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Jewish World Review Sept. 27, 2010 / 19 Tishrei, 5771 Gotcha Journalism at Its Finest: What's in Your Lunchbox? By Mitch Albom
For many years, this was not only tolerated, it was part of business life. Of course, the men doing the drinking were usually executives wearing suits, and that somehow, as in the TV show "Mad Men," made it seem OK.
This past week, Detroit's WJBK-TV (Channel 2) aired a special report about Chrysler factory workers -- in T-shirts, not suits -- drinking and apparently smoking dope during their 30-minute unpaid lunch breaks. Following a tip, the reporter and a cameraperson tailed the workers for 10 days, capturing a familiar pattern: The workers hopped in their vehicles, drove to a liquor store, raced to a nearby park, drank beer and sometimes puffed on things, and made it back to the plant in time to finish their shift.
Finally, the reporter confronted them, walking toward them with the camera rolling and saying, "Hey, guys, hate to be a buzz kill, but shouldn't you guys be building cars?"
The workers scattered to their vehicles and drove away.
In the report, a Chrysler executive called the behavior "unacceptable." Sure enough, a few days later, some workers were suspended without pay.
And the TV station reported that.
SO MUCH ALCOHOL IN OUR SYSTEMS
But I do wonder how big an "expose" this really is. Many Detroiters reacted with "hey, it happens all the time." They were referring to auto plant workers. But they could have been referring to more.
For example, how may auto executives do company time with alcohol in their system? A Bloody Mary during a sales lunch? A few cocktails before a business dinner?
How many road construction workers -- doing government-paid work -- run off for a beer during breaks?
And, let's be honest, plenty of newspaper and TV journalists have stopped at the bar while working on a story.
"OK," you say, "but booze is not illegal. Marijuana is. And Chrysler got money from taxpayers."
That's all true. Do you think there has never been a disc jockey at a national public radio station who smoked a joint sometime during his shift? Hasn't Willie Nelson performed at a few state fairs in his time -- venues paid for with tax dollars? Do you think he would have passed a drug test? Come on. The seats on Willie's tour bus wouldn't pass a drug test.
Civil service workers. Actors on a tax-incentive movie. Library workers at a state university.
I suppose if you followed all these people long enough, then confronted them with a substance, they would a) duck like the Chrysler workers and b) appear guilty of being toasted on taxpayer time.
But what does it all mean?
NOT THE PRETTIEST PICTURE
It means the UAW should take some heat for not being harsher on such behavior.
But what it really means is no one is safe from a camera. You can be filmed almost anywhere now, from large cameras 100 yards away to tiny cameras small enough to fit in a pocket.
And if you happen to be the focus of such a camera, and that camera is shared with the world, you can, for a while, appear to be the biggest scoundrel on earth.
But a little perspective is in order. Yes, it's a problem. Yes, it should be addressed. But imagine a camera on every frosty mug held by a reporter, every toke by a graduate assistant, every six-pack imbibed by construction workers, every liquid lunch of an auto exec. It would also paint a picture. And it wouldn't be pretty, either.
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