WFTV anchor Barbara West is defending her questioning of Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden.
”I have a great deal of respect for him. I have a great deal of respect for Sen. Obama,” West told Orlando Sentinel TV critic Hal Boedeker. “We are given four minutes of a satellite window for these interviews. Four precious minutes. I got right down to it and, yes, I think I asked him some pointed questions.”
Among them was this rather bizarre one, which raised the ire of the Obama campaign:
Jacquie Sosa, who was paired with Mark McEwen in one of the earlier (and unsuccessful) attempts to revive WKMG’s morning news, will be back on TV in the mornings starting Thursday — the first day of the November sweeps.
Sosa is the newest co-anchor of the Fox 35 Morning News on WOFL. She’ll join a team that includes Jim Van Fleet, Heidi Hatch, Tom Johnson and Cris Martinez.
”I have been blessed with the opportunity to spend the
Supposedly unhappy with how WFTV anchor Barbara West conducted an inteview with Democrate VP candidate Joe Biden, the Barack Obama campaign has told Channel 9 not to expect any more interviews through the duration of the presidential race.
NewsBlues.com reports that what so offended the Obama campaign was when West asked Biden if “spread the wealth” was really just another way of saying “socialism.” Ouch.
Here’s the note the Obama campaign reportedly sent to WFTV:
Four Friday quick hits to end the work week:
WFTV morning and noon anchor Vanessa Echols went through a very public battle with breast cancer four years ago. Today, she’s healthy, in remission and giving something back. She has founded the Compassionate Hands and Hearts Breast Cancer Outreach, a volunteer group that helps breast-cancer patients with errands, visits to the doctor and providing the emotional support that is so needed during a health crisis.
In a story in today’s Orlando Sentinel, Echols also says
Local coverage of the Casey Anthony saga continues to go beyond bizarre. On Tuesday, the day an Orange Count grand jury handed down a murder indictment for Casey Anthony, a crew from WFTV was thrown out of a press conference by Anthony’s attorney.
At the office of attorney Jose Baez, Channel 9 reporter Steve Barrett was told repeatedly by Baez to leave. After Baez threatened to call off the news conference, Barrett followed this videographer out the door. WKMG-Local 6 interrupted its programming to the news conference live – which featured Casey Anthony crying in the background while Baez talked.
Orlando Sentinel TV columnist Hal Boedeker theorized that tossing out WFTV may have been payback for a report on Channel 9′s noon newscast, which raised questions about Baez’s ability to represent Casey Anthony in a capital murder case.
See Orlando Sentinel photographer Red Huber’s video of the Baez throwing out Barrett below: