The Swarm: Carly Fiorina disses Barbara Boxer; No news to 'News 10'

The Swarm

Mix it up with The Bee's editorial board.

June 15, 2010

Carly Fiorina disses Barbara Boxer; No news to 'News 10'

Before California Senate GOP candidate Carly Fiorina's hair flub is forgotten entirely, it's worth noting local journalism's connection to it.

Fiorina made her catty remarks about Sen. Barbara Boxer's hair being "soooo yesterday" as she was sitting in a television studio in Los Angeles waiting to be interviewed by KXTV News 10, the ABC affiliate in Sacramento.

Her remarks about Boxer's hair and Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's questionable judgment in deciding to do her first post primary interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, came as the satellite feed started flowing to News 10 which had the opportunity to air it or not.

KXTV was maybe the only television station on the planet that decided not to air the candidates flub.

When interviewed by the New York Times, News 10's vice president and news director Tim Geraghty said "We had a vigorous editorial debate. ...To put on a clip of an interview with someone talking about someone else's hair did not fit with that brand we are trying to establish for News 10 in Northern California." The full story is here.

And what brand would that be? Bland? Staid? Boring? Predictable?

I couldn't find the interview that News 10 eventually aired with Fiorina on its website, but I've been watching canned TV interviews with political candidates - yes, I've even conducted a few - long enough to imagine what it was like - some mind numbingly boring recital of her stump speech - the same 50 words she gives to every new organization, re-arranged slightly for each.

In that two minutes of unscripted drivel about Boxer's hair and Whitman's judgment, the public learned more about the real Fiorina than anything that came out of any formal interview that eventually aired on Channel 10 or anywhere else - I can guarantee it.

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