Yes It’s True: Public deserves the truth from news services

WOOD-TV Channel 8 has produced a week-long self promotion feature in celebration of its 70 years in broadcasting. Some of the information presented is fascinating, but some also lands a bit on the dark side.

The fascinating parts are references to WLAV, the first call letters when it came on the air in 1949 as Grand Rapids’ first television station, and the many nostalgic old photos and videos of people we watched in the studio during bygone days.

However, just as the art work suggests here from the Great Society album from 1966, the series was plagued by the phrase, “Conspicuous Ony in Its Absence.”

Glaringly ignored was Suzanne Geha, the news anchor over 30 years who suddenly and mysteriously parted ways with WOOD-TV in 2011. She was conspicuous by her absence.

To this day, very little is known publicly about what happened to cause her departure. Neither side has commented very much. Perhaps there is some kind of non-disclosure agreement involved. But WZZM-TV showed a lot of savvy in this story by placing a full-page ad in the Grand Rapids Press, thanking Geha for her service and making them better. WOOD-TV had to be embarrassed, at least for a little while.

Like many other observers, I had mixed emotions about West Michigan’s first female news anchor, who burst on the scene in the mid-1970s. On one hand, I had tremendous respect and admiration for her aunt, the legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas. But on the other, she had this nasty habit of hyperventilating over stories she covered, overhyping their importance.

I was particularly perturbed with her when Channel 8 reported on the Hastings Banner revealing that Candy Lawrence, wife of convicted murderer Steve Lawrence, had passed her lie detector test before her trial on conspiracy charges. The jury was polled by the prosecuting attorney, and none reported they had seen the story. Ms. Geha commented something to the effect that people just don’t get their news from print publications but instead turn to broadcast news. I thought it was a cheap shot.

For the most part, however, I did not believe Suzanne Geha was any better or worse than her colleagues, whom I asserted were just doing the bidding of their corporate masters.

But the story of her sudden disappearance from public view has helped shape by very negative view of the corporate philosophy when well-known and perhaps well-liked public personalities are dismissed without explanation.

It’s been eight years now, and many West Michigan people have been deliberately left in the dark about whatever happened to Suzanne Geha. Some will say it’s none of the public’s business, that’s it’s a personnel matter that should and will remain private.

As a member of the pesky press for so long, I have fought long and hard against public people leaving suddenly and inexplicably. Sometimes the corporate line is given that the dearly departed “left to spend more time with his (or her) family,” which nowadays elicits scorn and derision, and deservedly so. Apparently the public doesn’t really have a right to know, which makes the Suzanne Geha story even more offensive because she worked for a company that made a living on digging for the truth and letting the public know what’s going on.

There are times we must have an informative and substantive debate about the sudden disappearances of very public figures. Opting for the “What you don’t know won’t hurt you” response merely fuels public mistrust in public and private institutions.

So I would have liked to have seen the historical and self-promoting feature on Channel 8 include Geha, Bill Freeman, Rick Roberts and some others who are no longer welcomed into our living rooms. Television news, weather and sports personalities are heavily promoted and therefore well known. We common everyday working stiffs deserve some kind of explanation, however feeble.