Ask yourself before you Ask Andy | News

(WMC-TV) - Fifteen years have been both a blessing and a curse serving the consumers of the Mid-South.

The pleasure and reward are all mine when I'm able to right a wrong, get a consumer's money back or hold a scam artist/wayward public official (usually one and the same) accountable. 

Accountability and goodwill. Still the twin powers of television.

When I feel powerless is when I have to tell someone his or hers is certainly a legitimate consumer problem, but it is not a news story.

Some viewers can see beyond themselves and understand. Others see their consumer issues ranking just below Armageddon and just above Social Security insolvency.

Those are the ones that call me names. Insult my mom. Question my news judgment.

Delete.

If I could help everyone who asks for my help, I would. I would also be Superman.

In a media market that serves three-quarters of a million people, that's impossible. 

And shocker of all shockers, there's a pretty good chance someone's consumer problem is bigger and more news-worthy than yours.

So before you e-mail me your consumer issue, ask yourself:

* DOES MY PROBLEM MATTER TO A WIDE AUDIENCE? Remember, I'm a television reporter. I produce and write stories. That's my job. Solving your problem isn't.

If I can help solve your problem and tell a story that matters to my audience at large, then your problem rockets to the top of the pile.

* IS MY PROBLEM INDICATIVE OF A BIGGER PICTURE? If your individual struggle is a case study of a larger scam or fraud pattern, that would put a human face on a priority story.

* CAN MY PROBLEM BE ADEQUATELY SOLVED OR ADVOCATED THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF TV? Are there compelling visuals and story lines? Reachable sources? Will YOU be interviewed on camera? (If not, don't waste your keystrokes).

Everyone certainly has legitimate consumer problems, but not everyone's problems are news stories.

Nothing personal.

But if you take it personally, so will I. Delete.

Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.