Bob Lonsberry has spent over 40 years in the media production industry, working as a news columnist, broadcaster and radio show host. Lonsberry works on three radio shows with WHAM, WAIO (Radio 95.1) and WSYR stations across Western New York. The career commentator spoke about his time in the media and his thoughts on the future of journalism.
A Career of Controversy
Lonsberry started his career as a news columnist at the Rochester Times-Union in the early 1980s. He made the transition to radio on WHAM by subbing in for hosts on the station until ultimately landing a full-time job. Since then, he has built up his career and partnered with various stations over the years, leading him to where he is today.
In the past, Lonsberry’s commentary has led to controversy, such as with a statement he made in 2003 in which he called William A. Johnson Jr., the first Black mayor of Rochester, an “orangutan.” He apologized for the comment shortly after in a column still viewable on his website and was rehired by the station that had fired him. In 2019, Lonsberry faced backlash for a now-deleted Tweet in which he claimed “‘Boomer’ is the n-word of ageism,” which was corrected by Dictionary.com and spoofed by comedian John Mulaney.
Lonsberry is politically conservative and supportive of the Republican Party. After the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in July, he claimed on his website that “disciples of Karl Marx hope in this country to sow the seeds of revolution ...”
Reflecting on his past controversies, Lonsberry acknowledged that, in many ways, it was part of the commentary industry.
“It's hard to express a viewpoint without it stepping on somebody's toes. That's the nature of a free and pluralistic society,” Lonsberry said. “We all have our viewpoints. And at the end of the day, we're probably freer and better people because of it.”
Similar political commentators, such as Kimberly Rae, Barry Beck and the late Rush Limbaugh, have also cited free speech when facing backlash. Rae and Beck were fired from local station 98.9 FM for transphobic comments. Rae responded to the firing by tweeting, “Freedom of Speech includes the freedom to offend others. You aren’t granted a right to not be offended in this life.”
Commentary Versus News
Lonsberry clarified that his current work is not news or journalism but commentary and reactions to current events at local and national levels. Commentary is often much more opinionated, allowing broadcasters the ability to express their views alongside the information being shared.
“My job is to give you my opinion. My perspective in a newspaper, I would be like the editorial page,” Lonsberry explained. “I think that there's a role for that as sort of a side dish to American journalism. But to the extent it becomes the main course of American journalism, that's not good,” he added.
Hinda Mandell, a journalism professor at RIT, expanded on the differences by clarifying industry practices between news and commentary.
“News uses standard editorial practice that has been a part of the journalistic field for about 100 years, so news is information that has been reported. It is attributed to a source and it is verified,” Mandell explained.
Lonsberry shared his belief that journalists entering the field need to strictly focus on reporting the facts. He added that he hopes that political organizations will have less involvement in the management of news networks. Especially in the age of AI and disinformation, Lonsberry stated that well-written and honest journalism is needed as a defense against people who want to mislead the public.
“I think the path forward is to tell the truth. You should be an advocate for the truth. You shouldn't be trying to advance a party or a candidate or a worldview. You should be reporting the facts, whatever they might be, whether they jive with your personal worldview or not. You should just go out and try to objectively and honestly gather information,” Lonsberry explained. “I believe that a good reporter, a true reporter, is there to serve the audience, not to persuade or control the audience.”
Lonsberry said that he plans to spend another decade or so as a commentator, adding some color to current events while sharing his opinions on the happenings within Western New York. Although he has a checkered past of controversial statements, it is clear he holds care for his craft, and his words are held in high regard by many within the community.
