While the Sunday-morning news shows were full of political discussions and other news, those of us who are here even between conventions had to wonder how Northeast Ohio was being presented to the worldwide audience.
There had been reason to cringe when CBSNews.com decided this was just the right occasion for a post about “notorious Cleveland crimes.” Among the criminals: Ariel Castro, Anthony Sowell and Jeffrey Dahmer (who did most of his killing outside Ohio but was included because “he killed his first victim at his childhood home in Bath Township.”
And, especially for anyone who has plans in Cleveland, there were the unsettling discussions across news media about whether the city’s security was good enough. A CNN report later in the day, following the murders in Baton Rouge, La., ominously noted that Cleveland was a potential target not only because of the convention but because of the enormous law-enforcement presence.
One passer-by in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon was heard referring to “so many cops.” Not long after, I passed a large group including state highway patrolmen and others — but I’d hardly expect them to be solo in light of current events.
Earlier Sunday, This Week host (and former Clevelander) George Stephanopoulos grilled Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson about security. Jackson was so low-key in his responses, you’d have thought he was trying to put the audience (including protesters) to sleep.
But Ohio was also showcased for more than just the potential for violence. On Fox New Sunday, Bret Baier pointed out that the Ohio delegation is “jammed in the corner” because “these states are organized by how they voted for Donald Trump, not by their importance as being swing states or even the home state.” And Trump lost the Ohio primary to Gov. John Kasich.
Added Chris Wallace: “In my experience, which goes back a lot of conventions, the home state always …is, if not at the front, very close to the front.”
Still, while some people still think you can’t talk about Cleveland without “mistake” and “lake,” there were valentines for the region, especially on CBS Sunday Morning.
Mo Rocca — whom you may remember for his 2015 visit with the LeBron James Grandmothers Fan Club on his Cooking Channel series — offered an admiring look at Cleveland’s history and innovations.
All right, so he also had mistake and lake. Overall he was really nice.
A second Sunday Morning piece, by Scott Simon, showcased Cleveland Play House.
And even a piece on the 75th anniversary of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak noted it ended “in CLEVELAND, as it happened.”
Out and about
I spent part of Sunday wandering in downtown Cleveland, trying to navigate around blockades and closed roads; watching police patiently redirect drivers, some of whom seemed unfamiliar with officers’ hand signals, and eyeing a vendor’s display of freshly made Trump-Pence buttons ($5 for one or $10 for three, and with three you could mix buttons and bumper stickers).
I also checked out a couple of the major gathering places for news and information operations, the “media row” in a Quicken Loans Arena parking deck and the Huntington Bank Convention Center.
Media row was in fact a long, winding stretch of spots where radio in particular could set up for interviews — since they were conveniently near the Q, and inside the security zone — and broadcasts during the convention. With the big doings not starting until Monday, parts of it were still being assembled, or had no one working yet.
Still, you could see everything from a single table with a couple of chairs for one radio station, to an elaborate setup for CNN, and large sections encompassing not only radio networks but a fistful of affiliates. And some commentary: a worker at one right-wing outlet wore a “Hillary for Prison” T-shirt.
The presence of newer media was also evident, whether it was a Buzzfeed News sign explaining how people could use the Facebook Messenger app to “tell us your convention story” to Facebook Live locations where news outlets could live-stream, elaborately near the Q and more casually in the convention center.
What a few months ago had been a huge, empty space in the convention center is now a massive media headquarters. You walk through aisles between high curtains, behind which news organizations’ staffs and equipment are gathered. Not that all places are like that. In another area, you find rows of individually numbered spots for reporters who had sought just a desk and a way to file.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, Ohio.com, Facebook and Twitter. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.