News Wars - 4th Hour Blog

Chapter 17

The main argument of Chapter 17 was that there has been a change of focus in network news over the years from a quality product and public service to making money. In earlier decades, news organizations were much more focused on quality and public service because they had to be. Ted Koppel cites the fact that the FCC had more control in the earlier years of network news and they used it. He stated that, “section 315 of the FCC code said you shall operate in the public interest, convenience, and necessity”. Koppel also said that today’s journalism does not always follow that guideline and instead has resorted to giving the public what it wants, not what it ought to hear, something he called “one of the greatest tragedies in the history of American journalism”.

The news program, 60 Minutes, was credited as being the turning point when network news realized it could make money off of their programs. Following that, emphasis was put on the de-regulation and corporate takeover that occurred in the 1980’s, specifically the purchasing of CBS by Larry Tisch. When Tisch purchased CBS he had the mentality that he could cut 33% of the organization out while still delivering 90% of the product in order to make more money.

Judging by the support given in this chapter as well as my own experience with network news, I do agree with the argument made. I don’t really have any personal experience with governmental control, de-regulation, or the business behind network news and therefore can only rely on the information presented to me. However, I have noticed that the primetime network news that I have seen does seem to follow the presented trend of giving the public what it wants instead of what it ought to hear. For example, we live in a society that has an insatiable appetite for celebrity news. As that appetite has been acknowledged by other areas of communication it has crept into some major news outlets. Some stories about celebrity marriages, adoptions, births, or other ‘big’ celebrity stories will be covered on something like the CBS Evening News. If people are more interested in celebrities than they are in something like foreign policy, including the celebrity news would follow the argument made by the chapter that networks are ‘giving the public what they want, not what it ought to hear’.

The concept of blogging relates to this trend as well. Many blogs exist as an alternative source of information from what can be found in the mainstream media. They are there to provide the public with what it wants to read/hear. Although blogging isn’t typically thought of as a big money maker which seemed to be an emphasis of current network news, the chapter argued that network news gave the people what it wanted as a means of making money. Bloggers use that concept to attract traffic to their site or get readers interested in what they have to say and therefore the content of blogging is still in line with the trends of current network news.

Chapter 18

The main argument of Chapter 18 was that major changes in news media can be attributed to a changing audience. The first major change pointed out is that audiences are getting younger, and the second is that they are in more control of the content they take in than ever before.

The major audience of traditional news programs like the example given, 60 Minutes, are aged 55+ and those programs are looking to capture the attention of a younger audience. The chapter argues that younger audiences are more in command of what they want and how to get it, sometimes even creating it themselves. This audience change has caused the news media to adapt to meet this need. The prime example given is how 60 Minutes turned to Yahoo to keep up with this change in audience demands. According to Executive Producer, Jeff Fagar, today’s audiences, especially younger ones in the age range of 20-30, have a tendency toward ‘info snacking’. Info snacking was explained as when a person will seek out news for headlines or bits of news that seem interesting to them, read a piece or part of a piece of that news, and possibly follow some other link or move on.

Increasingly, audiences are turning to the internet to engage in this ‘info snacking’ habit. That led 60 Minutes to team up with Yahoo in the first place. It allows them the control to provide content that will reach a younger audience in the format that the younger demographic wishes to receive it. The chapter argues that the demand for increased audience control over how to get the news that they want is fueling networks and other programs to get online as well.

As a part of the younger demographic mentioned in this chapter, I agree with that argument that is presented. There have been many times that I have rolled my eyes at my dad watching 60 Minutes while I bring up an AOL or Yahoo Homepage to keep myself up to date. I felt myself relating to what was being said about the younger audiences throughout the chapter. For example, ‘info snacking’ is something I do on a daily basis. If I’m ever on a news website, or any other website for that matter, I’m always skimming the content only pausing every so often if something catches my eye. I even do that when I look at news media that is not on the internet. I can’t remember the last time I sat down and thoroughly read a full newspaper or magazine just because I wanted to.

The themes of chapter 18 relate well to blogging. Blogs appear on the internet as news sources. Considering that younger audiences are turning to the internet more and more for news, it only makes sense that blogs would be something that would impact them and be, at least to some degree, a part of the sources audiences turn to for news. In addition, if audiences are seeking increased control of their news, blogs would be a natural place for these people to look for information. Blogs have a much higher level of user control than traditional news sources. In many cases readers can post comments and engage in discussion with the poster, audiences can create their own blogs, and blogs cover a wide variety of topics and viewpoints allowing audiences to pick and choose what they want to engage themselves with.

The Future of Blogging

Based on what we have read so far in class and what has been presented to us in the readings so far, it is safe to say that blogging has certainly made an impact on journalism in today’s world that only looks to get bigger as time goes on. Several themes have presented themselves through all of the material that we have covered that would support the idea that blogging and citizen journalism will continue to grow in size, impact, and importance in the world of journalism. First, technology and the internet have significantly grown in importance over the last decade. This has caused many people to turn to technology and the internet for their news. Thanks to the pairing of the internet and other technologies people can get news on their cell phones, through ipods, etc. Second, journalists themselves have turned to using blogs as an alternative to traditional news outlets like television or the internet. And lastly, blogging opens the doors for ordinary citizens to engage themselves in the news by creating it themselves or commenting on things posted by other people. Together, those three themes secure a future for blogging where more people, ordinary citizens and journalists alike, will begin and continue to use them. Their popularity is likely to continue to increase, and because they are relatively new, chances are that the people using them will continue to find new and innovative uses for the technology.