Why should he talk to YOU? This incident was not his doing, and you obviously have absolutely no interest in true facts. Why should he allow you to further victimize and discredit him? And since when is Good Morning America interested in reporting on motorsports? Again, shame on you for even trying to contact him, and not Brad Keselowski, the real culprit of this incident! 8. Then your reporters close their story with this statement: You couldnt believe it... This was happening again... all said after you tried to point the blame at Tony Stewart throughout this entire juvenile and amateur report. Again, the only conclusion one could make is that you were attempting to mislead the unknowing public. I could go on to point out all of your efforts at sensationalizing a story that was poorly researched and just as poorly reported upon, but Im sure that you have either stopped reading this by now or at least have no interest in one persons opinion, even though I know that it represents thousands of others expressing the same thing on social media and and in private conversation. This story has insulted my intelligence and sensibilities and I have no interest to hear anything else that is reported on Good Morning America again because you have done a fine job of discrediting yourselves. Sadly, until I heard this report about something with which I am very involved, I would never have realized what a shoddy excuse for a show is in fact GMA. I shudder to think what other stories have you twisted to serve your own interests which apparently supersede correctly informing your innocent viewers! I will close this by asking that ABC, and specifically the reporters of Good Morning America to make a public apology for your irresponsible act of misrepresenting an event to sensationalize a sport of which you have no real interest and victimize a public figure. Until I hear of this, you can count me among many others out of your viewer base. Sincerely, Michele Yuskiewicz
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 16:03:39 +0000
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