I'm having a hard time tracking who said what in this thread, but here is my two cents:
If any on air talent (typically the lead anchor) has the word "editor" anywhere in his/her title, that person should be writing all of his/her copy. No exceptions. That means never -- not once -- using wire copy or even stories written by others in the newsroom. If a story is from a news service or any other source, the source must be stated at the top and/or bottom of the story, or else that news organization has committed a fraud upon its viewers and should have its license revoked. Of course small market stations will heavily rely on material from elsewhere, but they need to state that. And for large market stations like KCBS to rely on wire stories goes beyond insane. Frankly, CBS ought to lose its right to own stations for allowing that. When it comes to broadcast journalism, I'm going to rely on the words of the late Tom Snyder. He once told a story about fighting with a news director who had ordered Snyder to do wraparounds from the scene of a story a different reporter had covered in an earlier edition of a newscast. When Snyder asked why they would do such a thing, the news director replied it was so they could fool the viewer into thinking Snyder had been there. To which Snyder replied, "The minute you try to fool the viewer, it is all over." I agree with whomever said that folks in small towns are not stupid and they know their local station doesn't have the budget to send reporters out of the county to say nothing of out of the country. However, journalists -- even TV journalists -- must cite their sources, or else they are not journalists. In this case, they are a marketing extension of the TV series "Conan." Having written all of that, I am saddened to report that it is all obsolete information/opinion. The role of a journalist has shifted so dramatically that none of what I wrote matters anymore. Sources don't matter. Attribution doesn't matter. Facts certainly don't matter. TV newscasts exist to bridge the gap between network programing and to provide local sports and weather. Any actual information that might somehow get conveyed is ancillary and the result of pure, dumb luck. Stories long ago stopped being selected based on the public's need to know or right to know. Instead, stories are chosen based on whether they can hold the public's interest through the commercial breaks. Fire always makes for good TV. Then there is the phrase, "If it bleeds, it leads," which used to be reserved for tabloids. Celebrity deaths, marriages, affairs, addictions, and divorces rate highly. Lastly -- yes -- we need the fluff segments to remind us that dogs are cute, old people celebrate birthdays, and the world's fastest hot dog eater hasn't keeled over yet. I've already lost this battle. News isn't newsworthy anymore. The role of a journalist used to be to take what is news and make it entertaining, but now the job description is reveresed -- a journalist must take what is entertaining and make it news. It is a waste of broadcast airwaves, but it fills the gap between Leno or Letterman, so I guess that makes it all worthwhile. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
