KFOX14 announced their 10 most viewed online stories of 2023, which says a lot about the deplorable state of local television news in general:
1. El Paso native’s video of Salma Hayek at Golden Globes goes viral
2. El Paso teen killed, shot in head after trying to steal marijuana during drug deal
3. Mom of 3-year-old who drowned at El Paso water park says lifeguards not properly trained
4. Deadly Cielo Vista Mall shooting was ‘random incident’ among 2 groups
5. 3 people die, 3 others injured in deadly crash in Lower Valley
6. Home of El Paso icon Jay J. Armes demolished
7. Man charged with triple murder after deadly high-speed crash
8. Police arrest 23-year-old man accused of shooting 16-year-old to death in far east El Paso
9. Van lands atop vehicles at Bassett Place parking lot
10. Eastwood High School senior dies in rollover crash in east El Paso
Of these ten stories, four report crimes, four describe tragic accidents, one tells about a Tik-tok video, and one announces the demolition of the former residence of a retired detective.
None of these stories are investigative reports. They are completely forgettable and do nothing to improve the awareness or preparedness of El Paso voters.
As far as we can tell, KVIA is the only local television station that still publishes investigative reports, although much less in recent months.
KFOX14, Univision and Telemundo, and especially KTSM need to hire better-trained reporters who do more than uncritically repeat government press releases, announce the latest crimes and car accidents, and provide meaningless commentary during annual parades.
PHOTO: One of the hundreds of KFOX14 accident reports published online.