I love my new job.  I really do, but some things just don't change between covering movies and sports.  It my estimation they're essentially the same gig - entertainment - but fans of local sports teams have a deeper attachment than some piece of fluff that shows up in movie theaters for an average of six weeks.

And how do things not change?  Oh, I still get snarky, anonymous e-mails from readers who are offended by something I wrote.  Take this one for instance:

"Feel free to tell me everything I need to know about sleaze right after you convince your employer to stop running ads from nude dancer bars and happy ending spas."

The reader was talking about a recent column of mine regarding a couple of sleazy stories that appeared on WKYC and WOIO respectively.  Ummmm…this blog entry is meant as little more than a public service announcement.

I am but a mere journalist.  I get paid to express my thoughts in a way not meant to put people asleep.  Although it's becoming less and less the case, there is this invisible line between editorial and advertising departments.  In short the rule is: they're not supposed to bother us and we're not supposed to bother them.  I kinda like that little agreement.  It keeps people from stifling my voice.  And for that rare privilege I do them the courtesy of not telling who they can sell advertising.  It's a simple plan, but it works for us.

Some people want to moralists.  I'm not one of them.  You wanna booze it up, I say have at it (just make sure you invite me).   You wanna smoke, go for it (just don't sit next to me and do it) and if you want to visit a massage parlor (I'll pass on that one), enjoy.

The point is they're all legal and therefore advertising for them is legal.  Tada.  In short: leave me out of it.  Of course, considering the email came to me from a webmail account and was unsigned, I'm inclined to believe that it came from the staff of one of the parties I offended.  Naaaahh…they wouldn't do that.

Just like they wouldn't delve into the life of a superstar athlete without facts or continue a vendetta against the owner of the Cleveland Browns.

Normally I'm the last person in Northeast Ohio checking out 19 Action News on WOIO, but after watching promos for a Tom Meyer investigation piece regarding the Browns and them allegedly fleecing the City of Cleveland, my curiosity was piqued.  Not piqued enough to watch the story live; I recorded it on my DVR. After finally getting to it today, it is what it is.  The story basically says that the Browns broke some rules regarding competitive bidding over some carpeting and other repairs.  Yawn!  The total for all of this was a little over $1 million. For those so inclined, you can find the piece online here.

Meyer went into detail about things completely unrelated to the stadium repair issues such as the finances of last Septembers charity high school games, with an emphasis on the negative.

Does 19 Action News have such little regard for its viewers that it can't see what this is - payback?  Retribution for the Browns pulling the plug on its contract with the station to broadcast the football team's pre-season games?  Sure some of it has to do with the fact that it's sweeps month, but at best this report was a reach, at its worst it's a hit job.