Being an early riser and creature of (slightly elderly)
habit, I watch The Today Show every morning--mostly for the news, mostly
because the anchors are friendly, and mostly because there aren’t many other
options to choose from at 7 a.m.
Neil Postman presents an interesting claim about televised
news broadcasts in The Age of Show
Business. “A news show, to put it plainly, is a format for entertainment,
not for education, reflection or catharsis. And we must not judge it too
harshly those who have framed it in this way. They are not assembling the news
to be read, or broadcasting it to be heard. They are televising the news to be
seen” (p. 87-88)
In this reading, Postman characterizes television, and news
broadcasts, as being inherently entertainment-based. Aside from any personal
views people may have about broadcasts and alleged biased content, I got to
thinking about my beloved Today Show and how, in reality, probably only half of
each broadcast is really dedicated to the hard news Postman prefers.
There’s the occasional, “Where in the World is Matt Lauer?”
segment.
The awkward Smucker’s Birthday announcements with Willard
Scott.
And, my personal favorite, the “Bow to Wow” series of
made-over shelter dogs.
In terms of visuality, Postman seemingly argues that
televised news is silly and lacking in credibility because it’s all for
show—the “friendly anchor” we share our breakfast with, the news stories that
are edited to taste. Honestly, though, how many of us would really want to
watch the monotony of everyday life? As discussed in class/past readings—TV
is/was an opportunity for democracy, opening us all to new places, new people
and new stories with more efficiency than print or radio ever could. We have to
“see it to believe it.”
“Entertainment is the supra-ideology of all discourse on
television” (p. 87). So what if news anchors have a little fun with it?
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