Remember Kids, They Have To Give Them To Someone

I'll be honest here. I put just about no stock in television news awards. There may be some merit to them, but the entertainment (television, film, video) industry is awash in awards. They are the most self-congratulatory group I've ever seen. Similar thinking applies to the news industry, print and broadcast. Especially television news, which often combines the worst of both. For news, there are local Emmies, state Emmies, regional Emmies, national Emmies, etc., etc. Stay in the business long enough and don't suck and you'll eventually have one fall into your lap.

So, finding out that WPTY/24's Jeni DiPrizio won an Emmy for her "Road Rebels" feature was not a surprise; it was also confirmation of my worst suspicions.

Jeni darts into traffic to confront surprised drivers with their bad driving. What could possibly go wrong here? I want to know why she hasn't gotten tickets for traffic violations. If she's getting a pass from the cops, I want to know if I can have one too, if I blog about something traffic-related. Like the speeders on my block.

This is Memphis. It will happen soon that she picks the wrong driver to confront. She's one cracked-out, drunk, pissed-off Memphis driver away from catastrophe. She'll be lucky to get a face full of pepper spray. Worst case, she gets shot by a driver who doesn't see her clearly. A fender in the bones is another possibility.

Why this kind of thing gets awarded is beyond my simple thinking skills. I guess I have to be credentialed and trained in broadcast journalism to understand it.