Broadcast Newswriters Speak About News Quality

BROADCAST NEWSWRITERS SPEAK ABOUT NEWS QUALITY
[SOURCE: Writers Guild of America, East 7/27, AUTHOR: ]
The news about the news is not good, according to a study released today by the Writers Guild of America, East. The report, entitled Broadcast Newswriters Speak About News Quality, traces an ongoing decline in the quality of broadcast news driven by the continual reduction of newsroom staff. The report, based on 10 months of in-depth research culled from news quality surveys and the WGAE's own extensive member information database, includes direct interviews with WGA members at local and national ABC and CBS News television and radio outlets. Among the reasons for the declining quality of news cited in the report are: 1) Recycling of news is becoming more commonplace as fewer newsroom employees mean less stories being developed on a daily basis. 2) There is a dramatic and growing shift away from hard news to more lifestyle/ entertainment or "infotainment" news. The report includes four recommendations: 1) The FCC should hold public hearings specifically regarding localism and broadcast news quality in top U.S. markets; 2) The appointment of a commission or working group to develop standards for broadcast news quality as a public interest requirement; 3) Continue support of the Center For Media and Democracy's proposals for video news releases and have U.S. government agencies funding or producing video or audio for broadcast use be required to makes such material public and archive it online; 4) Make infractions to these public interest requirements punishable by fine and require adherence to these standards for license renewal.
http://www.wgaeast.org/index.php/articles/736?wgra=1#wga736