My last few days at WDIV were bittersweet. I felt as if I accomplished so much in the short time I was there and had become so comfortable. I went out to dinner with Jay, Guy and Michelle, the producer, anchor and video journalist for the show. The dinner was full of reminiscing and many thank-yous. It was also full of reflection on the industry they were entrenched in and the one I was poised to propel into. I mentioned a quote that Roger Weber, a reporter I shadowed earlier that week had said to me: "If you want preserve your career, know how to do hard news. If you want to preserve your sanity, do soft news." This statement resonated with me as I thought about what kind of news I wanted to report on and how if I were an exec what I would do to shape broadcast journalism.
If I were CEO of the Graham Media Group or VP of WDIV, I would strive to do just what the execs are doing now on a personal basis. Marla Drutz, the VP of WDIV, makes a true effort to get to know everyone in Channel's 4's newsroom from Carmen Harlan, one of our best known anchors, to me, a new intern. That's what makes all the difference. When the execs are integrated into the actual inner workings of the newsroom, the station begins to flow like a well-oiled machine.
If I were to address change in this industry on a larger level, I would love to see people focus less on ratings and sensationalism and more on news that truly matters. I understand that every business model has to be inherently focused on bringing in revenue, but I really do believe that with better news comes a more informed public that will crave even more quality news. I think it is the media's job to be an accurate messenger of news to the public, not just sensationalized stories. So if I were CEO for a day, I would say ignore the ratings and focus on delivering the most relevant, important and necessary news to the audience.
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| This is a photo from a shoot that I thought was truly a great news story. It focused on Camp Michitanki, a camp for kids who have received organ transplants. |
It sounds like you've had a really awesome internship experience! It's always nice to get advice from someone in the field you are looking to go into, so I think that quote you shared was really valuable. I also definitely agree with you from an outsiders perspective that it's more important to focus on the relevant news and not just tell people what they want to hear.
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