In TV news, taking credit is called business as usual (NYT's nothing! TV stars always take credit!)

Los Angeles Times ^ | June 2, 2003 | Howard Rosenberg

[Timesink]

TELEVISION / HOWARD ROSENBERG

In TV news, taking credit is called business as usual

By HOWARD ROSENBERG

June 2 2003

A reporter taking credit for a colleague's work? For shame! Yet....

Many television newsrooms are surely puzzled by what happened to Rick Bragg at the New York Times. Either that or they're having a big laugh about it.

Bragg, who has a Pulitzer Prize, quit the Times last week after the paper suspended him over a story that carried his byline. Trouble was, it was reported largely by a freelancer who received no credit as either a co-writer or contributor.

In newspapers with integrity, such deception is a no-no, arguably meriting dismissal instead of mere suspension.

In TV news -- which lives and dies by a star system -- it not only happens routinely, it's encouraged and rewarded.

[...more...]

[Timesink]

Every once in a while, Rosenberg writes something actually worth reading. This is one of those times. Why doesn't anyone in TV ever get credit except the on-air stars?

I post this even though it's a month and a half old, because the president of ABCNEWS just now got around to responding to this column by sending out an email to all ABCNEWS staffers. (I'll post those details a little later.)

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[Timesink]

I'm baaaaack! And I'm starting a new, separate ping list for all posts about the news media, particularly the so-called "mainstream" news media. (Nobody pays attention to bump lists any more, so the CCRM and "Lamestream Media" bump lists aren't serving their purpose.) Freepmail me to sign up.

NYT Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

[JennysCool]

Thanks for the post, 'Sink. Back in my TV days I used to do a LOT of reporting and shooting for our big-city sister station. Then they'd edit my shots and interviews as if they were the work of the big-city reporterette tirelessly "reporting" the story.

Whatta racket!

[Timesink]

Why did you leave TV? (What market were you in?)

[CIB-173RDABN]

I gave up watching local "news" when they went from a half hour to three hours. There is not enough going on locally to fill three hours, so they begin to pad.

One way to pad is to take "newsstories" from sources that have an agenda. It may be as innocent as Disneyland wanting free publicity, to an environmental group wanting to spread their view of the world.

All well and good, except they present these prepackage stories as if the local staff did them, when all they do is read from the script.

Once when I was travelling, I saw the same story in two different cities. The only difference was that the local reporter for each city was presented as if they were doing the story and the interview. It was a fake, but because they get these packages for free, the local stations will use them.

So unless there is a local story I want to see, I will skip all local news.

[GOPJ]

Please add me to your new "Lamestream Media" ping list. Thanks.

[Pharmboy]

Keep me there...

[Timesink]

Okay, you're both on the new news media ping list.

[Tamzee]

Please keep my name for the media pings... I really appreciate the work you've done keeping us aware of these articles :-)