Have you noticed?
Remember how not long ago Spokespersons for the Police, Fire or Road Departments were senior members of the government agency who were either nearing retirement or had become disabled on-the-job and were very knowledgeable and excellent at answering News Reporters Questions about some breaking news situation?
But have you noticed how many if not most of them have been replaced by some of the same News Reporters who not long ago were asking the questions and now deliver well polished and sanitized Live Reports to the next generation of News Reporters.
Yes, New News Reporters who themselves hope some day to land one of those Government Spokesperson Jobs when they are tasked with crafting Polished and Sanitized news reports (Press Releases) that spin the agency in the best possible light.
What prompted me to write this was watching TV News and how the Good Looking, Pony Tailed, Spin Crafter, Blond, working for little Albany Oregon's Fire Department, delivered 45 seconds of uninterrupted dissertation about recent arson activity in the area to a New News Reporter who simply stood there holding a microphone.
Looks to me that Investigative News Reporting has been reduced to finding the Government Spin Crafter working a Breaking News event. It should be easy to find the Government Spin Crafters as they have faces fit for the camera.
But have you noticed how many if not most of them have been replaced by some of the same News Reporters who not long ago were asking the questions and now deliver well polished and sanitized Live Reports to the next generation of News Reporters.
Yes, New News Reporters who themselves hope some day to land one of those Government Spokesperson Jobs when they are tasked with crafting Polished and Sanitized news reports (Press Releases) that spin the agency in the best possible light.
What prompted me to write this was watching TV News and how the Good Looking, Pony Tailed, Spin Crafter, Blond, working for little Albany Oregon's Fire Department, delivered 45 seconds of uninterrupted dissertation about recent arson activity in the area to a New News Reporter who simply stood there holding a microphone.
Looks to me that Investigative News Reporting has been reduced to finding the Government Spin Crafter working a Breaking News event. It should be easy to find the Government Spin Crafters as they have faces fit for the camera.
posted by Localfella at 7:31 AM
1 Comments:
Not actually news. I've several former employees and media friends who are now bringing in the big bucks--along with the PERS account--working for government agencies.
The performance bar is low and the pay is high. Kinda a no-brainer. Especially when you look at the new breed of reporter being created by our colleges and universities. I asked a soon-to-graduate student what the course materials were in upper division classes in Broadcast Journalism. He replied that he was currently taking a class about the social impact of news on society. When pressed, he had to admit it had nothing to do with who, what, when, where and why. Sad, actually.
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