Mark "Maverick" Sager on KSPR

I had to confront a convicted killer this week. It was a little intense for my liking, but it was inevitable (since we were at the same place at the same time.)

Mark "Maverick" Sager was convicted of manslaughter in 1977 for the death of a 14 year-old Missouri girl. The case is an interesting, difficult read. The injuries to the teen were horrifying. Sager's response was also chilling.

Fast forward to 2009: Mark was known around the Indian Point Marina as "Maverick". He told people he was a former ATF agent. Authorities say he carried a gun, a radio, a pager, a phone, and handcuffs on his belt. He even outfitted an old car with lights, sirens, and a radio. He assisted law enforcement with cases as well.

That is, until deputies became suspicious. After running a background check on him, they arrested him for impersonating an officer. That was this week.

At the time I encountered "Maverick", I was not aware of the extent of his past conviction. Had I been informed, I may have asked some harder questions. Or perhaps, I would've walked the other direction, out of fear. I was concerned that maybe I had taken it too far by waiting for him and following him out to his car.

I don't want to think about it anymore. I just hope he doesn't watch the news. Or read the internet. Or visit Springfield.

Melissa Yeager is Alive and Well!

Melissa Yeager has officially been taken off the KY3 bio page (finally) and now appears to be working at only one station! Click here to read her new bio!

She's at WINK in Fort Myers and doing well... send her an email to tell her how much you miss her! melissa.yeager@winktv.com

NO NEWS

WHAT IS NEWS?!

Uh oh, it's late, and I've been thinking...call it a Jerry Maguire diatribe.

But I've been reading a lot of what people are writing in the local blogosphere about news, and I'm here to write something that's been weighing heavily on my mind.

We've all been subjected to some pretty bad news during our lifetime, but it doesn't have to always be that way.

One blogger questioned why my station did a story on speeding in neighborhoods when there were "fires/murders/suicides" going on. Huh?

First of all, in most cases fires/murders/suicides have little to do with the masses. That being said, there are always exceptions. But, for the most part, they have little to do with a wide audience. A jealous husband who murders his wife in Polk County has little to do with how you're going to live your life on the south side of Springfield. An abandoned warehouse fire in downtown Springfield has little to do with you if you live in Dallas County...and a suicide has little to do with you unless you know the person who died.

Again, all of these cases can be argued. And I promise you, no matter what, they will be covered by news organizations...STILL, is it really NEWS?

Let me tell you how most academics and journalists define news.

News can be summarized in 3 words: relevance, usefulness, and interest. The role of journalism is supposed to maintain civilization and democracy.

Within the broad standards of relevance, usefulness, and interest are more specific elements to determining what makes news. Most journalists will agree, they are as follows:

1. impact (how many people are affected)
2. conflict (recurring theme of storytelling, struggles between people, nations, or natural forces)
3. novelty (newsworthy just because it's bizarre--Springfield house sells on ebay for $1025)
4. prominence (names make news, period)
5. proximity (people concerned with what happens where they live)
6. timeliness (news is supposed to be new)

So, long story short: speeding in neighborhoods is more newsworthy than most fires/murders/suicides. Think about all the kids you've seen in the news who were hit and killed by speeding cars. Shouldn't someone try to protect our children?

And as far as the eBay story (that's the story of a Springfield house selling on eBay for $1025)...it's a novelty story. And, in the follow up, we did a story on the legalities of eBay--which also has a lot of impact with people in the Ozarks...more so than most fires/murders/suicides.

That being said, I'll have to cover a fire/murder/suicide in the future...and sooner than later.

By the way, if anyone has any suggestions on how to cure insomnia, that would be great.