Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Most trusted media worldwide: National TV?!?
RedHerring.com reported a couple weeks ago on a GlobeScan poll conducted to learn people's opinions about news media trustworthiness. Interesting findings:
* bloggers rank lowest on the scale of trusted news sources - just 25% trust blogs; 23% distrust blogs; half don't seem to know.
* National TV was the most trusted news source overall, trusted by 82 percent; distrusted by 16%
National and regional newspapers followed national TV in the trust rankings, with 75 percent of the respondents trusting them, followed by local newspapers at 69 percent, public radio at 67 percent and international satellite TV at 56 percent.
You can read the whole survey at the GlobeScan site.
The survey included responses from 10,230 people in 10 countries - *not* just a U.S. survey. So perhaps I shouldn't be so irritated that the National TV trustworthiness is ranked so high. But even in the U.S., 75% of respondents said they trusted TV news. Which I just don't understand. In the U.S., I don't trust National TV news as far as I can throw it, and my TV is pretty heavy, so that's not very far.
I've criticized the sensational coverage National TV news before here. My criticism also applies to many other aspects of National TV news, particularly on commercial stations. Among the problems I have with TV news (local/national), as it's currently practiced in the U.S.:
1. They practically gun you down with stories. 30 seconds for this one, 20 seconds for that one, 15 seconds for the next. That "extra long" feature is all of a minute, ten seconds. What can really be said, much less explained or explored, in that length of time? We need to structure our news programs to encourage reflection, contemplation, and analysis... that is, longer attention spans.
2. Related to the short stories, TV news offers primarily shallow veneer coverage, or coverage of events, speeches, press conferences, etc. Investigative journalism may "cost" more in reporter time, but it's so much more beneficial to the audience. Try explaining the systems that affect our lives. Why is a particular political debate being framed this way by the politicians? Why not try framing it in a different way, a way that better serves your viewers?
3. TV news is prone to covering tactics over substance. Around election time, they may as well be covering a horse race. What issues does a candidate stand for? Who knows! We need to refocus questions of what constitutes news. As much as we like to watch a good fight, political mudslinging hardly counts as a news item. Let's figure out what's actually going on and relay that information as best we can through our news media.
4. TV news programs - and particularly the pundit shows - are all about the fight. Pundits jump all over each other and never are able to come to anything approaching consensus, or even a way to move forward through disagreements. Everything is a contest to be won. We need more news programs that foster deliberation and lead toward more understanding of other people's views. We don't have to all agree, but we need to have the capacity to understand each other. And that is not a service TV news even attempts to provide.
All this comes down to questions of how we do journalism. TV news needs to spend more effort helping to build community in their communities through their news coverage. They need to realize that they are influential parts of their communities, and that the tools at their disposal could be deployed to really build a community's sense of itself. That to be involved in a story, or to color a story as an advocate for community building is not a contravention of any journalistic ethic I care to follow.
At all the radio conferences I go to, I've been pushing to get folks to talk more about these sorts of issues. That is, articulating this "alternative" type of journalism beyond simply saying that it's an alternative to the mainstream media. That's so shallow in itself, and doesn't really speak to what it actually *is* that we're doing at WORT any many other places trying to practice this public, community journalism. I think if we can better articulate what it is to make community-based, public, democratic media, we'll be doing a great service to all the media viewers/listeners/readers that we've got.
That same GlobeScan survey seemed to indicate that many U.S. media viewers/listeners/readers were fairly media savvy. Some 46% said that the media does not report news accurately; and 68% said that the media covers too many 'bad news' stories.
What do you want to bet that those viewers/listeners/readers will better trust media outlets that are proactively engaged in building community?
* bloggers rank lowest on the scale of trusted news sources - just 25% trust blogs; 23% distrust blogs; half don't seem to know.
* National TV was the most trusted news source overall, trusted by 82 percent; distrusted by 16%
National and regional newspapers followed national TV in the trust rankings, with 75 percent of the respondents trusting them, followed by local newspapers at 69 percent, public radio at 67 percent and international satellite TV at 56 percent.
You can read the whole survey at the GlobeScan site.
The survey included responses from 10,230 people in 10 countries - *not* just a U.S. survey. So perhaps I shouldn't be so irritated that the National TV trustworthiness is ranked so high. But even in the U.S., 75% of respondents said they trusted TV news. Which I just don't understand. In the U.S., I don't trust National TV news as far as I can throw it, and my TV is pretty heavy, so that's not very far.
I've criticized the sensational coverage National TV news before here. My criticism also applies to many other aspects of National TV news, particularly on commercial stations. Among the problems I have with TV news (local/national), as it's currently practiced in the U.S.:
1. They practically gun you down with stories. 30 seconds for this one, 20 seconds for that one, 15 seconds for the next. That "extra long" feature is all of a minute, ten seconds. What can really be said, much less explained or explored, in that length of time? We need to structure our news programs to encourage reflection, contemplation, and analysis... that is, longer attention spans.
2. Related to the short stories, TV news offers primarily shallow veneer coverage, or coverage of events, speeches, press conferences, etc. Investigative journalism may "cost" more in reporter time, but it's so much more beneficial to the audience. Try explaining the systems that affect our lives. Why is a particular political debate being framed this way by the politicians? Why not try framing it in a different way, a way that better serves your viewers?
3. TV news is prone to covering tactics over substance. Around election time, they may as well be covering a horse race. What issues does a candidate stand for? Who knows! We need to refocus questions of what constitutes news. As much as we like to watch a good fight, political mudslinging hardly counts as a news item. Let's figure out what's actually going on and relay that information as best we can through our news media.
4. TV news programs - and particularly the pundit shows - are all about the fight. Pundits jump all over each other and never are able to come to anything approaching consensus, or even a way to move forward through disagreements. Everything is a contest to be won. We need more news programs that foster deliberation and lead toward more understanding of other people's views. We don't have to all agree, but we need to have the capacity to understand each other. And that is not a service TV news even attempts to provide.
All this comes down to questions of how we do journalism. TV news needs to spend more effort helping to build community in their communities through their news coverage. They need to realize that they are influential parts of their communities, and that the tools at their disposal could be deployed to really build a community's sense of itself. That to be involved in a story, or to color a story as an advocate for community building is not a contravention of any journalistic ethic I care to follow.
At all the radio conferences I go to, I've been pushing to get folks to talk more about these sorts of issues. That is, articulating this "alternative" type of journalism beyond simply saying that it's an alternative to the mainstream media. That's so shallow in itself, and doesn't really speak to what it actually *is* that we're doing at WORT any many other places trying to practice this public, community journalism. I think if we can better articulate what it is to make community-based, public, democratic media, we'll be doing a great service to all the media viewers/listeners/readers that we've got.
That same GlobeScan survey seemed to indicate that many U.S. media viewers/listeners/readers were fairly media savvy. Some 46% said that the media does not report news accurately; and 68% said that the media covers too many 'bad news' stories.
What do you want to bet that those viewers/listeners/readers will better trust media outlets that are proactively engaged in building community?
Friday, May 05, 2006
Grassroots Radiophiles descending on Madison, July 27-30
Grassroots Radio folks, it's time to cross-pollinate...
COME TO THE GRASSROOTS RADIO CONFERENCE 11
JULY 27-30, 2006
MADISON, WI
The GRC is an annual gathering of folks interested in grassroots, volunteer-powered, community radio to connect, learn new skills, discuss critical issues, and do some partying. And you're invited!
Visit www.GrassrootsRadio.info today! From there, you can:
- Register for the conference
- Look for house-shares, rideshares, hotels, etc.
- See the list of workshops
- Find out about WORT-FM and Madison, WI
- Figure out how to get to the conference
- Apply for Solidarity Funds
- ...and more!
We kick things off on Thursday, July 27 with an informal get-together and registration. The conference starts in earnest on Friday morning, July 28 and continues into Sunday morning. Our keynote speaker will join us for lunch on Sunday, July 30, and then we all go home rejuvenated.
GRC-11 will offer dozens of workshops and discussions addressing all manner of concerns. There are workshops for DJs, reporters, talk show hosts, program producers, news & music directors, program directors, managers, development staff, outreach & marketing staff, and grassroots radiophiles of various and sundry sorts.
Registration for GRC-11 is $80 per person. Some scholarships available through the Solidarity Fund.
Questions? Email or call Nathan or Norm at 608.256.2001.
--
A loose coalition of community media activists, the GRC has no dues, no hierarchy and no bylaws, only a mission statement:
"More than audio outlets, volunteer-based community radio stations are cultural institutions in their communities, reflecting the unique concerns and passions of the people who live there. With a system of governance based on openness and collaboration, and diverse programming produced by volunteers and funded by listeners, these stations are cornerstones of participatory democracy, offering ordinary citizens the chance to exercise First Amendment rights in a mass medium and audiences the opportunity to directly support the programming that is of importance to them."
COME TO THE GRASSROOTS RADIO CONFERENCE 11
JULY 27-30, 2006
MADISON, WI
The GRC is an annual gathering of folks interested in grassroots, volunteer-powered, community radio to connect, learn new skills, discuss critical issues, and do some partying. And you're invited!
Visit www.GrassrootsRadio.info today! From there, you can:
- Register for the conference
- Look for house-shares, rideshares, hotels, etc.
- See the list of workshops
- Find out about WORT-FM and Madison, WI
- Figure out how to get to the conference
- Apply for Solidarity Funds
- ...and more!
We kick things off on Thursday, July 27 with an informal get-together and registration. The conference starts in earnest on Friday morning, July 28 and continues into Sunday morning. Our keynote speaker will join us for lunch on Sunday, July 30, and then we all go home rejuvenated.
GRC-11 will offer dozens of workshops and discussions addressing all manner of concerns. There are workshops for DJs, reporters, talk show hosts, program producers, news & music directors, program directors, managers, development staff, outreach & marketing staff, and grassroots radiophiles of various and sundry sorts.
Registration for GRC-11 is $80 per person. Some scholarships available through the Solidarity Fund.
Questions? Email
--
A loose coalition of community media activists, the GRC has no dues, no hierarchy and no bylaws, only a mission statement:
"More than audio outlets, volunteer-based community radio stations are cultural institutions in their communities, reflecting the unique concerns and passions of the people who live there. With a system of governance based on openness and collaboration, and diverse programming produced by volunteers and funded by listeners, these stations are cornerstones of participatory democracy, offering ordinary citizens the chance to exercise First Amendment rights in a mass medium and audiences the opportunity to directly support the programming that is of importance to them."
