I was a print and broadcast reporter for more than 10 years, and I’ve been in public relations (PR) for the past 13 years since leaving the news business.
This video stunt below, was instigated and assembled by the staff at the Conan O’Brien Show. It demonstrates several glaring problems with the current methods of news gathering in local TV markets across the country.
The video is wickedly funny, but as a former reporter – it’s equally sad because it’s a scathing indictment of a once proud profession.
Here are some of the problems with the media as a former insider, who’s now on the outside looking in….
- Laziness – PR agencies flood newsrooms with press releases that are being carried more and more frequently without any editing or rewriting at all as evidenced in this example. Even if it came from a network feed someone needs to rewrite the stupid thing.
- Carelessness – assignment editors, news writers and show producers are not bothering to even check the facts. If they had picked up the phone to verify the story in this example, they would have at least had the unction to update the lead sentence. No one did.
- Less is less – newsrooms like every other business are facing drastic personnel cuts as a result of the prolonged recession. Those who are fortunate enough to still have jobs are having to do “more with less” but it actually translates to “less is less” as this video shows.
- Lax management – before a broadcast news story airs, it’s supposed to go through a few layers of editorial review. News Directors or Executive Producers are supposed to be the last pair of eyes that read every story to avoid this type of nonsense making it to air, but apparently they’ve got their eyes glued to the bottom line in an effort to keep their jobs.
- Lousy news judgment – why do media outlets insist on covering publicity stunts like this? These affiliates can’t even justify running the story as an effort to promote Conan’s show since he has been off network television for months and broadcasts on the competing cable super-station TBS. This was an epic stunt that none of the news outlets even bothered to question. News judgment is supposed to filter out this type of hyperbole.
At the very least could someone have chosen a better cliche instead of “…pushing the envelope…”???
Oh, I don’t know – something like “The Conan O’Brien Show is breaking new ground…” or “…venturing in uncharted waters” or “…goring the sacred cow of local news media….”
Question: Since local news is becoming more and more laughable, where do you get your news from?
image courtesy realtrends.com
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