Live From the Trenches: The Changing Role of the Television News Correspondent - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0809322323 ISBN 13: 9780809322329

Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press, 1998

Synopsis

From Edward R. Murrow to "Sixty Minutes" and CNN, the television news correspondent has become a fixture of American journalism in the latter half of the twentieth century. The correspondent's role has changed, however, as centralized control, changing technology, "infotainment," and profit margin have influenced the way that television networks operate and television news is reported.

In spite of the flood of literature dealing with the American television networks, the evening anchors, and prime-time personalities, little has been written about the "the foot soldier of network news." Live from the Trenches fills that gap, providing the first examination of television news correspondents and their work, with much of the analysis coming from the correspondents themselves.

The correspondents:
Jim Bittermann, a former ABC Paris correspondent, has been the CNN Paris correspondent since 1996. He received a National News Emmy for his coverage of the 1988 Sudan famine.
Chris Bury, correspondent for "Nightline" since 1993, has covered foreign and domestic stories from Waco to Whitewater.
Michael Murrie, after a dozen years in television news at KSDK in St. Louis, is an associate professor and director of the Telecommunications Master's Program for the Department of Radio-Television at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Roger O'Neil, NBC News Denver bureau chief and correspondent since 1983, was the lead reporter for NBC during the Oklahoma City bombing trial of Timothy McVeigh.
Walter C. Rodgers, bureau chief and correspondent in Jerusalem, joined CNN in 1993 as the Berlin correspondent. Prior to joining CNN, he worked for ABC for twelve years.
Marlene Sanders broke barriers for women throughout her career and has won three Emmies. As a correspondent at ABC News in 1964, she was the first woman to anchor a prime-time network newscast.
George Strait is the primary ABC News correspondent for medical and health news. Among his many awards are the Alfred I. duPont Award and Gold Medal Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.
Ed Turner is CNN's first editor-at-large. Based in Washington, he represents the CNN News Group globally.
Garrick Utley joined CNN in 1997 after thirty years covering more than seventy countries for ABC.

About this title

About the Author

Joe S. Foote is the dean of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He is the author of Television Access and Political Power: The Networks, the President, and the Loyal Opposition. Before entering teaching, he served as press secretary for Speaker Carl Albert and as administrative assistant to Congressman Dave McCurdy.

Reviews

Like many academics, University of Southern California professor Reeves feels that a lot of journalism has been "blood, fire, sports, sex, mixed with stories to make you feel good about yourself and bad about your government." But as an experienced reporter for the New York Times and the creator of award-winning television documentaries, he still believes that journalists are crucial, irreplaceable contributors to a democratic society. His 12th book reconciles his skepticism and faith with vivid arguments of seasoned optimism. Reeves lauds both "Old Fartism" (journalistic integrity, hard work and the four Ws) and technological change (experimentation, speed and adaptation). Answering charges that journalists are becoming outdated, Reeves stresses their resilience and dedication, cites CNN's successes and even claims that "newspapers are better than they were pre-television." While people may "get the news" in revolutionary new ways, Reeves cares most about how news "is gathered and prepared for transmission." Reeves does fear journalists' profit motives, their incessant criticism of government and their ignorance of business. Why? Because "corporations own newspapers and television stations, government does not; corporations sue newspapers and television stations, government does not." Based on his 1997 Joanna Jackson Goldman Memorial Lecture at the Library of Congress, this book's anecdotal approach may not satisfy historians, but Reeves's seasoned, passionately optimistic treatise should inform and inspire both media consumers and journalists alike. (Nov.) FYI: Another forthcoming book on the changing face of journalism, Live from the Trenches: The Changing Role of the Network News Correspondent, collects essays from 10 distinguished correspondents, covering everything from the changing nature of communications technology to the diminishing world of foreign news coverage. Foreword by Ted Koppel. (Southern Illinois Univ., $22.95 159p ISBN 0-8093-2232-3; Nov.)
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

CNN's recent retraction of its report on the use of nerve gas in Vietnam once again raises questions about the accuracy of news. As the fired producers continue to defend the story, the public is left to judge for itself. In addition to this growing public distrust, television news is also being threatened by the industry's attempts to cut costs. Foote, the dean of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts at Southern Illinois University, has edited a volume that is the first to explore the role of television news correspondents. Jim Bittermann, Marlene Sanders, George Strait, and other correspondents reflect on past glories and speculate about the future. While their current role is not critically assessed here, the book does offer the perspectives of current practitioners in the field. It will be a welcome addition to journalism collections and to public libraries where media books circulate well.?Judy Solberg, George Washington Univ. Lib., Washington, DC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0809322323
• ISBN 13: 9780809322329
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160
• Editor: Foote PhD Dr. Joe S