 |
Former
TV newswoman now crusades
|
| By
Frank DeFrank, Macomb Daily
Columnist |
May
06, 2002 |
|
Columnist
Frank DeFrank: "Teresa Tomeo's
crisis of conscience led her to explore
the relationship between media and
violence." |
Teresa
Tomeo is a local girl who made good.
St. Clair Shores native. 1977 South Lake
High School graduate. Hockey
cheerleader.
"I still remember the cheers,"
she said.
As a television reporter for Channels 7
and 50, she came into our homes for more
than a decade.
She told us about the Oklahoma City
bombing and the Pope's visit to New
York.
She also related sordid details of
murders and fatal accidents.
She thrust microphones into the faces of
parents whose children had been killed
until she began to wonder, "Why am
I doing this for a living?"
Tomeo's crisis of conscience led her to
explore the relationship between media
and violence. She'll tell you that 80
percent of music videos broadcast on MTV
depict violence against women.
She'll quote chapter and verse about how
kids are exposed to hundreds of
thousands of violent acts on television
by the time they reach adulthood.
She'll tell you that television news
focuses on crime so much because
"it's cheap and extremely easy to
cover."
By 2000, Tomeo had no answer to her
question. She walked away from her job
as a radio station news director.
Now she preaches reform in the very
industry that buttered her bread. The
42-year-old -- who still lives in St.
Clair Shores -- makes her living as
public speaker, media consultant and
host of a daily talk show on a Christian
radio station. Using those avenues, she
delivers a message near and dear to her:
She doesn't like what she sees when she
turns on the television.
"People have a problem with Howard
Stern," she said. "They have a
problem with 'Buffy the Vampire
Slayer.'"
Tomeo is convinced many share her
faith-driven views. She urges them to
take action.
"It's one thing to complain, just
to say, 'It's horrible,'" she said.
"It's important to tell people they
have a voice."
As a former television insider, Tomeo
knows money drives decision-makers.
Letters of protests and sponsor and
product boycotts are effective, she
insists.
"Every viewer and every reader
counts," she said.
Tomeo dismisses suggestions that she
advocates censorship. She has no desire
for government to dictate what we see
and hear. She says she just wants
television to fulfill its mission:
serving the public.
And the only way to achieve that goal is
with action.
"It's like voting," Tomeo
said. "If you don't vote, you can't
complain."
Teresa Tomeo can be heard from 11:00 am
to noon daily on WMUZ-FM (103.5). Her
Web site is www.teresatomeo.com.
Frank DeFrank can be reached at (586)
783-0309 or Frank.DeFrank@macombdaily.com.
|
| ŠThe
Macomb Daily 2002 |
|
