Zoey Tur

Zoey Tur

Tur in 2015
Born Robert Albert Tur
(1960-06-08) June 8, 1960
Los Angeles County, California, United States
Other names Bob Tur, Hanna Tur, Hanna Zoey Tur
Occupation Reporter, journalist
Spouse(s) Marika Gerrard (1980–2003)
Children Katy Tur
James Tur

Hanna Zoey Tur,[1] known professionally by the name Zoey Tur (born Robert Albert "Bob" Tur, June 8, 1960), is an American broadcast reporter best known for designing and building one of the first modern news helicopters used for live news reporting.[2][3] As a broadcast reporter, and eventual 10,000 hour commercial pilot,[4] Tur created the Los Angeles News Service with fellow reporter, and former wife, Marika Gerrard. Their news service was the first to use an AStar helicopter in a major city for the coverage of live breaking news,[3] and the first to televise a high-speed police chase.[5] Other noteworthy reporting included the attack on Reginald Denny during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[6] Tur was also the first to locate and televise O. J. Simpson's infamous slow-speed chase in 1994.[7]

As a team, Tur and ex-wife Marika Gerrard received three Television News Emmy Awards;[8] two Edward R. Murrow Awards[9] for broadcast excellence (for her reporting on the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and a feature on Jewish Americans leaving their homes for Israel at a time of war); an Associated Press National Breaking News award; and The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Humanitarian Award.[10]

Early life and education

Tur dropped out of community college at age 18 in 1978.[11]

Career

In 1988, Tur was credited by the Los Angeles Times with saving the lives of 54 people during a freak southern California storm in January 1988.[12]

In 1991, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revoked Tur's pilot's license for "reckless flying" after a complaint from the Los Angeles City Fire Department.[5] In 1995, a California Superior Court ruled against the Los Angeles Fire Department for suborning perjury in the original FAA action, awarding $550,000 and ruling that "public employees are not immune from liability for malicious prosecution if they instigate the prosecution through fraudulent, corrupt or malicious misrepresentations".[13][14]

Tur has been credited with locating seven missing aircraft.[5]

In December 1996, she appeared in a two-part episode of the ITV documentary Police Camera Action! with Alastair Stewart called The Man Who Shot OJ.

In August 2006, Tur was cited by Israeli medics for saving the life of an IDF soldier during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict[15]

In 2007, Tur hosted a documentary series on MSNBC called Why They Run.[16] The show reported on why criminal suspects ran from police, and included interviews with those actually involved in the country's most notorious police pursuits.

In February 2015, Tur was hired by Inside Edition to appear on three episodes, becoming the first openly transgender television reporter on American television.[17][18][19] In February and March 2015, Tur appeared on CNN, TMZ, and on Dr. Drew On Call on HLN.[20]

Controversy

Advocates for transgender rights have widely criticized Tur's public statements about trans women, the legitimacy of trans men, gender stereotypes and the sexuality of trans people. On Dr. Drew On Call in March 2015, she sparked controversy by saying that a transgender woman using a women's locker room at a Michigan Planet Fitness was a dangerous predator; she said that the trans woman was really going to the bathroom to "perv out on women". Her critics have included Dana Beyer of Gender Rights Maryland, Shannon Minter of The National Center for Lesbian Rights, trans journalist Parker Marie Molloy, and trans blogger Mya Adriene Byrne.[21][22][23][24] In the summer of 2013, Tur made a controversial remark during a TMZ video chat: "[Tur] doesn't believe women can make the same quick, decisive decisions like men when piloting an aircraft."[25]

In July 2015, while on Dr. Drew On Call talking about Caitlyn Jenner accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, attorney and Breitbart editor-at-large Ben Shapiro called Zoey Tur "sir," and Tur responded by putting her hand on Shapiro's neck and telling Shapiro that if he did not stop, he would be going home in an ambulance.[26][27] Shapiro filed a police report charging Tur with battery regarding the incident, and said he intends to press charges.[28]

Personal life

Tur's 23-year marriage to Marika Gerrard came to an end in 2003. The couple had two children: Katy (born in 1983),[29] a news reporter, and James (born 1985),[30] a medical student.[24]

In 2014, Tur revealed that he was undergoing hormone replacement therapy.[31]

References

  1. ↑ "Zoey Tur Sex Change -- Final Detail in Male-To-Female Change". www.tmz.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  2. ↑ Date of birth found on the California Birth Index 1905-1995 under TUR, ROBERT A, on June 8, 1960, in Los Angeles County.
  3. 1 2 New Yorker Magazine-August 1, 1994.
  4. ↑ FAA pilot records.
  5. 1 2 3 Jerome, Richard; Young, Stanley (September 12, 1994), "Chopper Newshounds Bob and Marika Tur are L.A.'s Prying Eyes in the Sky", People, retrieved October 1, 2009
  6. ↑ "YouTube Hit With Copyright Suit". NY Times. July 19, 2006. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  7. ↑ CBS News, 60 Minutes-The Man That Shot O.J.
  8. ↑ Gerard, Jeremy (June 7, 1993). Variety and Daily Variety Television Reviews, 1993-1994. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  9. ↑ KCBS News Radio-San Francisco-Loma Prieta Earthquake-October 17, 1989.
  10. ↑ "NATIONAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION Humanitarian Award". NATIONAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  11. ↑ Richard Jerome (September 12, 1994). "Hot Shots". People. Retrieved March 19, 2015. When they met in 1978, Tur was an 18-year-old college dropout employed as a part-time wire service reporter and photographer...
  12. ↑ "Gathering More Than News" Editorial Section-January 20, 1988.
  13. ↑ "Reporter wins malicious prosecution suit; jury awards $550,000". Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. September 20, 1994. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  14. ↑ Superior Court of California No. BC075051. Hon. Victor E. Chavez.
  15. ↑ HDNews (VOOM), News 12-Long Island.
  16. ↑ Ariens, Chris (September 4, 2007). "MSNBC Ramps Up Doc Production". Media Bistro. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  17. ↑ Mitch Kellaway (March 23, 2015). "Trans Reporter Zoey Tur in Hot Water Over Remarks on Trans Bodies, Rights". The Advocate. Retrieved March 23, 2015. This week, Inside Edition confirmed to The Advocate that the show has ended its relationship with Tur, but claimed the decision was not influenced by the increasing outcry about Tur's public comments. "It was just a part-time assignment, for February sweeps," co-executive producer Esther Pressin stated. "She did three stories for us, and we're done."
  18. ↑ Rothaussrothaus, Steve (January 29, 2015). "Transgender TV news reporter Zoey Tur, formerly Chopper Bob, joins ‘Inside Edition’". The Miami Herald. Miamiherald.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Is transgender community ready for close-up?". Usatoday.com. January 31, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  20. ↑ Mitch Kellaway (March 23, 2015). "Trans Reporter Zoey Tur in Hot Water Over Remarks on Trans Bodies, Rights". The Advocate. Retrieved March 23, 2015. In the weeks since she landed the role, she's been invited to speak on hot-button trans news stories – including Planet Fitness cancelling a woman's membership after she repeatedly complained about a trans woman and speculation on Bruce Jenner's gender identity – for several news programs, including shows on CNN, TMZ, and HLN.
  21. ↑ Mitch Kellaway (March 23, 2015). "Trans Reporter Zoey Tur in Hot Water Over Remarks on Trans Bodies, Rights". The Advocate. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  22. ↑ Zack Ford (March 20, 2015). "An Imperfect Spokesperson: The Transgender Backlash Against Zoey Tur". ThinkProgress. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  23. ↑ Dana Beyer (March 12, 2015). "Locker Room Frenzy Returns: Planet Fitness, Zoey Tur and the Politics of False Movement Messiahs". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  24. 1 2 Lorraine Ali (March 31, 2015). "FOR ZOEY TUR, A NEW LIFE AS TRANSGENDER WOMAN TAKES FLIGHT". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  25. ↑ TMZ Staff (June 12, 2013). "Bob Tur Famed Chopper Pilot To Become a Woman". TMZ. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Ben Shapiro threatened by transgender reporter Zoey Tur: 'You'll go home in an ambulance' - Washington Times". The Washington Times. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  27. ↑ Allahpundit (July 17, 2015). "Transgender reporter to Ben Shapiro: You keep calling me “sir,” you’ll go home in an ambulance". Hot Air. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  28. ↑ Datoc, Christian (20 July 2015). "Breitbart’s Ben Shapiro Raises Battery Charges Against Transgender Reporter Zoey Tur". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  29. ↑ Date of birth found on the California Birth Index 1905-1995 under TUR, KATHARINE BEAR, on October 26, 1983, in Los Angeles County.
  30. ↑ Date of birth found on the California Birth Index 1905-1995 under TUR, JAMES BEAR, on November 19, 1985, in Los Angeles County.
  31. ↑ "O.J. Chopper Pilot -- Completes Sexual Reassignment". www.tmz.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.

External links

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