Can Amy Jacobson really be THIS stupid...?

[Steff]

..now take that one step further, she was screwing the guy AND his wife goes missing. Hmmmm.

What she did was stupid because you'd better believe the investigators will be all over her now.

 

 

You are sinister...

 

I never even thought of that possibility.

[StrangeSox]

You think he was referring to time spent there in a profssional capasity?

 

This, supposedly, was in a professional capacity, if you believe Amy's story.

[Steff]

This, supposedly, was in a professional capacity, if you believe Amy's story.

 

 

Professional does not include taking your kids and lounging around in a bathing suit. That is what Kyle was referring to. If she's there alone and not lounging by the pool in her bikini this matter never sees the light of day.

[mreye]

Professional does not include taking your kids and lounging around in a bathing suit. That is what Kyle was referring to. If she's there alone and not lounging by the pool in her bikini this matter never sees the light of day.

 

Bingo! The fact that she was in a bikini debunks her entire argument in my opinion.

 

I loved the front page pic in the Sun-Times yesterday conveniently showing her wedding ring. Amy, that's not what this is all about.

[Kyyle23]

..now take that one step further, she was screwing the guy AND his wife goes missing. Hmmmm.

What she did was stupid because you'd better believe the investigators will be all over her now.

 

If Jacobsen was involved with Stebic before his wife went missing, the proverbial sh** will hit the fan soon enough, but I dont think thats what happened. There have been a few interviews of family members close to the situation and they think that Jacobsen is fantastic because she is siding with the husbands story and believing that he had nothing to do with it. If anything, I think Jacobsen became a little too involved with the story and may or may not have had an affair with Stebic. regardless, there are a few quotes on CBS the other day suggesting that Jacobsen has spent time with Stebic without her job in mind. Who knows what happens

[Steff]

Bingo! The fact that she was in a bikini debunks her entire argument in my opinion.

 

I loved the front page pic in the Sun-Times yesterday conveniently showing her wedding ring. Amy, that's not what this is all about.

 

 

I loved her radio interview saying that she would "NEVER put anything before her marriage or family"... umm... honey, you used your day off - that you were supposed to be spending with your kids - to drive 50 miles out of your way to chase a story....

[Controlled Chaos]

I've been kinda going back and forth with my with my wife about this. She and all the news programs keep hammering the fact she is in a bikini. I say...who cares? Since when did bikini become such a dirty word? Since when did bikini become construed as having an affair or doing something immoral. Women wear bikini's around other men all the time. Would it have been better if she was in a one piece?

 

I think the big deal here is that she brought her kids over to a murder suspects house. DUMB DUMB DUMB. I'm sure she felt safe and all. Even if this guy did off his wife he hasn't shown anything to say he is a mass murderer and he's going to kill other people and children too, but still. This guy may have murdered his wife in cold blood. Is that who you want your kids to hang around.

 

Lets just assume for a quick second that her story is true(as much as we never want to do that). She hadn't spent any time with her kids. She promised them they would go to the pool. Then on her way she gets this phone call. She thinks she can get some big scoop and the kids will still get to go to a pool. There's other mothers and other children there as well. Yeah it was a dumb decision. You shouldn't mix your private time and professional time, but I'm sure she's not the first reporter to do it. And if she did get some big scoop, NBC wouldn't give a s*** how she obtained it or what she was wearing when she did so.

 

If this was Chuck Goudie in that exact same situation, brought his kids there, wore his swim trunks would this even be a story?? No, because nobody would assume anything sexual between the two guys. It should be a story, because it's a reporter subjecting his kids to a murder suspect, but it wouldn't be. Throw in a female reporter though and this has some nice tabloidness to it.

[Soxy]

I've been kinda going back and forth with my with my wife about this. She and all the news programs keep hammering the fact she is in a bikini. I say...who cares? Since when did bikini become such a dirty word? Since when did bikini become construed as having an affair or doing something immoral. Women wear bikini's around other men all the time. Would it have been better if she was in a one piece?

 

I think the big deal here is that she brought her kids over to a murder suspects house. DUMB DUMB DUMB. I'm sure she felt safe and all. Even if this guy did off his wife he hasn't shown anything to say he is a mass murderer and he's going to kill other people and children too, but still. This guy may have murdered his wife in cold blood. Is that who you want your kids to hang around.

 

Lets just assume for a quick second that her story is true(as much as we never want to do that). She hadn't spent any time with her kids. She promised them they would go to the pool. Then on her way she gets this phone call. She thinks she can get some big scoop and the kids will still get to go to a pool. There's other mothers and other children there as well. Yeah it was a dumb decision. You shouldn't mix your private time and professional time, but I'm sure she's not the first reporter to do it. And if she did get some big scoop, NBC wouldn't give a s*** how she obtained it or what she was wearing when she did so.

 

If this was Chuck Goudie in that exact same situation, brought his kids there, wore his swim trunks would this even be a story?? No, because nobody would assume anything sexual between the two guys. It should be a story, because it's a reporter subjecting his kids to a murder suspect, but it wouldn't be. Throw in a female reporter though and this has some nice tabloidness to it.

This is pretty much how Eric Zorn at the Trib has been talking about this situation. And I tend to agree.

 

The most disturbing part to me is that she brought the kids. I don't think she was having an affair (or that there really is anything salacious about this story), but I do think she definitely showed poor judgment.

[Controlled Chaos]

This is pretty much how Eric Zorn at the Trib has been talking about this situation. And I tend to agree.

 

The most disturbing part to me is that she brought the kids. I don't think she was having an affair (or that there really is anything salacious about this story), but I do think she definitely showed poor judgment.

I'll have to look him up. What section does he write in?

[Soxy]

I'll have to look him up. What section does he write in?

Metro, I think. I can't get the Trib out here, but it's always on the mainpage of their website.

[Controlled Chaos]

Metro, I think. I can't get the Trib out here, but it's always on the mainpage of their website.

I found it on their main page and after reading his article from yesterday, I should have just posted that instead of spending the time writing my post. It sums up my take exactly...

 

Originally posted: July 10, 2007

Defending Amy

Let's look at the elements of the story that has WMAQ-Ch. 5 reporter Amy Jacobson in trouble (UPDATE -- out the door) as outlined in Phil Rosenthal's story and elsewhere today. Where did she go wrong, if at all?

 

1. She accepted an invitation to attend a social event with a source she was cultivating for an ongoing story.

 

Jacobson is among the reporters covering the April 30 disappearance of Plainfield resident Lisa Stebic. Stebic's estranged husband, Craig, hasn't opened up to journalists in recent weeks. So, Jacobson's attorney told Rosenthal, Jacobson accepted an offer from Craig Stebic's sister to attend a social event at Craig Stebic's house (competing station WBBM-CH. 2 captured her visit on video).

 

As long as the social event wasn't so lavish that merely attending it could be misconstrued as a gift from the source or an attempt to curry favor, accepting this invitation looks like enterprising journalism to me. Socializing with sources is an excellent way to build rapport that can lead to revealing conversations. It's why we interview people over lunch or coffee or, even, sometimes, drinks.

 

The insinuation in CBS-2's reporting and on talk radio that Jacobson had a "social relationship" with Stebic that crossed an ethical line is serious but wholly unproven by the videotape or circumstances as we now know them.

 

More may come out and this story develops, of course, but for now, to give Jacobson the benefit of the doubt, being friendly with a source is not the same as becoming friends with a source.

 

2. She reportedly attended this social event on her day off.

 

You don't punch a clock when you're working a story. Unless it could somehow be established that Jacobson, a married mother of two, was socializing with Craig Stebic for non-professional reasons, the "day off" element of this story puts her in a slightly better light, making her appear industrious, dedicated and creative.

 

3. It was a swimming pool party and Jacobson reportedly wore her bathing suit.

 

This seems to be central element of Jacobson's offense. She wore appropriate attire to a casual social event. Why didn't she wear a power suit and mingle with the guests and her source in clothing that signaled her professional status and mission? Because that's not how it works. Reporters try to dress for the occasion no matter where they are. Early in my career I took off all my clothes to cover a nudist convention near O'Hare.

 

Is there something unwholesome about pool parties? About wearing bathing suits when one attends? Of course not.

 

 

So, finally, we get to what I believe is the actual, critical central element of Amy Jacobson's offense...

 

4. She's a woman

 

Let's be honest: If Phil Rogers, Charlie Wojciechowski or any other male reporters on the NBC-5 team had accepted an exclusive invitation to Craig Stebic's pool party and dressed appropriately for the event so he could mix and mingle with a key figure in a troubling, high-profile mystery, no one would have said a word other than "congratulations."

 

If management disciplines or fires her over this incident, it won't be for her ethics, but for her gender.

 

The story is reminiscent of the controversy that enveloped former WBBM-Ch. 2 reporter Giselle Fernandez in 1988

 

As Rick Kogan told the story in a 1989 Tribune article:

 

Operating on a tip, Fernandez broke wide open last summer's hottest story, the sordid tale of south suburban dope dealer John Cappas. Though she continued for three weeks to break news, it was her final piece that created the greatest controversy.

 

This is how she tells it: "Cappas contacted me to turn himself in. He was worried that the police would beat him up. A meet was set for Fox Lake. We met him, did the interview and as we were packing up, a friend offered him a ride on a speed boat. I thought it would make good video, so we (she was with cameraman Joe Klimovitz) took shots on the boat.

 

"Then, as we were driving back to the Federal Building, Cappas wanted to stop for pizza. We did. I bought it. And then he turned himself in. It's that simple. The event was portrayed as some sort of rollicking pizza party. Someone even said I was in a bikini. That's nonsense. Management approved of every step I took."

 

The outcry against Fernandez was loud. Public officials and newspaper columnists questioned the manner in which she handled the surrender, implying but never proving any wrongdoing.

 

Again, I doubt anyone would have made these implications and insinuations had Fernandez been male.

[LosMediasBlancas]

I've been kinda going back and forth with my with my wife about this. She and all the news programs keep hammering the fact she is in a bikini. I say...who cares? Since when did bikini become such a dirty word? Since when did bikini become construed as having an affair or doing something immoral. Women wear bikini's around other men all the time. Would it have been better if she was in a one piece?

 

I think the big deal here is that she brought her kids over to a murder suspects house. DUMB DUMB DUMB. I'm sure she felt safe and all. Even if this guy did off his wife he hasn't shown anything to say he is a mass murderer and he's going to kill other people and children too, but still. This guy may have murdered his wife in cold blood. Is that who you want your kids to hang around.

 

Lets just assume for a quick second that her story is true(as much as we never want to do that). She hadn't spent any time with her kids. She promised them they would go to the pool. Then on her way she gets this phone call. She thinks she can get some big scoop and the kids will still get to go to a pool. There's other mothers and other children there as well. Yeah it was a dumb decision. You shouldn't mix your private time and professional time, but I'm sure she's not the first reporter to do it. And if she did get some big scoop, NBC wouldn't give a s*** how she obtained it or what she was wearing when she did so.

 

If this was Chuck Goudie in that exact same situation, brought his kids there, wore his swim trunks would this even be a story?? No, because nobody would assume anything sexual between the two guys. It should be a story, because it's a reporter subjecting his kids to a murder suspect, but it wouldn't be. Throw in a female reporter though and this has some nice tabloidness to it.

 

 

Take any woman, no mattter how hot she is and she is at least somewhat self conscious in a bathing suit. Of course there is nothing 'wrong' with wearing a bikini to a pool party. BUT, IMO it demonstrates a certain comfort level between her and the suspect and that should be enough for any good investigator to at least question what kind of relationship they have. That's all.

[StrangeSox]

Bingo! The fact that she was in a bikini debunks her entire argument in my opinion.

 

I loved the front page pic in the Sun-Times yesterday conveniently showing her wedding ring. Amy, that's not what this is all about.

 

Her argument was that she was on her way to the pool with her kids when she was called over by Stebic's sister. How does her being in swimwear debunk her argument?

[Controlled Chaos]

Take any woman, no mattter how hot she is and she is at least somewhat self conscious in a bathing suit. Of course there is nothing 'wrong' with wearing a bikini to a pool party. BUT, IMO it demonstrates a certain comfort level between her and the suspect and that should be enough for any good investigator to at least question what kind of relationship they have. That's all.

I don't know man...If her story is true then she was originally going to a public pool with hundereds of others. What was her comfort level with all those strangers?

[StrangeSox]

I don't know man...If her story is true then she was originally going to a public pool with hundereds of others. What was her comfort level with all those strangers?

 

Good point. How many women at public beaches are in bikinis?

[Harry Chappas]

Good point. How many women at public beaches are in bikinis?

 

I believe she was going to the East Bank Club to swim.

[thedoctor]

Good point. How many women at public beaches are in bikinis?

either not enough or too many depending on what beach you are at.

[LosMediasBlancas]

I don't know man...If her story is true then she was originally going to a public pool with hundereds of others. What was her comfort level with all those strangers?

 

 

Good point, but don't you think it should at least raise an eyebrow to investigators?

 

either not enough or too many depending on what beach you are at.

 

 

lol, bikinis, the best and worst part about beaches.

[NorthSideSox72]

It was an highly unprofessional thing to do one way or the other, not to mention a bad thing to do to her kids.

 

Newscasters nowadays are at so much lower a standard - no need to be intelligent, or have actual journalistic skills and integrity... just need a pretty face and the right voice.

[Soxy]

In a related note, the police will be giving an update on the Stebic case at 3:30 this afternoon (per the Trib) naming the husband as a "person of interest."

 

One good thing out of this mess is it brough the disappearance back into the spot.

[Steff]

Her argument was that she was on her way to the pool with her kids when she was called over by Stebic's sister. How does her being in swimwear debunk her argument?

 

 

At the very least it shows that work is more important than her children.

 

Good point. How many women at public beaches are in bikinis?

 

 

 

Good grief.. this was not a public beach. It was the home of a suspected murderer. Big difference.

 

In a related note, the police will be giving an update on the Stebic case at 3:30 this afternoon (per the Trib) naming the husband as a "person of interest."

 

One good thing out of this mess is it brough the disappearance back into the spot.

 

 

Ya don't say...

[CanOfCorn]

Honestly, I don't give a crap if he had an air-tight alibi. I could care less if he was absolutely ruled out of ANY wrongdoing. There is NO WAY she should have been at his house, with her kids, at a pool party, in a bikini.

 

The point is, as a journalist, you CANNOT be part of the story. You have to keep objectivity. And being there in a casual fashion won't do that. Sleeping together, not sleeping together, doesn't matter. She is now part of the story, like Marion Brooks and the former mayor of Atlanta.

 

And, if a guy did this, I would HOPE that he would be fired as well, although I think it would be a "quiet suspension."

[StrangeSox]

At the very least it shows that work is more important than her children.

 

No argument there.

 

Good grief.. this was not a public beach. It was the home of a suspected murderer. Big difference.

 

Good grief, you missed the point. Another poster was implying that in order for her to wear the bikini, she must be pretty close to Stebic and be very comfortable around him, implying some sort of romantic relationship. We were just pointing out that plenty of women wear bikinis in public places around strangers and acquaintances.

 

And, if a guy did this, I would HOPE that he would be fired as well, although I think it would be a "quiet suspension."

 

It wouldn't even be mentioned. No one would hear about it. But because she's a woman, it appears "scandalous." Sex sells, as NSS alluded to.

 

I agree with the rest of your post, though.

Edited July 13, 2007 by StrangeSox

[Steff]

Good grief, you missed the point. Another poster was implying that in order for her to wear the bikini, she must be pretty close to Stebic and be very comfortable around him, implying some sort of romantic relationship. We were just pointing out that plenty of women wear bikinis in public places around strangers and acquaintances.

 

 

Apparently YOU are missing the point. Yes.. millions of females wear bikini's every day in PUBLIC places where it's expected and comfortable. It is NOT expected that a reporter be in the back yard of a murder suspect in her bathing suit - no matter how many pieces - with her kids trying to nail a story.

Her in this PRIVATE back yard, with a "person of interest" in a muder case trying to get God knows what information is not at all the same as being at a public beach romping in her bathing suit.

 

I see only 1 person in this thread implying or questioning something romantic - which IMO has been in jest.

 

 

 

 

Sex sells, as NSS alluded to.

 

 

There has been zero mention of "sex" between her and Stibec so be correct in this case stupidity sells.

[Gregory Pratt]

TV reporters aren't reporters. They're "presenters." That's what the BBC refers to them as and I generally agree. There're exceptions to every rule, of course, but I don't get the news from these shows.