Document Type
Symposium
Publication Date
10-1994
Publication Citation
47 Federal Communications Law Journal 41 (1994)
Abstract
Broadcast journalists face conflicting responsibilities: the need to attract a large audience through visually entertaining products versus the need to present information that enhances public understanding. The Author argues that the media's social responsibility has become blurred in recent years as competition within the broadcast industry has increased. To keep the ratings up, many journalists are trying to force information into catchy sound bites without thinking about how such dissemination distorts that information. The Author argues that in spite of the increasing competition faced by broadcast journalists, they need to examine their professional practice and personal biases closely, with an eye towards engendering greater responsibility in the coverage of racial issues. This responsibility translates into journalism which does not rely on verbal and visual metaphors which perpetuate stereotypes and which is produced by more diversified news organizations.
Symposium: The Transformation of Television News
Recommended Citation
Rhodes, Jane
(1994)
""Even My Own Mother Couldn't Recognize Me": Television News and Public Understanding,"
Federal Communications Law Journal: Vol. 47:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/fclj/vol47/iss1/3