Emmy doesn’t freshen the odor of Ninagate

Congrats and brickbats.

That duality now defines The Story That Made Headlines For The Wrong Reasons -- last year's in-depth investigation into alleged fraudulent practices of auto repair chain Tire Works by Darcy Spears of KTNV-TV, Channel 13.

You'll recall its snappy shorthand: Ninagate.

Gratefully, we'd relegated one of local TV journalism's sad chapters to a bad memory -- Nina Radetich kept her gig, right or wrong, it's done, move on -- until its specter rose anew when the series won a regional Emmy recently, the station anything but shy about it, heralding the feat in a press announcement.

Despite criticism here of Channel 13's juiced-up, fear-mongering style, only pettiness would prevent congrats from this corner. Therefore: Congrats to Spears, a strong investigative reporter who, along with photographer Ozkar Palomo, copped three little golden gals total, also for series on school district fire guards and the valley's critical care system.

That Radetich -- who intro'd several Tire Works segments -- secretly suggested to Tire Works' owner that her now-husband's PR spin skills could control the image fallout from her own station's rep-damaging reports was not Spears' sin. That the series' impact was compromised when the key evidence of the case, the state's decoy car, was inexplicably auctioned off, persuading the attorney general's office to forgo litigation, did not negate Spears' effort, either.

Yet Emmy gold for this tarnished enterprise feels queasy, given that a station that shrugged off a stunning ethical breach -- via a management whitewash that downplayed a "mistake" and urged absolution for Radetich while she took a fortuitously timed vacation, rather than dismissal or even suspension -- was actually rewarded with an award. Or at least tacitly forgiven with a show of Emmy love.

Submitting the series for consideration inspires a perverse admiration for Channel 13: Nothing makes them blush.

Transgressions by Radetich shouldn't boomerang on Spears? That's simple fairness. As any college philosophy professor can tell you, though: What's right can trump what's fair. Newsrooms function not as individuals, but as a single unit. "Action News" could've asked Spears to bite the bullet on a series Radetich shot in the rump, recognized that its brand had been bloodied and bypassed it as Emmy bait.

Curbing its Emmy-chasing instincts might've restored to its newsroom a measure of integrity the debacle cost them, rather than jumping at the validation of a trophy, some pretty hardware with their name etched into it. Seeking outside glory given an in-house disaster feels small compared to an ideal that would get no public kudos but requires some introspection and guts -- not lying to themselves about the journalistic stain.

Multiple credible stories were available as nominees, evidenced by Spears' other two victories. Apparently, though, a nose-thumbing "So there!" on the Tire Works miasma was the best they could muster, unsurprising from the overlords of a station that could barely work up regret over the original sin that even outraged fellow TV journalists throughout the industry.

Go on, say it: Critic's got Emmy envy, right? Having gagged on Ninagate ...

Only Emmy indigestion.

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.