Castro before a dramatic escape in 2013, is joining Fox 8 News.
In an interview Monday Morning with the effusive morning news team — Wayne Dawson, Stefani Schaefer, Kristi Capel — Berry announced that she’d be part of a new missing-persons segment.
“We’ll be working with law enforcement and anyone who needs our help,” she said.
Berry said that given her family’s arduous and often lonely struggle to obtain information in the aftermath of her own disappearance, she feels uniquely qualified to advocate on behalf of missing persons, especially children.
Which she is. Berry said that she has been working with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children in D.C. ever since her escape, and no one would argue that she is a passionate advocate whose singularly hellish ordeal has been fuel for her advocacy.
But the Fox 8 crew, mindful of Berry’s local fame, could hardly contain themselves as they gushed about the positive feedback on their social media channels. Schaefer told Berry that her presence at Fox 8 would help raise “so much awareness” about the missing persons issue, an issue currently on the minds of local parents after the murder of 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze.
No doubt. But beyond the fact that it will begin airing soon, details about the new segment were in short supply. Much of the interview, billed as an announcement of and an elaboration on Berry’s new role, focused on Berry herself: her family and her daughter (they are happy and healthy); her memories of Seymour Avenue (she tries not go down the path of negativity); and her communication with Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight (it is ongoing, if sporadic, and rarely about the past).
While the content of the upcoming segment is important stuff, Berry is merely a celebrity being used to brand that potential content. To pretend otherwise is, at best, quaint. It’d be as if Joe Thomas were brought on to host a segment about concussions in sports. This is not necessarily bad — it’s true that the celebrity attachment will likely mean greater awareness, and that viewers may value Berry’s contributions, given her decade of captivity — but the whole set-up was frankly pretty gross, in part because it’s clear Fox 8 knows there is something their viewers value even more than content about missing persons, and that’s content about Amanda Berry. This was evident in their 10-second Super Bowl spot Sunday, and in the several teasers during the 8:00 a.m. morning broadcast.
Having Berry “join the team,” means Fox 8 will get exclusive interviews for the duration of her contract — not interviews that Berry conducts (it’s not like she’s a trained reporter) but ones that she sits for. Fox 8 will get to chronicle the next stage of Berry’s life as she ostensibly participates in a news segment, a segment that may become more about her than about the region’s missing persons.
“You can’t have her!” Joked Schaefer, to the cameras (and to the other local news stations). The impression was that Fox 8 had secured a commodity that had been up for grabs. Fox 8 Wins! Fox 8 is the best! Indeed, the interview drifted, finally, into explicit self-promotion (though it had been implicit throughout):
“Tell everyone,” Capel instructed Berry, “how much you love us!”
Here’s the Super Bowl clip.
This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2017.
I’m concerned about your negativity. The woman wants to make a difference. Fox is enabling her to do so. If she wasn’t known and hadn’t been personally hurt by this huge issue, you’d find it totally fine, right? So what does that say? It sounds to me like: Fox doesn’t actually care even though they seem to. Really?
Yeah, right…it’s all about her work with missing and exploited children. Bullshit. If you believe that noise, I have a bridge you might be interested in buying. It’s all about HER.
Why? Because, even four years later, folks in Cleveland can’t get enough dirt about Amanda. The rest of the world has moved on, but not the voyeurs and peepers and sickos in this town. They want, and NEED, to know ALL. That’s twisted, sister.
And since Amanda is still milking her hellish ordeal for all it’s possibly worth (apparently, a LOT of moolah), and hasn’t gotten a life yet, what better opportunity for Fox-8 to exploit HER for all they can get?
Gee, you think it’s a co-inky-dink that this starts in February? Bullshit to that noise, too. February (along with May and November) is a sweeps month, when ratings are calculated. That’s why you see local stations pull crap from their collective wazoos in late winter, every year.
And what this latest farcical move also says to me is that Fox-8 is hurting in the mornings, and eyeballs are glazing over and turning elsewhere. Ya think?
The daily dose of giggling and smirking and gushing by those two silly social-media-oriented airheads, Stefani and Kristi, is excruciating and nauseating to watch, even on a full stomach. Wayne Dawson is still a class act, and I feel sorry that he has to endure these shenanigans. But that sharp dresser with the cool delivery and those mellow tones can cry all the way to the bank.
One has to speculate that this can only be a temporary solution, and not a long-term one, for Fox-8. Even this will get old and stale eventually. Hopefully in a month…two at most.
And fer chrissakes, I hope somebody tells her to lose the facial metal. This is not VH-1 or MTV. It’s more like Empty Vee. I already miss Dick Goddard and his exploited four-foots..
Chuckles the Clown
Your a disgusting person to say the least. After what happened to her she wants to help others is a healthy way to healing herself. Your sicko comment is ugly and unjustified. She earned it in her own right to speak up and speak out. She gets to do whatever she wants from here on out!
Chanel 8 stood by her mother and family since the day she went missing they have a connection she is a strong young woman people need to show respect
She gets to do “whatever she wants from here on out?” Bullcookies! NOBODY does!
Get a clue…it’s not about the kids…it’s all about HER!
She uses them, they use her, both of them use YOU!
Should they hire torture victims to report on torture stories?
Or use people who endured far worse to cover far worse stories?
(Holocaust survivors come to mind). Where does it end?
Fact: Fox-8 is using her to hype sagging ratings and the viewers are being played for suckers.
This is no different from the Michael Stanley cancer stories or any other tear-jerking sweeps ploy. Every day you watch this scam is one more day that you are being chumped.
Knock yourself out!
Bang on that dislike button, folks! You know you want to!
Raspberries to all of you…in advance!
Chuckles the Clown
This article was written by a ass hole..
It’s an excellent idea and anything to help these missing and exploited people is a good idea. Even if it’s only a reminder someone might hear to not give up hope. Way to go Fox 8 News!
U people that said negative comments are disgusting human beings! She deserves everything in life. She has been tortured for 10 years. I’m very happy for her. She deserves the best! Let me see u punk asses go thru what she did an survive. She is strong to be able to help other missing persons. Fucking idiots..smh
Natalie Holloway’s mother has a missing person tv series. John Walsh became a celebrity spokesmodel on America’s Most Wanted because his 6 year old son was kidnapped and murdered. Etc.
These people are notorious victims of especially infamous crimes, and they are popular because of the public’s appetite for voyeurism cannot be satisfied. Is it morally reprehensible? Yeah…..usually. These “famous victims” rarely choose these roles freely and with full appreciation for the permanent loss of dignity and privacy they entail.
I am not best pleased to hear this news, and I worry about whether it best serves the interests of Ms. Berry and her child to keep her in the public eye.
It’s not hard to imagine the Fox 8 management could care less, as long as they make money off her continuing exploitation.
Only a monster would wish harm to any of Castro’s victims. It is possible for reasonable people to perceive harm in publicly exploiting Ms. Berry.
Seems pretty self-evident to me that allowing these women privacy is essential to their well-being, so I condemn a major media outlet persuading Ms. Berry to undermine her own best interests in the race for profits.
@Kathy…yeah, let’s step it up for missing persons, but the way to do this is by demanding the CPD actively investigate their cases.
Not to turn the victims into sideshow performers.
Props to Amanda Berry for taking control of her own life! So many years she had that taken away from her. Now she is making her own decisions and is in control of her life. After so many years of being controlled by a stranger and forced to do things she wouldn’t normally have done. Its up to HER your opinion doesn’t matter. Its what she wants to do and thank god she is strong enough to stand up and speak out!!
Some of you people have a lot of nerve making such comments about Amanda Berry!!!!! Amanda Berry deserves every good thing that life has to offer her after the hell she has endured for 10 years!!! Amanda is a wonderful, positive beautiful person and roll model for others that have endured similar situations!! She’s a glowing example of what you can do with your life after such a tragedy!! Horrible things happen to people very day unfortunately!! And Amanda chose not to sit around and feel sorry for herself, but to use what she went through to help others… I can’t think of anything more admirable!! it’s Amanda ‘s way of moving forward, not letting what happened to her define who she is and it’s also a way for Amanda to give back to the people who didn’t give up on her!! You’re a very strong woman Amanda and I wish you all the best!!