Broadcast
journalism needs to adapt in order to reach younger views and captivate my
generation. That is a fact. However, the only way to accomplish this task is to
ask: what do younger viewers want to see? The answer is us. We want to see,
hear, and know about ourselves and any issue which affects us. When one
imagines broadcast journalism, one typically imagines a host sitting at a desk
spewing facts while staring straight into the camera. I want to completely
destroy this image and then create a new one. By reinventing the content of
each story, revisiting who we feature for each issue, and rethinking how we
view each show, we can remake broadcast journalism.
We
want to understand the issues which involve us. Even though we probably should,
my generation doesn’t care about Social Security or Medicaid. We care about
student loans, jobs for college graduates, etc. Furthermore, these issues need
to be understood. We do care about issues which involve us, but if we can’t
understand what is being discussed we won’t listen. The information must be
presented in a way which is convenient for us. Otherwise we will not put the
time and energy into trying to stay informed. Stories need to be made
approachable and easy to understand. Viewers can no longer accept journalists
who talk over our heads, and so the fact of the matter is we will only pay
attention if issues involving our lives are presented in a clear way.
When
I think of how I would like broadcast journalism to look, I imagine a mix of
ages discussing an issue. Again, we want it to be about us. We don’t want
someone to sit in front of us and spew facts. Rather, we want to feel involved
and active. In a discussion format we can not only see different angles to the
same issue, but also have the feeling of participating in a group. As for who,
I would prefer to see college-aged hosts. I would still incorporate experts and
people from an older generation for differing opinions, but I would have at
least one college-aged person speaking. As a result of having someone our age
host the show, we would be able to relate more. More than that, that person
would understand our humor and be able to add a few laughs which we would
appreciate. There needs to be a collection of people introducing, explaining,
and discussing issues to engage our minds.
How
the show is viewed can, at times, be more important than the content being
covered. If a show is viewed from the typical straight-on angle depicted
earlier, it gets boring. In order to create interest to the show, the camera
needs to move. The broadcast needs to be viewed from several angles, including
moving alongside them while the “hosts” are walking. Different angles would
make the viewer feel as if he/she is sitting, or walking, with friends and
discussing an issue. It would create a more relaxed, involved environment. This
includes filming in different locations as well. A news broadcast must be
interesting not only in content, but also in appearance.
Essentially,
journalism needs to be made more comfortable for the average college-aged
viewer. Although, I believe before any changes or new ideas can truly be
successful, we as journalists must change the stigma surrounding news. Frankly,
news is unappealing to my age group. It’s not that we don’t care; it’s that we
have other things we would rather do. Before anything, we have to prove to my
generation that it is truly worth it to be informed. In the end, I want to
obliterate the typical image of broadcast journalism, destroy the stigma
surrounding it and create a new image with a group of us just talking about us.
My high school did not have any form of journalism
available through the curriculum or extracurricular activities. However, I had
an internship as a staff writer at my local newspaper, the Ranger Review,
off-and-on for three years. I also had a summer internship at a radio station,
where I participated in two on-air shows as a co-host. I have participated in
video production classes and workshops. I have experience with Adobe Premier and Adobe
Photoshop primarily.
No comments:
Post a Comment