television news

Britain's Hardest Men

grrlscientist — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:59:22 +0000

Britain's Hardest Men

tags: Britain's Hardest Men, journalism, television news, cultural observation, Charlie Brooker, satire, parody, humor, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video

What is it about some men and violence? This video news report seeks to provide amusement and a little insight.

grrlscientist Mon, 02/01/2010 - 00:59

How To Report The News

grrlscientist — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:59:57 +0000

How To Report The News

tags: How To Report The News, journalism, television news, cultural observation, Charlie Brooker, satire, parody, humor, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video

This video parody brilliantly dissects the average television news report. It is not only hilarious, but it's unfortunately too true, and for this reason alone, should alert video news teams that their craft is in jeopardy because of its stunning inanity and predictability.

This should be required viewing for all journalism classes.

grrlscientist Fri, 01/29/2010 - 00:59

Charlie Brooker always seems rather disgusted by everything he talks about. :)

So spot on it's sad. but it shows you what scientists need to do to get their stuff on television.

if you can keep from hurling while you're doing it.

As cutting and sarcastic as Poms can be, but try also
The Chasers' War on Everything http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95hH1H5qK08

Roll the stock "obese people" footage!

I swear, that exact video clip has been making the rounds at TV news outlets for decades.

I guess great minds think alike. I didn't realize you'd posted this and I just put it up this evening. It's a brilliant send up.

Having worked as a TV news reporter I found Charlie's piece very amusing - some of us have long believed reporting like this is a rubbish way to do things!

But even if a journalist wants to tell stories in a more authentic and engaging way, the constraints of the so-called "house style" in many news organisations make it difficult to achieve.

What's needed is a massive culture shift and a complete re-think of what we understand quality broadcast news reporting is.

And guess what? That's exactly what's happening, though you'd never believe it from what we're still mostly seeing on TV.

Anyway, the new digital technologies, and shake up of "old school/old mainstream" journalism means new platforms and styles of "news" storytelling can now emerge.

Let's hope fresh and appropriate ways of funding appear too, so we can kill off this dreadful formulaic reporting and delivery, and clear the way for more natural and interesting ways to treat stories and content.

Much love,

Ian Aspin. www.twitter.com/ianaspin

Television news is killing America

hrynyshyn — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:04:46 +0000

Television news is killing America

While most media commentators obsess over the "news" that Diane Sawyer will be replacing Charlie Gibson on ABC World News, there are at least some observers who remain more concerned with content. The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne weighs in this morning on the sensationalism that has dominated coverage of public participation in the health care insurance reform debate. What we learn about the role of television is not surprising, but it does help remind us why things are going the way they are:

The most disturbing account came from Rep. David Price of North Carolina, who spoke with a stringer for one of the television networks at a large town-hall meeting he held in Durham.

The stringer said he was one of 10 people around the country assigned to watch such encounters. Price said he was told flatly: "Your meeting doesn't get covered unless it blows up." As it happens, the Durham audience was broadly sympathetic to reform efforts. No "news" there.

hrynyshyn Thu, 09/03/2009 - 03:04