Truth, not glitz and glamour
By Joe Rector
Television programming at 7:00 in the evening is less than stellar. In fact, the choice of shows is limited to and made up of court shows and re-runs. Of course, some stations punish viewers with an extra half-hour of local news. The news programs airing on most stations, including the national ones, are more production than information, and that annoys me.
For one thing, I’m over the new way stations choose to work with their staff. News reporters now stand in front of giant screens with vivid pictures of some place or person connected to the story being presented. These presenters then walk to a table or dais in the middle of the set to turn over the next story to a cohort. I’m sure they are exhausted by the time the thirty-minute show is over.
I’d suggest that anchors and others on air “sit down.” Report the news and move on. So many more stories can be presented when those who give the news stay still. Besides, all that movement is more than a little distracting to viewers. Walter Cronkite became a voice on whom Americans could depend, and he never trotted around a set filled with large screens and a chyron constantly running across the screen. The public wants the news, not a show.
Another thing that irritates viewers is the small talk that goes on between the team that is in front of the camera. Chit-chat between segments rarely is interesting or humorous. The babble only makes the news, weather and sportscasters look and sound silly. Most local announcers are recent graduates from programs at UT or another college. Some of their attempts at small talk lose older viewers who have no idea about what they are talking about. Additionally, older folks are suspect of such young people in charge of presenting the news.
On the national scene, every story is presented as a crisis. Few rarely rise to that level. One of the most ridiculous things is the making a crisis of the weather. Throughout my life, the winter has always been harsh in parts of the country. However, now the national news stations make the situation sound worse by saying that “millions of lives are at risk” due to the approaching weather front. Nothing has changed over the years except for the drama that the news has included.
I’m a fussy old guy. What I expect in the news coverage is a presentation of the facts, not conjecture or other biased words. Here in Knoxville, we have had some good, “down-to-earth” news folks. Bill Williams will forever be a standard bearer for good news presentation. I also remember a young woman who came to work at a local station – Carol Utley Marin. She made an impression for her work ethic and hard questioning. Her career led her to work in Chicago and also with national news organizations. Even earlier, I recall Doc Johnston giving the news at 6:00 p.m.
These days, Americans need the news presented simply and truthfully. The glitz and glamour and new sets aren’t needed. What is most important is that those who report the stories daily do so in an honest, journalistic manner. We don’t need entertainment; we need the truth. Let’s encourage all who produce and present television news to commit to it.
