News Flash: Journalism, Infotainment and the Bottom-Line Business of Broadcast News by Bonnie Anderson

While talking heads debate the medias alleged conservative or liberal bias, award-winning journalist Bonnie Anderson knows that the problem with television news isnt about the Left versus the Right-- its all about the money. From illegal hiring practices to ethnocentric coverage to political cheerleading, News Flash exposes how American broadcast conglomerates pursuit of the almighty dollar consistently trumps the need for fair and objective reporting. Along the way to the bottomline, the proud tradition of American television journalism has given way to an entertainment-driven industry thats losing credibility and viewers by the day.As someone who has worked as both a broadcast reporter and a network executive, Anderson details how the networks have been co-opted by bottom-line thinking that places more value on a telegenic face than on substantive reporting. Network executivesthe real power in broadcast journalismare increasingly employing tactics and strategies from the entertainment industry. They cast reporters based on their ability to project credibility, value youth over training and experience, and often greenlight coverage only if they can be assured that it will appeal to advertiser-friendly demographics.

Author: Bonnie Anderson

Language: English

Binding: Hardcover

Pages: 288

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Publication Date: 2004-06-11