Here are some articles that seem to be relevant to your need:
--Brian
The sacred trade called journalism
James Hill. Vital Speeches of the Day. New York: Jun 15, 1999. Vol.
65, Iss. 17; pg. 521, 3 pgs
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Subjects: Journalism, Predictions, News media, Newspapers, Speeches
Classification Codes 9190 US, 8330 Broadcasting & communications
industry, 8690 Publishing industry
Locations: US
Author(s): James Hill
Article types: Speech
Publication title: Vital Speeches of the Day. New York: Jun 15, 1999.
Vol. 65, Iss. 17; pg. 521, 3 pgs
Source Type: Periodical
ISSN/ISBN: 0042742X
ProQuest document ID: 42659113
Text Word Count 2167
Article URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_dat=xri:pqd:did=000000042659113&svc_dat=xri:pqil:fmt=text&req_dat=xri:pqil:pq_clntid=48308
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Abstract (Article Summary)
The journalism of the future will likely see methods of delivery
change as surely as they have changed in the past, but the essential
ingredients in collecting the news will not be much different than
they are today. Events must take place, facts must be collected,
verified, interpreted, written down in an understandable accounting,
and then editors must apply the judgment test - is this news? - before
presenting it to those who use their product. News consumers usually
turn to a product because they have come to depend on it and find it
credible for that type of information journalists usually supply.
Full Text (2167 words)
Copyright City News Publishing Company Jun 15, 1999
hank you, Professor Mellen, for bringing these participants of the
Washington Semester Program here to The Heritage Foundation today. It
is our honor to have you visit us, and we hope you all feel welcome.
Last week, to get just a bit of a feel for the class, I called Mr.
Mellen and asked him to fill me in on the makeup of the program -its
demographics, if you will.
He said that you come from colleges and universities all over the
country, and even the world. So let me start this session by offering
these greetings:
Gutten tag, bon jour, dobry den, and for the Texas student with
Russian roots howdy.
And for all of you, may I offer the salutation that Americans know
anywhere: What's Happening?
That's what news is - the answer to the essential question of our
existence: What's happening?
It is an attempt to sort through accounts, documents, eyewitness
reports -- indeed, anything factual - in order to get to the truth,
and report it in a timely, accurate, and fair manner, enlightening the
reader or viewer or listener in such a way that she or he can make up
their own minds about the importance, or lack thereof, of the great
and not-so great issues of the day: wars, disasters, weather,
politics, crime, corruption, the price of oil, the price of next
year's new cars, who was born, who died, what is the city council
doing about the potholes, why are the potheads hanging around in the
city park, beavers chomping at the cherry trees ... Of course, this
list could go on and on.
News is the rhythm of our lives, the chronicle of our times.
As future chroniclers, you will have the opportunity to observe and
report on the beginning of the 21 st Century - in fact, should trends
in aging and work longevity continue on the positive course they have
been following throughout the 20th Century, it is conceivable that
many of you, should you elect to pursue lifelong careers in
journalism, will be reporting into at least the 2040s, if not the
2050s, and maybe even into the 2060s and 70s. So don't burn out too
soon.
What will journalism be like as your careers unfold? My guess is that,
while methods of delivery will change as surely as they have changed
in my era, the essential ingredients in collecting the news will not
be much different than they are today.
Events must take place, facts must be collected, verified,
interpreted, written down in an understandable accounting, and then
editors must apply the judgment test - is this news? before presenting
it to those who use their product. And remember that those people,
news consumers, if you will, usually turn to a product because they
have come to depend on it and find it credible for that type of
information you traditionally supply.
Let me just give you an example. This highly respected newspaper that
I am holding, the Financial Times, is known internationally for its
solid reporting of all kinds of matters that move markets. It is solid
to the point of appearing dull, when in fact it is quite lively, even
if deliberately understated.
But look at this headline: "China faces huge welfare burden."
Well, of course it does. It is a Communist country with over 1 billion people.
In this case, presentation failed.
My point is: Don't assume presentation doesn't count. It counts for everything.
So I hope this presentation today will count for at least a lot
- I could wish for everything, but you must remain objective - in
helping you shape your views about journalism, your responsibilities
as a journalist, the role of think tanks such as our Foundation in
helping shape the policy debate through the news media, our Center for
Media and Public Policy's goals within the Heritage sphere, and why we
feel it is so critical to be in a position to influence this arena.
As our mission statement proclaims: "The Heritage Foundation is a
research and educational institute - a think tank whose mission is to
formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the
principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom,
traditional American values, and a strong national defense."
And, to quote our president, Dr. Edwin Feulner: "The Heritage
Foundation is committed to rolling back the liberal welfare state and
building an America where freedom, opportunity, and civil society
flourish."
Now, a good question is: What does Heritage's mission have to do with
the news media? And my ready answer is, just like I said about
presentation: Everything.
The news media report our activities; the news media call upon our
analysts to be sources or to provide comment on issues those analysts
specialize in; the news media run commentary articles by Heritage
scholars - more than 150 articles placed in many of the nation's major
titles last year, and many of these also distributed to more papers
throughout the country over wire services. That's roughly one out of
every two days when a Heritage position is being advocated in papers
such as the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington
Times and other quality newspapers.
And occasionally, the news media attack us - most usually in
commentary pieces, and that goes with the territory, but also
sometimes in news columns, and that's hitting below the belt.
We wear with pride the badge of being a conservative think tank. But
if we must constantly be identified by our beliefs, shouldn't
Brookings be identified as a liberal think tank? Think about that, and
remember it when you earn your livings by the words you use. Be fair.
Make no mistake, however, the news media are indispensable to the work
of our think tank, and to the work of any think tank.
This is how it should be in a free and civil society. We believe in
the power of ideas, and only with a free press can these ideas - among
them, education reform, Social Security reform, tax reform, and in the
foreign policy arena, the promotion of a shield to protect Americans
from the threat of missile attack-get the airing that will turn them,
we hope, into sound public policies.
And we also believe that it is our responsibility to work with that
free press to market the message of our conservative movement, and
this is where our Center for Media and Public Policy comes in.
I was honored last November to be selected as the first person to work
with our director, Herb Berkowitz, in starting this center, which one
columnist praised as the best idea conservatives have had since Nixon
went to China.
(Actually, Nixon wasn't much of a conservative, come to think of it,
but it was a pretty good line, and Herb and I appreciated the
attention so much we invited the columnist, a Pulitzer Prize winner,
to be on our Board of Advisors - and he accepted.)
I, too, think the Center is an idea whose time has come. When I left
journalism after a 30-year career as a writer, editor and finally,
editorial page editor, I had come to the conclusion that my profession
- this sacred trade called journalism - was losing its way.
Hard news was giving way to soft news, a trend that had been
developing throughout the time I was with newspapers; vulgarity was
creeping into copy in the form of profanity, sometimes quoted,
sometimes not; in far too many cases the people we call "newsmakers"
were being elevated not for what they had to say, or for their
leadership skills, but because they were simply celebrities, and too
often they had nothing to say.
Further, the media seemed to be operating in their own world. The
greatest story of the 1990s, the free-market embrace that has led to
the most robust economy the world has ever known, was hardly reported
at all. As we as a nation were getting richer, our news media were
giving us O.J., Diana, and Monica.
But worse, in my opinion, opinion was coming off the editorial page,
where it belongs, and onto the front page, where it doesn't. How did
this happen? Why were editorial page editors being shackled by their
publishers (and I have heard many complain of being just that) while
news editors were running stories that were little more than
promotions for radical activism? Now don't take this wrong - I have
nothing against journalistic inquiry into such issues as the
environment, urban and suburban sprawl, the public versus private
school debate, the gender equality movement.
But where is the balance? On every issue that is the American debate
today, there are two sides of the story, and if you look really hard,
if you are especially diligent in your reporting, you will find there
are several sides of the story. That is the richness of American life.
That is the stew we cook up in our melting pot.
So to take the environment for example, why has the bulk of the
reporting been seen as supporting the left's agenda? Why do the news
media portray, too often unfairly, business, which gives us our
economic liberty, as an agent for polluting our air and water?
The list of media transgressions could go on and on - in fact, it does
go on and on. Brent Bozell has made a career out of pointing out news
media favoritism to the left and he's primarily monitoring just the
television news shows.
Did this drift occur because of some, to turn Mrs. Clinton's statement
on its head, vast left-wing conspiracy? Did it occur because too many
editors just fell asleep at the switch? Or was it because journalists
just weren't as bright as they thought they were?
Were they too impressionable when it came to warm and fuzzy causes;
not skeptical enough to ask the really hard question - what good will
this do? - but too skeptical when opponents asked that question for
them? Or did we all just get lazy? I do not have the answers to these
questions.
But they are the questions the Center for Media and Public Policy is
going to pursue, because we are committed to promoting a new diversity
-- diversity of thought in our media, a diversity of thought that one
could rightly conclude should be the goal of any institution that
enjoys the constitutional protection of our First Amendment.
We are committed to toning down the rhetorical war between
conservatives and the news media, mainly by education within our
Foundation and then the entire conservative movement - to make our
advocates better communicators.
We are committed to working with the news media, by hosting issues
seminars, journalist inspection tours to familiarize them "on the
ground," as they say, with the people and the issues that we
conservatives care about.
And we hope to offer fellowships for journalists who want to work with
Heritage scholars, especially in the exciting new field of computer
assisted reporting. At our Center for Data Analysis, we are doing some
real cutting edge work with numbers, and we want to share that with
journalists eager to learn how to interpret those numbers.
And last, we recognize that a journalist's job is demanding, sometimes
exhausting, many times bewildering. Deadline writing is not easy, no
matter if the deadline be daily, weekly or even monthly.
We will soon be opening, as part of the Center for Media and Public
Policy, a Media Visitors Center, where reporters and editors,
broadcasters and producers, can book a desk, with a computer, phones
and a fax machine, when they are on assignment in Washington.
There is no litmus test for reserving space. We will do no
indoctrination. But we will provide journalists with an office when
they are away from the office, and put on a pot of coffee.
It's our way of saying that while we might challenge the media to be
better, we do not challenge the right of the thousands of hard-working
men and women who make up the nation's press corps to do their jobs.
And I hope that you, when you begin your careers, will feel free to
stop by and use the Media Visitors Center often.
So that is who we are, and why we are - our perspective on What's
Happening? You have been delightful to talk with, and again, I thank
you, Mr. Mellen, for bringing the class here to Capitol Hill today.
You also have a very real distinction: the Washington Journalism
Semester is the first program the Center for Media and Public Policy
has hosted for an outside group. It has been my pleasure to have you
as part of our history, and I will remember it warmly.
[Author Affiliation]
Address by JAMES HILL, Manager, Professional Development and Training
Center for Media and Public Policy, The Heritage Foundation
Delivered to the Washington Semester Program in Journalism, American
University, Washington, D. C., April 19, 1999
---------------
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SECOND ARTICLE:
How media images correspond and affect reality: The impact the media
has on our communities
Lee P Brown. Vital Speeches of the Day. New York: May 15, 2000. Vol.
66, Iss. 15; pg. 455, 3 pgs
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Subjects: News media, Media coverage, Image, Public officials,
Chief executive officers, Effectiveness
Classification Codes 9190 United States, 9550 Public sector, 2120
Chief executive officers, 2420 Image
Locations: United States, US
Author(s): Lee P Brown
Article types: Speech
Publication title: Vital Speeches of the Day. New York: May 15, 2000.
Vol. 66, Iss. 15; pg. 455, 3 pgs
Source Type: Periodical
ISSN/ISBN: 0042742X
ProQuest document ID: 54330180
Text Word Count 2095
Article URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_dat=xri:pqd:did=000000054330180&svc_dat=xri:pqil:fmt=text&req_dat=xri:pqil:pq_clntid=48308
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Abstract (Article Summary)
Media sources are more diverse today than in any other time in
history. There is not only the traditional press - the daily and
non-daily newspaper editors and writers - but the broadcast
journalists of radio and television, entertainment and the arts along
with information gatherers for electronic publications on the
Internet. But the images most often of concern are those created in
the press. And as the editors from every medium decide what will be
covered and how it will be covered, it is important also to be mindful
of the fact that the news media is choosing which events and
situations to cover - and which to omit. Media images make a
difference in people's choices and policies, from the brand of
toothpaste they choose, to the people elected to public office. Civic
and business leaders have entree into that image stream, and must find
the most effective ways to use that entree.
Full Text (2095 words)
Copyright City News Publishing Company May 15, 2000
I know we're learning a lot from these discussions, and there's a lot
to learn as media styles and technologies continue this period of
amazingly rapid evolution. While we continue to think about how the
media might work better, I'd like to look at how it works now, and
pose some questions about how we as leaders can make the most of its
images and the impact they have on the communities we call home.
Our media sources are more diverse today than in any other time in our
history. We not only have the traditional press the daily and
non-daily news paper editors and writers; but the broadcast
journalists of radio and television, entertainment and the arts along
with information gatherers for electronic publications on the
Internet.
But the images most often of concern, in my duties as mayor, are those
created in the press.
If the question is, "Do media images reflect our reality or affect
it?" the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" It does both, and in some
amazing and sometimes frustrating ways.
The press does an important job in reflecting what our situation IS,
from day to day. Without news operations, like those represented here,
most of us would not have access to information about important events
and situations, at least not in time to do anything about them.
And as the editors from every medium decide what will be covered and
how it will be covered, it's important also to be mindful of the fact
that the news media is choosing which events and situations to cover
... and which to omit.
It is true as well that media images can affect reality. They make a
difference in our choices and policies, from the brand of toothpaste
we choose, to the people we elect to public office.
Media images can also influence reality. When the job is done well,
the news media filter out all the complexities of a story to produce
the clear summaries of events upon which we rely. When the job is not
done well, the result is inaccuracy or misleading facts.
As civic and business leaders, we have entree into that image stream.
We must find the most effective ways to use that entree.
Never underestimate the importance of image. It pays to remember that
Oklahoma lost the business as the location site for the movie version
of Oklahoma, because it didn't look like Oklahoma! Apparently, Arizona
did. The point is, good visuals carry tremendous weight. More often
then reporters get the story wrong, they just don't cover it at all,
and quite often this is because it's just not visual enough, or
doesn't fit a preconceived image.
So we have the media as audience; now, what do we do with them? First
of all, we learn the language. For print media it is fact-based
communication with all the information a person could digest about a
project or program. For broadcast media it is the look and sound and
feel of an issue or program that must be communicated. Television, as
you know, is a visual medium and to give TV reporters facts without
pictures is only giving them "half of the story"!
In many ways, the media is just a reflection of human nature. When was
the last time you heard people gossiping across the fence about how
great things are, or what a great job the light company does, or what
a swell fellow the Mayor is? In the real world, it's up to us to find
ways to make our issues interesting, to make our presence and
intentions visible in a way that will get covered, to illustrate our
issues in a way that will be understood.
Imagine a finance company whose president asked his staff to hold a
news conference to announce their new initiative investing for
children. And five grown men spend 30 minutes at a podium, taking
turns telling the reporters how the program works. Now imagine the
company president announcing the program from a third grade classroom
and one of the speakers is an 8-year-old. Who could resist this story?
The sound, the feel and the look give the image of big business coming
to children to educate them and guide them.
The point is, it is up to us to communicate the texture of our issues,
as well as the facts. We know that media have an obligation, a
mission, to attract readers, listeners or viewers. Many of us need
voters. Those voters are readers, listeners and viewers.
We obviously can't set ourselves on fire to make our points. If we
did, we'd be the lead story, every time. But we can make sure that our
agendas are perceived as tied in meaningful, visible ways, to
concerns, which are the common topics of the day. This means finding
ways to dramatize how our ideas will provide solutions for the real
predicaments that catch the public eye. Catch the eye and the
imagination will follow.
In the past, in frustration, I would ask some of my personal friends
who are members of the media, "how can I learn to control the media
more; how can I get them to represent what I really said?" My friends
would delicately tell me, Lee, you can't control media-THEY DON'T WORK
FORYOU! Well, that was a big pill to swallow, but it made me realize
that I can work to manage media from my perspective, but no, I cannot
control independent entities who have their own bosses.
Of course, my friends remind me that with paid advertising I can
control the entire message! How many of you have been invited to buy
commercial time? Not a reality for us in government. We rely more on
"free" media, and it's one of the best things about our country that
the government doesn't control it. I probably won't be the first at
this gathering to repeat the quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson, who
said, "Given the choice between government without newspapers and
newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to choose the
latter!"
There are days, I'll admit, when I have to work up to that sentiment,
and one wonders what Jefferson would make of some of the news we see
and read today. But an independent press is essential to our democracy
and it's up to us to work with it to get our points across.
We are answerable to our voters as surely as any corporation to its
shareholders, and we have to use the media to assure voters that we
recognize their concerns, and act in their behalf It's frustrating,
sometimes, that media images are both the most powerful means at our
disposal, and the most difficult to manage and control.
I'm not talking about "spin"-manipulating the truth to put a pretty
face on things, although I hear some politicians do that! I'm talking
about creating and encouraging the sorts of images that make our
mission stand out against all the noise, so the people I represent can
make more informed decisions.
In order to give it a shot, we need to understand how issues get
covered, and how to play to the great strengths of the media to make
our issues more real to our constituencies, our customers.
I've learned quite a bit about this process, over several decades of
dealing with the media. ...
"But," some of you say, "Isn't the media full of bias?" It's a fair
question: Do editors and reporters have individual biases? Of course -
we all do. But I don't think these add up to some institutional bias
toward the left or the right of things. The media do share the overall
biases of our culture, though, with its ever-changing styles and
increasingly shorter attention spans. Shorter stories, and more of
them, have been the trend for quite a while now, and perhaps this is a
necessity in an age of information overload.
The title of my talk today is "How Media Images Correspond and Affect
Reality"; at this point let me add to that the words reflect reality,
The "chicken and egg" discussion about media coverage and focus; do
they drive popular culture or reflect it? -Will be debated long after
we have all moved on ... but what is significant is that there is some
chicken and some egg.
Some cultural trends can trace origins to the media, just as I am sure
some of what we hear began in our communities and is reflected by
media coverage. What does this mean to us? It means that we can not
only work with media effectively to get messages out to our
constituencies, but we can also observe the style and subject matter
of news coverage to remain in touch with various communities. We can
observe the world from one chair and this is invaluable to those of us
in community service. The media is literally a Public Address.
So how do we work with this tool to address the public? There's no
question that a striking visual helps to get a story told, but how do
you take a good picture of the city budget? It's these long-term,
behind-the-scenes efforts that often fall through the media cracks.
We need public support for those things to succeed, or sometimes even
to get them funded, and without some visual appeal it's difficult to
get more than talking-head summaries and headlines, short ones.
Other issues don't get the coverage we would like because they are
just too complicated. If they can't be told properly in sixty seconds
or a few column inches, they may not get told at all.
Most reporters are rightfully proud about covering both sides of an
issue, but what about those that have three sides, or seven? I'm not
laying this all off on the media. Broadcasters will tell you, and
they're probably right, that beyond a quick overview their viewers
will lose interest and tune out. In addition, broadcast managers tell
me that the trend now for audience viewing habits is that their
viewers are not as interested in coverage of government and politics
as in the past.
One solution is to frame our discussions as relevant to, the daily
lives of people. We must work to promote our programs as people
programs, not government programs. We must communicate people issues,
not political issues. It is our obligation to know as much about the
interests of the audience, the people, as do managers within the
media. We cannot expect the media to do this for us.
Some things are guaranteed to make the cut: to use a graphic cliche,
"If it bleeds it leads." This is the media in its role as community
watchdog, sounding the alarm when something intrudes on our peace, or
threatens our tranquillity. To the extent that our message is timely
and relates to dealing with these natural or man-made disasters, it
will get all the coverage we need. For example, if I show up with a
program to fight crime or reduce flooding, it'll be on the air soon
and often.
I want to say again, my experience with the media has been a fairly
cordial one. Those frustrations I have had stem more from the
constraints on their time and resources than from any attempt to
manipulate the message.
There have been many times when the press has been invaluable in
getting the word out, in making the images real to my constituents in
a way I could not do alone. And more than one reporter has told me
that he or she wished they had more time to really do justice to my
topic. I have learned to stick to the most key elements, to tie them
in to current topics of common concern, and to find some way to make
them visual, even if it's just me or one of my staff on the steps of
City Hall.
The media have a voracious appetite for images, that is, the texture
and emotion of an event or issue, not just the facts. As we all work
toward a common good, I applaud their efforts and yours in placing
priority on the public's right to know and to understand what is
happening in our communities.And as many media members will tell you,
it is time for me to "wrap it up." I have used my time slot. Thank you
very much.
[Author Affiliation]
Address by LEE P. BROWN, Mayor of the City of Houston, Texas
Delivered to the CEO's for Cities March 2000 Meeting, Denver,
Colorado, March 10, 2000 |
