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April 12, 2002
Info Flow suspended until further notice
Info Flow, Blair's televised morning announcement program, remains suspended from production while the producers of the show plan its future.
Info Flow, a production of the student-run Blair Network Communications (BNC), was originally suspended on April 12 by Media Teacher and BNC General Manager Christopher Lloyd. According to Lloyd, the suspension was due to the content of the April 12 edition of Info Flow. Lloyd said that he had suspended production because of “the inappropriate nature of the show today."
The show in question was filmed in different locations throughout the school; one was in a bathroom with one host in the foreground reading an announcement and the other host in the background in front of a toilet. Lloyd described this as "emulating urination" and not appropriate.
"I found it was not [what] I would expect and does not represent Blair well," Lloyd said.
According to Annie Welch, Production and Engineering Executive Director for BNC, Lloyd's decision was in anticipation of a strong faculty response to the show. "He knew that scene was going to cause problems," Welch said.
Lloyd suspended the show "before he got [that] flood of emails" from faculty, Welch said.
According to Welch, the show's suspension is now under the authority of BNC's student Executive Staff. Welch could not be certain when Info Flow would return to production
In a press release on April 18, the Executive Staff noted that the shot that prompted this action was not the first such problem. "The show in question... was not simply an isolated incident in which the show contained inappropriate material. The Info Flow producers and BNC's Executive Staff have been working with faculty and Administration... to clarify the boundaries of appropriate content for the show; shooting in the bathroom was previously deemed inappropriate in our meetings with the administration," the release states.
Lloyd agreed with this assessment. "This follows meetings with both the FAC - the Faculty-Administrative Council - as well as with [Principal Phillip] Gainous, Lloyd said. "[Gainous] asked for a greater degree of professionalism and a better show."
The FAC is made up of a combination of Blair administrators and teachers.
According to Welch, BNC is using the hiatus from production to examine how to produce the best show it can. "It's mainly a deal of, we know we can do better," said Welch. In the midst of a production process, "you can't really make changes," Welch added.
The Executive Staff is determined to preserve the quality of Info Flow while satisfying the show's critics. "It's a good show," said Welch. "We don't want to produce something that isn't the best.... We're trying to help the administration with their concerns, we're trying to help the FAC with their concerns."
Info Flow is normally subjected to an editorial process between the production and airing of each show. The Info Flow staff consists of five producers, organized by Coordinating Info Flow Producer An Nguyen-Gia. The producer organizes the filming of show, and edits the show together. Nguyen-Gia then views the show.
On April 11, when the show in question was produced, Nguyen-Gia was out of town with Blair's band.
Welch suggested that safeguards for such eventualities would be part of the studio's reforms. "Maybe one of the changes will be more review process," Welch said.
One problem BNC encounters with Info Flow ("IF") is the significant amount of criticism the show regularly receives. Said Welch, "Everyone always has problems with IF, regardless of if [the show] is top-notch."
According to Welch, criticism comes from all quarters and is hard to satisfy. "You have the students, you have the faculty, you have the administration, you have the parents, and you have the factions within all of those," Welch said. "Someone's always going to have a problem [with the show]."
In addition to Welch, the BNC Executive Staff consists of Television Executive Director Laura Beach, Internet Executive Director Robert Day, and Radio Executive Director Eli Roth (Day is also an Editor-in-Chief of Silver Chips Online).
The Info Flow staff has met with Blair administrators several times. Before the recent meeting with Gainous, the IF producers and the BNC executive staff met with the FAC, whose main concern was the seriousness of the show and the clarity of the audio. "I think their main concern was the music and the hosts taking the announcements seriously.
Attendance Secretary Roxanne Fus preceded the Monday, April 15 Info Flow with an announcement that Info Flow would be broadcast for the remainder of the week over the PA system due to "technical difficulties." Fus said that her error was due solely to having not been informed of the true nature of the situation.
No date has been set for Info Flow to return to the airwaves, but the BNC press release assures the Blair Community that "the suspension of the show... does not imply that Info Flow will be cancelled for the remainder of the year."
Info Flow, a production of the student-run Blair Network Communications (BNC), was originally suspended on April 12 by Media Teacher and BNC General Manager Christopher Lloyd. According to Lloyd, the suspension was due to the content of the April 12 edition of Info Flow. Lloyd said that he had suspended production because of “the inappropriate nature of the show today."
The show in question was filmed in different locations throughout the school; one was in a bathroom with one host in the foreground reading an announcement and the other host in the background in front of a toilet. Lloyd described this as "emulating urination" and not appropriate.
"I found it was not [what] I would expect and does not represent Blair well," Lloyd said.
According to Annie Welch, Production and Engineering Executive Director for BNC, Lloyd's decision was in anticipation of a strong faculty response to the show. "He knew that scene was going to cause problems," Welch said.
Lloyd suspended the show "before he got [that] flood of emails" from faculty, Welch said.
According to Welch, the show's suspension is now under the authority of BNC's student Executive Staff. Welch could not be certain when Info Flow would return to production
In a press release on April 18, the Executive Staff noted that the shot that prompted this action was not the first such problem. "The show in question... was not simply an isolated incident in which the show contained inappropriate material. The Info Flow producers and BNC's Executive Staff have been working with faculty and Administration... to clarify the boundaries of appropriate content for the show; shooting in the bathroom was previously deemed inappropriate in our meetings with the administration," the release states.
Lloyd agreed with this assessment. "This follows meetings with both the FAC - the Faculty-Administrative Council - as well as with [Principal Phillip] Gainous, Lloyd said. "[Gainous] asked for a greater degree of professionalism and a better show."
The FAC is made up of a combination of Blair administrators and teachers.
According to Welch, BNC is using the hiatus from production to examine how to produce the best show it can. "It's mainly a deal of, we know we can do better," said Welch. In the midst of a production process, "you can't really make changes," Welch added.
The Executive Staff is determined to preserve the quality of Info Flow while satisfying the show's critics. "It's a good show," said Welch. "We don't want to produce something that isn't the best.... We're trying to help the administration with their concerns, we're trying to help the FAC with their concerns."
Info Flow is normally subjected to an editorial process between the production and airing of each show. The Info Flow staff consists of five producers, organized by Coordinating Info Flow Producer An Nguyen-Gia. The producer organizes the filming of show, and edits the show together. Nguyen-Gia then views the show.
On April 11, when the show in question was produced, Nguyen-Gia was out of town with Blair's band.
Welch suggested that safeguards for such eventualities would be part of the studio's reforms. "Maybe one of the changes will be more review process," Welch said.
One problem BNC encounters with Info Flow ("IF") is the significant amount of criticism the show regularly receives. Said Welch, "Everyone always has problems with IF, regardless of if [the show] is top-notch."
According to Welch, criticism comes from all quarters and is hard to satisfy. "You have the students, you have the faculty, you have the administration, you have the parents, and you have the factions within all of those," Welch said. "Someone's always going to have a problem [with the show]."
In addition to Welch, the BNC Executive Staff consists of Television Executive Director Laura Beach, Internet Executive Director Robert Day, and Radio Executive Director Eli Roth (Day is also an Editor-in-Chief of Silver Chips Online).
The Info Flow staff has met with Blair administrators several times. Before the recent meeting with Gainous, the IF producers and the BNC executive staff met with the FAC, whose main concern was the seriousness of the show and the clarity of the audio. "I think their main concern was the music and the hosts taking the announcements seriously.
Attendance Secretary Roxanne Fus preceded the Monday, April 15 Info Flow with an announcement that Info Flow would be broadcast for the remainder of the week over the PA system due to "technical difficulties." Fus said that her error was due solely to having not been informed of the true nature of the situation.
No date has been set for Info Flow to return to the airwaves, but the BNC press release assures the Blair Community that "the suspension of the show... does not imply that Info Flow will be cancelled for the remainder of the year."
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It is my understanding that the morning announcements will be read over the PA system during the time normally reserved for Info Flow.
show and please don't suspend it.
FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT! TO POTTY!
-Chris
BNC Engineer
An aside dose it annoy anybody else that when Mr. Ganious is saying the plege, he says "under gaurd" insted of "under God". It really kinda annoys me and really dosen't make any sense.
The lack of appreciation and understanding of the show results in the product that we currently have. (Which, by the way, is not half bad)
Although Lloyd has a good idea of the work that goes into the daily show, I am surprised that he would act so harshly because of a single scene. In the past there have been worse situations that have been handled in a "professional" matter. I believe that if Gainous wants a better, "professional" product, he should give the staff of Info-flow more support, rather than the harsh criticism. Who among you (this goes mostly to teachers, not students) has actually talked to the info-flow staff? Or for that matter, gone to BNC in the first place? Do YOU pay attention to info flow? Did THAT scene make you pay attention? Furthermore, do you remember the announcement the students made in the scene? If you can, and if it did, I believe the point was made. The student body, the faculty of Blair, and the Administration should take a more POSITIVE role in Info-Flow, rather than simply shutting it down.
In defense of Mr. Gainous, he is the principal of the school, and it is his JOB to make sure Blair has a good image. Changing "God" to "guard" isn't such a big deal; it's so small that for some people, an accent can make the difference.
Finally, if you want to be REALLY anal about the pledge's wording, "under God" wasn't even there until fifty or sixty years ago, when President Eisenhower stuck it in.
As far as whether or not this suspension of production was reasonable, I draw your attention to the fact that the Info Flow staff had been expressly instructed not to film in the bathroom. I don't necessarily support the suspension, but I think that's why it happened.
And Joe, I'm glad you found a reason to hate Eisenhower.
The problem with Info Flow is that instead of sitting down and planning the show out, the producers grab one of the editing stations and start throwing all the special effects and overmodulated music that can fit in five minutes. I personally would rather see a well-thought-out live news show than random camera angles and star wipes. It seems a bad representation of such a well-equipped and respected communications network.
Also, I don't understand why the "Under god," line is in the pledge in the first place. Whatever happened to separation of church and state? However, I feel that the rest of the pledge is fine, and complies with the constitution, and I see no reason why every student does not say the pledge. By living in this country, everyone agrees to the items stated in the pledge, so why not show respect for the country and at least stand for the pledge every morning. I say the pledge every morning, and I just skip the part that says 'Under god,".
The other thing is that now I find that people pay more attention to the annoucments. This may be because the anocuments now aren't distracting. Also you actually have to listen to the anoucments. Sometimes more is less.
In terms of the info flow situation... Harry (please post last names, folks, it makes the conversation feel a lot more real), you may be trying to find malicious intent where none exists. Ms Fus wasn't told why IF needed the pa, and i think tech difficulties are a reasonable assumption.
it seems there are two basic schools of thought about info flow: One is that it should be as simple as possible so that the announcements are clearly and completely conveyed. The other is that it should take full advantage of the creative potential of the medium and thus optimally engage student interest.
I think a happy medium is possible. Creative filming locations, etc, but _clear reading_ and _quiet or absent music_ so that the announcements are intelligible.
In terms of appropriateness? Use your head. I think it's common sense.
As far as "god" in the pledge goes: religion is a personal thing. If anyone has a right to be offended, it's those of us who do not believe in a god who have a right to be offended by the presence of the word in the pledge - practically in implication that we should in order to be "good Americans" (nonsense- America is about freedom of things like belief). Removing religion from the pledge makes it universally compatible.
This raises an interesting point. If my memory serves correctly, the reason IF started using a tape of mr. Gainous saying the pledge is that some teachers objected to the seriousness with which students were saying it. As an IF host, I'm relieved by that because I do not feel comfortable saying the pledge. But for the wider audience: how important is the Pledge as a component of the show?
Also, what do you folks think is an acceptable standard for the show in general?
As a side note, I find that without the interesting backgrounds and pictures on info flow, almost nobody listens to the announcements. (You have to admit, Info Flow is different, not many people would put a bathroom into heir show)
...who are bathrooms inappropriate for?
Regarding the comment about Ms Fus' addendums. I agree that they are a distraction however the reason is that the show is generally completed late in the afternoon the day before it airs so sports scores dont have time to get written in. Other announcements should be removed and follow the standard procedure for inclusion.
About putting the show in the bathroom. Yes, everyone does go to the bathroom. Everyone also showers, gets dressed, sleeps and other things that aren't appropriate to be airing on broadcast TV, much less an inhouse educational program that students must watch.
In middle school, one of my math teachers was studying to become an administrator, and one of us asked her to find out whether administration can suspend you for not standing during the pledge. She told us that there is a section of MCPS policy somewhere that specifically forbids suspension for not standing for the pledge. I don't know where it is, but you could look it up.
Hook those cables up! We wanna see IF too.
"You will have the opportunity to participate in and/or watch patriotic exercises in school. You cannot be required to say a pledge, sing an anthem, or take part in patriotic exercises. No one will be permitted to intentionally embarrass you if you choose not to participate."
So, like I said before, they can't suspend you. If they do anyways, the appeals process is outlined on page 10 of the Rights/Responsibilities packet.
On to Info-Flow. (How is the name written, anyway?) I was in Florida for that announcement and first and foremost I would like to commend SC for having this story up. I may have gone on thinking that the engineers were inept for suffering technical difficulties based on the information I could get from the announcement. At any rate, I found it easier to listen to the televised broadcast and I know that other students in my 3rd pd. class have missed announcements on meetings in the past two days. That reflects rather badly on discontinuing Info-Flow, even temporarily and I’d have to disagree that the music was overly distracting. It may not match my personal tastes, but it did encourage me to pay some measure of attention to the announcements. Lately, I haven’t felt that pressure. In addition, I don’t find the idea of seeing a toilet on TV offensive in the slightest. I mean to say, I see the things on a regular basis and I don’t doubt that the administration can say the same. So… where’s the harm? We have to deal with far worse and in this day and age, toilets are a source of amusement. Times change. What was once indecent can become society’s norm, and what I, as a student, term as an over-reaction is a very real example of obscenity to some adults. However, Info-flow is for the entire population of Blair. Now, I realise that as students, we have next to no rights and are at the mercy of the staff. It’s the price we pay for education. However, we do comprise the larger part of the school in sheer volume. Info-flow is student-produced. Can’t we have just one thing geared to us rather than having everything pandering to the values of the smaller non-minor population?
On a final note, kudos to the woobie folks who try to make Info-flow spectacular and novel every day of the year. It may seem a thankless job, but I now know how boring announcements can be without that daily dose of what I once considered a nuisance. I’ll try to make it a point to not take you for granted ever again. ^_^
Regarding Uh's comment about some classrooms being unable to view IF: Whenever we get a complaint of that we go and fix it. Every instructional area in this school is wired and capable of recieving the show, however if we're not informed that there is a problem we can't fix it. If you can't see the show in the morning then get your teacher to file a complaint or just email me at chmullig@mbhs.edu.
Junior: I hope what you wrote was a parody. We've established previously in this dialogue that often times the creativity does make students pay attention and remember that you have to watch this show every single school day, a little variety keeps people on there toes. How far is too much? Aparently that line has been crossed several times this year.
I will defend IF to the death when they're in the right, however bathrooms ARE innappropriate to be airing on closed circuit TV. I don't care if you think that that's socially unjust or what, but that is the truth.
It's a shame that Info Flow will probably undergo a dip in quality now, since the producers will now have to operate under new, stricter guidelines.
P.S. Kudos to the administration of for their bold strike against bathrooms and creativity everywhere.
Where in there does it say anything about standing for a pledge? Admin can interpret standing as simply respecting the pledge, not taking part in it. That's how they can suspend people for it, correct me if there's more in the student handbook.
As for the scene in the bathroom. In hindsight, that was totally inappropriate. But considering the amount of stress my producer was under on that day, I don't know that even I would have caught it. And Jeremy: If Mr. Gainous explicitly told IF producers two weeks ago not to use footage in a bathroom, that's news to me. We had a meeting in March, but we discussed larger issues such as the resentment many teachers hold against IF for taking up class time or why practically no students pay attention to IF, and how to change that.
I'm glad that some of you realize the effort we put into making the show. We've gotten a total of 2 good comments from teachers this year, it's nice to hear from students. Thanks for your support.
Furthermore, for those people that think that this suspension was warranted, give me a break. Ok, maybe it was slightly inappropriate to shoot in the bathroom, but not to the extent that it should be shut down for a week. Creativity is a large part of info flow, and if that's what it takes to get students to pay attention, then maybe it's warranted. I guarantee that when IF goes back on the air, that more people will be watching, so if anything, at least we're getting publicity
However, I do understand the stress and hard work that goes into producing a video product especially under severe time constraints, having been part of a high school TV studio for two years. I too have dealt with people who do not know what a hassle it is. All I'm saying is that if I had edited this show knowing that it might cause controversy and would go straight to air without being reviewed, I would be willing to personally accept the responsibility.
I apologize for having offended anyone.
(nb, this comment, as well as Junior's, I hope, is satirical)
IF is a show produced under a lot of pressure of different kinds, and I'm certain that comments praising the good would be just as helpful, if not more so, than criticizing the bad. After all, merely saying that something the show has done is bad doesn't tell them what they _should_ do.
On a different note, it would make Info-Flow more interesting (and no less comprehensible) if they continued doing those "check this out" things (for lack of a better name) after all the annoucements (where you just saw clips of random people talking about something, like where they were going for the weekend, what they thought of fish, whatever). Those were amusing, and it would be great if they were brought back.
same time it was very inappropriate for mature high school students. Especially with the hosts being of the opposite sex. Why would they want to incorporate urination with the news; its just faul. He didn't even wash his hands befor grabbing the mic.
There still need to be more teachers here, I KNOW you are reading these posts. And while we are at it, I think the Administration should share as well.
Here is my constructive criticism:
Yes, as youth you are almost driven to push the envelope (i.e. - filming in the bathroom). But don't let that overshadow the valuable service that you and the production staff are providing. Creativity is a must. But to offend (purposefully or not) will not be allowed in school. This is just a fact of life.
I would love to see the Info Flow return as an even better show. Time to restructure. Why not a more MTV like news program? Hip, fast, musical but deliberate in it's content and clarity.
I enjoyed the "check this out" part of previous shows. Want to keep someone's attention, keep them guessing, don't offend them or put them off (student or faculty). Dazzle us with your creativity given the bounds you must not cross. For those who have studied him, Shakespeare was a genius at this. He tempered the most tragic of scenes with the wit of his characters.
Many of the current and past IF staff voiced their problems with the timeline that IF presents. Time is always at a premium. Perhaps you might look at the "process" of producing IF. If you could find a more efficient way to use your production time, you might have the time to be able to make a show that is BOTH clear and engaging (a hit so to speak).
My point, though I'm awful at expressing it, is that this is a matter of personal opinion and everyone's personal ability to accept other people's opinions. I accept yours, so why can't you accept mine? I apoligize for being really bad at expressing myself. I'm cursed.
It's not about choosing to say god or guard, its about saying it right. If Mr. Gainous is leading the pledge, he should lead it with the right words. I think the right words are offensive to some people, but they are the right words and the person saying them for everyone should get them right.
Personally, I think that the music was a good idea, except for some (few) times when very loud music pulled away from hearing the announcements. All in all, the music DOES help, it makes it seem MORE professional and less like a cheap-high school show.
My biggest problem with Info Flow isn't really a problem with Info Flow at all. It's about other students not respecting the need for some of us to hear those announcements. Many times, the noise of other students talking over the announcements has made it impossible to hear what was being announced. This has nothing to do with Info Flow staff and isn't directed towards them.
As to the bathroom scene and it's "obscenity" or not, well, yes, we all use them, and yes, we all know they're there, but honestly... using the bathroom in privacy is one thing, on TV to 3200 odd people is another. I, personally, don't really want to see someone pretend to urinate on camera. The issue isn't with bathrooms, it's with bathrooms ON CAMERA. When you're taping something and showing it to an audience, there are all these issues that come up, completely independant of life.
However, although I do believe that the scene in question was a little inappropriate (a LITTLE) I don't think Gainous should have taken Info Flow off the air because of it. Rather, a warning (as people said, his warning was a long time ago and the producer didn't know) would have been more effective.
In conclusion, I want Info Flow back! And those "check this out!" things too... Sorry if it's hard to shoot, so maybe not those... I think it was the sports things? You had these montages of athletics around the end of their seasons, and that was really cool.
Please stream episodes of Info Flow on your website, like the way you did on your old site. I loved being able to see my favorite episodes again.
Also, if possible, stream some of your other TV and radio shows.
You have a difficult job that comes up for you everyday with very little encouragement, so here's a little: You make a good product. Whether or not one could criticize the particular choices made for the bathroom show is beside this particular point. The show is done well despite the difficulties the staff must face and I hope you are not completely disheartened by the suspension.
As for the pledge (and yes, this is off the point of the article, but since the subject has come into the discussion, I think it needs to be addressed):
I for one am proud that we have a principal who will stand up (no pun intended) for the pledge that he believes in. I say the pledge in its entiriety everyday because that's what I believe, and that is the right action for me. But I don't presume to believe that all people believe in god or guard or the pledge in general. I would certainly never be offended by someone being silent during the pledge, or even sitting. I think the people who are criticizing these pledge dissenters should get off their high horse. How can this possibly offend you? Are you so close minded or insecure to be actually OFFENDED by someone choosing to say words different from you? Congratulations to Mr. Gainous and all the students and staff who do what's right for them regarding the pledge. Lots of support to the Info Flow staff. Also, much appreciation goes to Silver Chips Online for posting such a well written story so quickly (yeah Joe). I hope I haven't offended anybody here, but I think the criticisms on this page should be better thought out before posted. A lot of hard work goes on the line for Info Flow, and a lot of believes for the pledge argument.
P.S. Is there any truth to the rumor that IF has been cancelled for the rest of the year?
About the "check this out" segments of Info Flow: first, i think that the teachers are in the wrong in calling for their cancelation just because they aren't full of newsworthy material. they are interesting and undisruptive, and as long as the fall within the 6-minute time limit they aren't taking away from classtime. Secondly, i didn't realize that section was such a pain to produce. Maybe if the producers just didn't go into the cafeteria, or did that part after school (with various clubs or something) where there is no food available for throwing, it would work out.
Thanks for the kind words, and regarding that rumor, I draw your attention to the last paragraph of the story. :)
I ought to look into that, though, if Goldman is telling his classes that it's cancelled for the rest of the year... hmm....
just some things to consider
IF did a great job but with the bathroom, why even go there?
Are you sure Info Flow is cancelled for the rest of the year?
Here's an idea (and hopefully no one will slander me for this): Perhaps BNC Radio could do an announcement show over the PA?