Al Jazeera English News Channel launched
 

If anybody is interested, Al Jazeera is launching today the 15th of November 2006 its first international English News Channel to the world.

Here's the link if anyone is interested in more info:

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...5752862B5E.htm

Interesting. It feels a bit like CNN International, but with more of the International.

This is not a political statement, but a comment on our profession: I don't like how most U.S. news media has switched from a news delivery format to a news commentary format. There are no camera operators anymore. There are only robotic cameras in the studio switched by the producer who follows a computer for the timing of the segment breaks. If you can't find a channel that actually reports the news, what is the point of journalism? Why isn't there news on TV anymore? Is it just not profitable? With all the great new technology out there, why hasn't news improved? What happened to sticking a person with a camera out in the field and talking to people?

Simply put...Greed.

The profitability delema did not cause problems in the past. Networks used to do the news as a service to the public, and they all lost money! Profitably is a fairly new concept and is destroying honest news. Now they must make money and it totally changes the way it is presented! Do you think that if profits did not matter and only the truth, that Katie Curac would be a network evening news anchor?

It is all now hype, slick graphics,and teases.

"The truth be damned, full speed, err profits ahead!"

Mike

I agree with Mike, I used to work in "news" It got to the point where we didn't actually cover "news" anymore. They actually did sweeps pieces on "products" to see if they worked. How is that news? It got old real fast and I got out, quickly. There wasn't any real journalism left, and that was 7 years ago. I can only imagine what it's like in the "news" room today. I feel bad for the kids coming out of college who want to be journalists. Then again the last station I worked at was hiring "producers and photographers" right out of high school. Sad....

In Australia, we have a Radio Host, TV Presenter and Comidian by the name of John Doyle (You guys in the States would know him as the ohter half of the "Roy And H.G" Duo.)

To quote a speech made by Mr Doyle to a group of Journalists that aim for "News for News" Called the Andrew Olle Lecture. Here are the opening few minutes to his speech at the Dinner.

"It was during the bombing of Bagdad when I reeled in shock, horror and disbelief, when I saw American FOX news coverage.

"One man, dressed imaculately in a suit shouted 'I wanna see the MOAB.' The Mother of all bombs. 'I wanna see the MOAB.'

"Then I thought, it's come to this - The news had degenerated into men wanking off to a snuff film." (Audience claps - some stand)

I was in Television in Houston, back in 1974. I was a journalism student at the time as well.

News was not supposed to be profitable. It was a 'lead loss' item for stations and networks. You didn't make money off the NEWS per se... (though there has always been commercials to help OFFSET the costs). The idea was you got to the story first, best and had the 'last' word on it. If you did that, then people would be faithfull to your 'brand' (Station) and you would sell them stuff at the other hours.

I was in Radio in 1979, when thd Iranian Hostage situation broke. I remember a small news special called "Nightline" that started to air after the news, to give updates on the situation.

People turned in to watch in astonishing numbers. It was of course, an enormously compelling story. Which makes for good 'drama'. The whole news magazine format with commentary as a sales tool grew out of that. (With apologies to 60 Minutes) The notion of building flashy logos, and having to 'vamp' the story with endless streams of talking heads because, there WASN'T any footage to show... pretty much set the pace for what they are selling now.

I remember the big controversy of 'staged' docudramas.

I remebmer when "reality" programming was called "Candid Camera".

Thank God for the internet. I haven't watched 'the news' since before the war started.

Geez Richard, thanks for making me feel like an old fart. I graduated HS in 74, hehehe.

Of course to put things in perspective. Walter Cronkite admitted after he retired that he
tended to put a 'liberal' bent to his reporting. Seems even the most trusted man in America
had an agenda.

We do have some good news in the U.S. for example the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Colbert Report, and channels that are loved by both Liberals and Conservatives CSPAN 1 and 2. If you’re a liberal you watch Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, Bill Maher on HBO or anything on Link TV or Free Speech TV and if you’re conservative you watch FOX News and all of the religious channels.

And as this dips towards politics, it spells the end of the thread. Thanks all,