CBS affiliate KMOV has been accused of false and misleading coverage that “breaks the tenets of journalism” after it cut and pasted a story together out of context.
Here’s how it all started: Last week, KMOV aired a story where it interviewed state auditor Scott Fitzpatrick on his preliminary investigation into how SLDC awarded COVID relief grants. The SLDC provided a comment that day about that story.
The next day, the station interviewed the SLDC CEO Neal Richardson about its involvement in Black History Month.
Where it gets weird is that, the SLDC said in its press release that “Neither the reporter nor the photographer with the reporter at any point asked Mr. Richardson about the Missouri State Auditor’s investigation into the North St. Louis Small Business and Non-Profit Grant program.”
KMOV then aired a story saying that Richardson responded to the auditor’s investigation. He didn’t.
“During Mr. Richardson’s Black History Month interview, he described SLDC’s duty to evaluate economic conditions in the city and how elected officials hold SLDC accountable through checks and balances,” said the SLDC. “However, KMOV suggested those comments were related to the investigation. They were not.”
“What KMOV did is false, misleading, and breaks the tenets of journalism,” said the press release.
SLDC said it immediately called the reporter. The reporter apologized and said the footage was used without their knowledge.
KMOV did air a retraction. News director Scott Diener seemed to downplay the move by saying “The soundbite in question was innocuous and will have no bearing on the Missouri State Auditor’s probe.”
To add to the drama, the SLDC vp of communications and public affairs Deion Broxton, was a KMOV reporter until November 2024.
