Holy Buck, Fatman!

I’ve always known that Fox News was irresponsible and sensationalist in their news reporting. While I was always critical of their “news” pieces, It never truly hit home until I became a involuntary  party to one of their “Fox 5 Investigations”. At first, I laughed at the revelation that I was a part of a group that made Fox News. Until I went home and watched the investigation myself.

I am a commuter. I commute from Baltimore City to DC every day. It’s two hours a day, one hour to DC and one hour back to Baltimore. While the commute is long, it is a necessary evil because of the huge wage difference between Baltimore and DC. In short, I make more money in DC then I would if I were to take the same job in Baltimore. my preferred choice of transportation is the MARC train. In the evening, I ride with the same group of people and usually partake in a beer or two. The car where everyone meets has reached cult status, especially after a front page feature in the Baltimore City Paper.  I have a few beers because not only is it allowed, it’s public transportation and I’m not getting behind the wheel when I get off the train. Imagine my surprise when I read their lead in to their “investigation”:

Fox 5 News  –  We have a follow-up to a Fox 5 Investigation. MARC train riders are boozing it up and then getting behind the wheel! Last May, our undercover cameras caught the wild scene. Transit leaders promised change, so what’s the deal? Fox 5’s Maureen Umeh jumps back on the party train to find out.

First of all, none of the riders featured in their undercover expose have been “getting behind the wheel” after drinking. Nearly all of the people who ride the “Party train” utilize public transportation, take cabs or get rides from a spouse or significant other. A large majority of riders disembark at Penn Station in downtown Baltimore, only to catch a light rail, city bus or cab. Some are fortunate enough to live within walking distance of their homes. The passengers who exit the train at other stops usually have others pick them up for several reasons: high parking fees or limited availability of parking.Some do not drink at all, but enjoy the company.  The Fox News 5 investigation was a spin on the facts. Fox News has not bothered to contact ANYONE featured in the undercover video. The piece was sensationalist and irresponsible.
The piece highlighted uses a lot of flashy techniques to make a viewer believe that the train group is out of control, drunk and disturbing. Since I am a part of it I can tell you that this is a total fabrication.  As long as I have been riding the train, none of us were dancing or out of control in any way. During the “Cinco de Mayo” celebration, I happen to know that the man featured “Downing five shots in less then an hour” is completely incorrect. He might have consumed one or two, but certainly NOT five as they suggested. The footage from last week shows us all sitting in our seats and drinking beer. From the shots shown, I can tell that was Tuesday. Monday, well..No one brought any beer! The lady interviewed claims she has seen people get behind the wheel after drinking large amounts of alcohol. I honestly cannot think of when she might have done that, for the reasons I detailed above. Barely any of us are driving.
This is a local story, but it is part of a larger problem. Fox and its local affiliates are all guilty of irresponsible journalism. if they can’t report the facts on a local story, how can they be objective on a national story of importance?

I challenge Fox News 5 to contact me and get our side of the story. Will they  step up to the plate?