Jun 30
Anchor Gets Angry
Lest you think that everyone who works in television news is thrilled at the very mention of Paris Hilton’s name, I introduce Mika Brzezinski, of MSNBC.
During the cable network’s Morning Joe program, she became more and more demonstrative about her distaste over Paris-related stories.
At different points during the show, as she was about to read the news capsule, she became increasingly impatient with a producer who kept placing Hilton’s release from prison as that morning’s lead story.
She tore up scripts, threatened to light them on fire (which would probably have had OSHA paying her a visit), and ultimately got up from the desk and dropped them in a paper shredder.
Was it grandstanding? Absolutely. Was it a carefully-choreographed publicity stunt? Not likely, from the camera work, particularly when she gets up and walks to the shredder: it is clear that they didn’t have cameras in place ready to follow her along by the delay in getting from one shot to another.
Here’s the video from YouTube if you haven’t already seen it:
Her point, as far as I’m concerned, is well-taken. There are far more important things to talk about.
But what do you think? How would you feel if you were watching your newscast of choice and an anchor did this?
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(4.50 out of 5)
June 30th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Having worked in news, I am very familiar with issues of being force-fed copy I neither like nor find newsworthy. I support her right, as a talking head, to determine what stories she will report as newsworthy. News producers, including you, Patrick, need to get a grip. They / we aren’t all just “pretty faces” — I was writing news copy before you were out of grade school. I know what news is. And it isn’t about ratings. The incident was a power struggle and I come down on the side of the OAT.
Paris Hilton is not news. This country has become, for the most part, a very sick parody of itself. That should have been the lead…
June 30th, 2007 at 11:20 am
News producers, including you, Patrick, need to get a grip.
Wow. Did you read what I wrote? Why, exactly, do you think that I need to get a grip?
I thought I made it clear that I was on her side, particularly when I said, “Her point, as far as I’m concerned, is well-taken. There are far more important things to talk about.”
It was refreshing — pleasantly surprising, in fact, to see a national news anchor “boycott” the story that should never have been a lead. But I thought I made that clear; I certainly have quite the grip on at least that much.
They / we aren’t all just “pretty faces” — I was writing news copy before you were out of grade school.
?!?
I don’t see the need for a pissing match. As someone who doesn’t have a pretty face, that has never been a tag applied to me when I was in front of the camera, and the people I’ve worked with over the years have taught me that they are more than pretty faces. There have been exceptions over the years, but they were few.
I know what news is. And it isn’t about ratings.
I know what news is, too, Wil. And it should never be about ratings.
But I suspect that because you were writing news copy when I was in grade school, and because you have likely followed changes in the industry since that time, you are well aware of this: if the news producers aren’t concerned about ratings, and if the news managers aren’t concerned about ratings, you can bet the station manager is.
It’s an unbelievably competitive business, and ratings and research are the only real measures television stations to have to see how well they’re doing at meeting the needs of their viewers. If a station is getting low ratings, that generally isn’t allowed to continue without changes being made.
If ratings don’t enter the picture at some point, why do you suppose that is?
Paris Hilton is not news. This country has become, for the most part, a very sick parody of itself.
With all due respect, Wil, the fact that this country has become, for the most part, a very sick parody of itself, is exactly why so many people think that Paris Hilton is news. It’s why news producers put her in their shows, and why viewers who want to know everything they can about her flock to those shows that mention her.
I’m certainly not saying that this is the way it should be. I agree with you, despite what you perceive as my apparent lack of a “grip.”
No one would be happier than I to get through a month of newscasts — local or national — that never make any mention of any celebrity.
June 30th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
OMG, this is fantastic! I wholeheartedly applaud Mika’s stand not to report on Paris Hilton. I, for one, was absolutely thrilled when Paris was sentenced to and placed back in jail. But unfortunately, as Patrick points out, even though anchors are not concerned about ratings, the station managers surely are. Hopefully though, Mika’s stand on NOT reporting Paris gathered just as much attention and ratings as it would have if she had gone on with the lead story time and time again. De
June 30th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
OK, I think something got elided here…I think (and I could be wrong) that Wil might have been talking to news people in your audience or the universe at large, not you yourself, Patrick. That’s how I read it, anyway. “You”, then, I took to mean “Ya’ll” (i.e., news producers in general). I could be wrong, however. That’s been happening a lot lately. heh
In any case, I think it’s pretty obvious you’re on Mika’s side on this one, and I’d be all over the phone/email/snail mail praising her had I seen this live.
But I don’t watch MSNBC, Fox, or any other morning show…or much news at all, because of the way actual news is often NOT COVERED except in the most cursory way.
Anyway, I’m glad to see this. I’m now a potential Mika groupie and look forward to her moving to a real news job sometime soon.
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:09 pm
I would have been cheering if my news anchor had done that! I’ve had it up to here with the Paris Hilton stories!
I tune into news to see the news - not entertainment fluff!