Andrew Bohardt
ab320905@ohio.edu
While people like Bill O'Reilly have their place in television entertainment, they and their reporting style need to be avoided by objective journalists.
O'Reilly and several other prominent names in the media are known for berating people with opposing political views and keeping them from expanding on relevant points they want to discuss. This is part of what makes O'Reilly successful, but far too often this type of reporting has leaked into the "objective" journalism realm, causing its victims to feel alienated and exposed. Below is a clip from the Bill O'Reilly show that documents subjective journalism.
In this clip, O'Reilly essentially attacks Jeremy Glick for his views on the war. This is not news. It should not be on a "respected" news site. Because of the interview's bombastic, insulting nature, however, the "O'Reilly Factor" receives high ratings. Currently, too many media outlets are focused on how many people read or watch their reports instead of what information they release.
When journalists get too focused on ratings, they fail to accurately report the news. Furthermore, journalists start to act unprofessionally, pressuring sources to reveal juicy information that will draw a crowd. This leads to infotainment rather than hard news, and sources feel like they have no privacy. Intrusive journalism can only be stopped by the journalists themselves, and media outlets need to make a concerted effort to do so.
Click this link for an American Journalism Review article on intrusive journalism in today's media.
Since when does Bill O'Reilly claim to be an objective journalist, only covering hard news? When he does, THAT's when he has a problem. But he doesn't. He is a PUNDIT, a COMMENTATOR. He hosts a TALK SHOW. Yeah, he might be a bit aggressive in that video. But you said yourself that "objective journalists" shouldn't act like that. He's not claiming to be one, and neither is his show. If you want an example of "objective journalists" gone wrong, watch Katie Couric. She says she's a reporter, not a commentator. But she's quite the commentator.
ReplyDeleteFurther, you claim that the reason O'Reilly has good ratings is because of his "insulting" interviewing style? How in the world could you possibly know that? Do you know why each and every person who watched O'Reilly decided to watch him? You couldn't possibly! Once again, I really wish people in our class, who are about to be future JOURNALISTS, would stop assuming things.