No one really understands a profession, trade or craft unless he or she has practiced it. This certainly is true of the newspaper business, in which I spent three decades as a reporter for four different newspapers before retiring a few years ago.
There is, I think, a public misconception that reporting is reporting, regardless of the medium. But within journalism itself, people draw distinctions based on where they work. Newspaper reporters sometimes look down their noses at TV types because the latter can seem shallow, glib, ill-informed and overly preoccupied with “visuals." I assume some TV journalists view newspaper reporters as stodgy, self-important bores who take forever to write a story.
Such stereotypes can be misleading; there are fine journalists in all media. But there clearly is a more superficial, celebrity-oriented culture in television news than in the newspaper business. There is no cult of personality among ink-stained wretches, yet glorifying the self is part and parcel of television journalism.
This hit home yet again when I read a Huffington Post story about a Ladies Home Journal interview with Ann Curry, who was canned recently as a co-host of NBC’s Today show. According to HuffPost, Curry had this to say about some of her wardrobe decisions while she was on Today:
There is, I think, a public misconception that reporting is reporting, regardless of the medium. But within journalism itself, people draw distinctions based on where they work. Newspaper reporters sometimes look down their noses at TV types because the latter can seem shallow, glib, ill-informed and overly preoccupied with “visuals." I assume some TV journalists view newspaper reporters as stodgy, self-important bores who take forever to write a story.
Such stereotypes can be misleading; there are fine journalists in all media. But there clearly is a more superficial, celebrity-oriented culture in television news than in the newspaper business. There is no cult of personality among ink-stained wretches, yet glorifying the self is part and parcel of television journalism.
This hit home yet again when I read a Huffington Post story about a Ladies Home Journal interview with Ann Curry, who was canned recently as a co-host of NBC’s Today show. According to HuffPost, Curry had this to say about some of her wardrobe decisions while she was on Today:
"One day I wore a multicolored dress and someone asked if I was trying to be Toucan Sam. But I chose it because I thought, This will perk up America. I'm encouraged by my bosses to wear these ridiculously high-heeled shoes because women say, 'I love your shoes!' So if it makes women happy, I'll wear them. But I'm still going to be me... I've tried to wear clogs and flats on TV and it hasn't gone well with my bosses."
Curry went on to offer these thoughts about her personal appearance:
"I've decided not to buy into the idea that I want to stop aging. My wrinkles connect me to my family, to my ancestors and to my future. This is how my father looked when he was my age. I've got cellulite because it runs in my family. I've got gray hair because I won't dye it."
Now, I realize that TV, unlike newspapers, is a visual medium, so how people look when they appear on it is important. That being said, I seriously doubt that Jill Abramson, the executive editor of The New York Times, will ever discuss her shoes during an interview about her job. Or, for that matter, cellulite. Or wrinkles. Or the color of her hair. And therein lies a key difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment