On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 3:33 AM, JW <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Unfortunately, the people who make local news such a joke are the > >> sorts who become network White House correspondents anymore. > > > > I don't think that is quite fair. The WH Beat is not exactly the forum > for > > hard core journalism, and the current newtork correspondents may not > > exactly be hall of famers, but I don't think they are jokes, and I think > > they are all competent to good political journalists. From our friends at > > Wiki (with all usual caveats):... > > Sorry. A longer response: It's probably always been the case that > looking good was the first requirement for an on-camera TV job, even > when talent was also required. Talent seems to be less and less of a > requirement in local news hires over time, and we end up with the > handsome airheads (of both genders) who make local news such a joke. > Of course, the networks often hire from local stations. I'll also > mention that broadcasters at all levels are "doing more with less", so > that reporters don't have the chance to gain expertise covering a > particular beat. So we end up with a lot of seemingly interchangeable > network correspondents who look good as they flit across the country > or even around the world, but who seem unable to uncover any > information that they can't get from an official spokesman or a > grieving family member. > > The current White House correspondents may well be sharper than what > I've just described, and there are a handful of people like David > Martin who have taken advantage of their opportunities to master a > particular area. Too many reporters, though, have no knowledge of what > they're covering, and they and their management don't seem to care.. >
I don't disagree with most of this. But my point in providing the limited wiki bios of the current chief white house correspondents for the networks was to show that I don't think any of them have any experience as local news anchors (and maybe not even as local news reporters). My argument is that local news has gotten so bad that even with pretty faces they are too bad for the main network posts (which, admittedly, is a very low bar to begin with). -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
