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| "Keynote Address at the Edward R. Murrow Awards Ceremony." Andrew Heyward.Location: http://www.rtnda.org/pages/media_items/andrew-heyward1100.php?id=1100Pre-reading Questions
1) What does it take to make a good journalist? See if you can come up with a list of three traits or more that would be particularly important.
2) Do you have one or more news anchors or commentators that you tend to watch more than others? What draws you to them? Are there any that you can't stand? If so, what is it you don't like? How about radio talk show hosts? Do you like people and shows that challenge you, or do you prefer listening to ideas that tend to coincide with your own?Journal Topic
1) Heyward considers three factors to be crucial in any good journalist: accessibility, authenticity, and ambition. How do these three qualities matter in your own life?Questions for Critical Thought
1) Fox News uses the slogan "fair and balanced" to describe its news coverage, but Heyward prefers the term "fair and accurate." What is the difference between these two phrases? How does "balanced" news differ from "accurate" news?
2) Heyward argues that many of the contemporary news anchors only have their jobs "because they LOOK and SOUND credible, not because they're great news people." Should the people who report the news every night have a hand in gathering the news and a solid newsgathering background, or is an attractive persona enough?Suggestion for Personal Research
1) This article talks a lot about old and new news anchors and reporters. Research some classic news personalities from the 1940s, '50s, '60s, and '70s. Compare the types of stories they covered and how they covered them with what you see today. (You could even compare the early careers of some journalists with their later careers.)Multicultural Issues
1) If you are from a different country, how accurate and balanced do you think the news media is there? Is it dominated by any political party or government interest? Is it allowed to freely cover any story? How does the media there compare to America's news media?Vocabulary Terms
DEMO (short for "demographic") niches emboldened portentous anchors prompter seismic |