Friday, January 13, 2006

Journalism

I work in the television industry. I'm a news producer at a local station. Basically it's my job to put together the station's late night newscast. I decide which stories are aired, the order in which they're aired and which anchor reads which story. I have a great deal of input as far as content is concerned. I've been doing this for 25 years.

The industry has changed a lot. When I first started in the business, many people were inspired by Watergate to become journalists. Back then, people wanted to expose corruption and make a difference in the world. Now, most television reporters just want to get their faces on air. When you talk to young people nowadays, the only thing they want to know is how much money they can make working in television news. It's really sad.

A lot of people I've worked with over the years are now at the networks, reporting news to the nation. It always amazes me to see them on national TV because I didn't think most of them had much ability. I know that may sound like jealousy. But I think you will find other longtime television people who would agree with me. The overall quality of network news is a far cry from what it was 20-30 years ago. Journalism, for the most part, is dead.

2 comments:

sierrabound said...

Hi, Ken. Because I've worked in the industry a long time I've been able to see the changes first-hand. There are still hard-working people, but they are harder to find. I guess that could said about a lot of professions.

sierrabound said...

I think the only times my parents ever called in sick were when they were in the hospital. That kind of work ethic just doesn't exist anymore.