KHOG Stretches Wal-Mart Janitor Bust Into ?Crime Beat? Story (Opinion)

KHBS/KHOG, Channels 40/29, led its “Crime Beat” section for several nights in mid-December with a story about the grand jury investigation into Wal-Mart Stores Inc. employing illegal aliens as janitors. Wal-Mart, of course, said the hiring was actually done by subcontractors.

Either way, by the time the Fayetteville/Fort Smith television station showed its mock lineup of criminals, all the hype made us scour the faces to see if Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott was standing there with all the usual suspects, who tend to be methamphetamine dealers.

Although some 250 illegal aliens were arrested in the raids at Wal-Mart stores in 21 states, this story doesn’t fit in with the usual stuff KHOG has in its “Crime Beat.” We think it’s really a business story, and the “Crime Beat” graphics end up making it seem more sensational than it is.