As part of the upcoming Fox reality show Anchorwoman, swimsuit model Lauren Jones (yes, that’s her in the photo) is making her debut today as the temporary co-anchor of the 5 p.m. news at KYTX-TV in Tyler, Texas. She arrived at the station a week ago and endured “intensive training,” and the crux of the show is whether she’ll survive the next few weeks on the air. “It devalues the work of real journalists who are trying to do real work,” says Al Tompkins, broadcast group leader for the Poynter Institute. “It doesn’t do anything to help the reputation of journalists there and around the world.” But KYTX-TV’s GM doesn’t see a problem with it. “Journalism credibility? I think that’s somewhat amusing when all I see today on the cable news is Paris Hilton, nonstop,” said station president and GM Phil Hurley. “As the new guy in town, we saw it as a promotional tool to show a lot of sampling in our newscast.” And yes, the station is getting paid, too. Hurley does have some shred of decency — he nixed Fox’s plans to put up billboards around town with Jones in a bikini. But truth be told, IMHO, Hurley is an idiot, and Anchorwoman will only make it more difficult for local TV journalists everywhere to do their jobs. (Thanks for the tip, Keith!)
Update: You can watch the news live via the stations’ website, CBS19.tv. (Actually, the link just plays the morning newscast right now. Perhaps they’ll update it with the 5 p.m. later?) Yes, that’s “Stormy the Dog” next to the anchors in the masthead.
Update: The local paper has an interview with Jones at KYTX-TV.