What Would Hal Do?

When KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles lost their 10pm news anchor of 42 years, Hal Fishman, last week to cancer, they also lost their managing editor and a guy who probably made a lot of decisions about what went on the air and what didn't. If there's one recommendation I would make to the KTLA news team today it's that before you put a story or person on the air, ask yourselves "what would Hal do?". I don't think they did that last night.

There's a self-proclaimed pedophile creep hanging around Los Angeles who's gotten himself a lot of press lately. He's known for a website which promotes the best places to watch children, and has openly stated his has an unnatural attraction to little girls. However, he's never been accused of actually touching or harming a child. I'm not sure how much of his problem is actual perversion and how much of it is publicity seeking.

Yesterday the perp was spotted near the Infant Development Center at UCLA and was arrested by campus police. There's an outstanding restraining order which requires him to remain at least 30 feet away from minors. The UCLA cops couldn't really charge him with anything, so they removed him from the campus and advised him that he'd be arrested if he showed up on campus again. He was then released.

Last night a reporter from KTLA detailed the story on air, and then following the tape footage of the perp being led away, interviewed the perp live on air. As soon as the interview started my thought was "I can't believe Hal would have approved that". The guy's answers were vague and totally unbelievable, but that doesn't change the fact that he should never have given air time in the first place.

As it turns out the reporter had invited the perp to appear on air at the location where he would be doing his stand-up, and that location happened to be on UCLA property. The perp had to drive a ways to get there (he lives in his car). As the interview was going on, UCLA police, apparently notified by somebody who was watching the broadcast, responded and arrested the guy for trespassing once the interview was completed.

This guy undoubtedly has serious problems and for whatever reason is seeking attention, and KTLA just fed his desire for that attention by giving him airtime on their news program. It was a bad decision by KTLA and never should have been approved. Unfortunately, August is a ratings period for television and I guess the potential ratings reward was more important than allowing the broadcast to be a party to this guy's fantasies.

A word to the wise at KTLA - keep these initials in mind: WWHD. What would Hal do?

Patterico has more on this guy and some of the legal conflicts posed by his case. Given that he's never been caught acting on his professed desires regarding children, there's some question as to what could be legally done about him. After all, we haven't gotten to the point in society...yet...where we're willing to imprison people or unreasonably restrict their freedom because of their thoughts (though some hate crime legislation comes close).