Chicago media critics are up in arms about a new video celebrating the tenure of longtime mayor Richard M. Daley that features a handful of local news anchors, including Walter Jacobson and Bill Kurtis of WBBM and Bob Sirott of WFLD (video above).
Robert Feder of Time Out writes:
I’ve been stewing about this for days now, and I still can’t decide which is more outrageous: The idea of Chicago television news anchors appearing in a commercial for a furniture company–or the fact that it shows them shamelessly kissing Mayor Richard M. Daley’s ass.
The video, which features farewell messages from a handful of celebrities, was produced by Walter E. Smithe, a Chicago area furniture retailer and, according to Feder, a major advertiser on local TV.
So, what do you think? Have these journalists compromised their integrity by appearing in the video?