My thoughts on Network Journalism

The press(media) are a fine group(sarcasm) of people. They live their lives digging up emotional trash and most of the time it doesn't seem like journalism at all. Fox news for example has come under fire for being the "conservative" network. While historically CNN, CBS, and NBC have come under fire by conservatives of being to "liberal". I love watching the news. I want to be informed and I want to know what the weather will be like for the day. I find myself leaning more and more to the Internet for the daily and national news these days.  I would much rather read a news story on the Internet than have to sit and listen to the lousy reporters on TV. There are a few exceptions of good quality news anchors.  I honestly love to watch the local NBC station for my morning dose of news. The news anchors incorporate humor and a sense of being themselves while on the air.  Three of my most favorite local anchors are Rich Brenner, Neil Mcneill, and Sandra Hughs.  

My biggest complaint is with the national news.  In an effort to grow their hold in the market share of entertainment, real journalism is hard to come by.  I understand how important it is to get information while interviewing( I have to interview potential employees at work) asking the right questions is very important. On the flip side to that thought, asking the wrong questions can be almost intrusive.  One thing that burns me up the most about field reporters is when they ask someone who has just lost someone close to them, "So how do you feel right now". How the hell do you think they feel?!  Asking a question of that magnitude is going across the lines and more like a on air psychological exam rather than reporting the news.  I don't mean to sound hateful, but shouldn't we as the audience understand that if someone just lost their house to a fire or their son/daughter was killed in Iraq they need a little time to heal emotionally.  

We always don't get the real facts either.  In the case with Dan Rather reporting on President Bush's military experience, he made a false accusation and he lost his job.  Now if it had been against any other man other than the President of the United States, such a big production may not have been made about the story.  Now I have always liked Dan Rather, however the story on GW miltary record was not his best work( and please understand I am not a GW fan).  He came from a generation of broadcast journalist that now are slowly disappearing.  As a boy I grew up watching Dan, Walter, Peter, Tom, Andrea, Barbara, Bob, and so many other wonderful news anchors/news reporters.  Their generation made nightly news what it is today.  I hope that network news will really do a better job of reporting the facts, stop trying to use the shock value(like Fox News Network), and learn how to teach journalist to report the news in a way that doesn't show favoritism to one side or the other.  If they can't, their is a whole group of up and coming podcasters that could do the job for them. After all there are three sides to a story: the truth, the lies, and everything in between.