The State of the Tube Address

Sign posted in a station back in the 1980's:

"The good old days ended the day before you got here."

Truer words were never spoken. As a young reporter I heard tales from veteran photogs about the days of networks flying them first class around the country. About expense accounts with no end. About having a week to work on a story.

Wow, I thought. If only I'd been born twenty years earlier.

Now, to most of you who are just getting in the business, the days of simply working with a photog would qualify as the good old days. As I look back, they were: quality shooters always providing me with great stuff, the occasional trip out of town, the boss who picked up the check if you ended up in the same restaurant.

Yes, those days are gone, and in twenty years some rookie will hear your stories about what it was like in the good old days.

Tales of gloom and doom permeate the business right now. The one-man-band trend is the leading economic indicator. The Internet is either the devil that is killing the business or its potential savior.

Yes, the job is a lot tougher than it used to be. But then again, so is everything in America. In case you hadn't watched the stories you've been covering, life as we knew it is in the process of evolving. What will be left when everything shakes out is anyone's guess. Bottom line, life is tougher regardless of your profession.

At times like this I look back to those eight years I spent making sandwiches in my dad's delicatessen. Every time I felt exhausted or complained my dad would say, "That's why you're in college, so you don't have to do this like your old man." Looking back, that may have been my only "real job" doing physical labor. Slicing meat all day, putting together two hundred lunches, being bone tired at the end of the day.

And then I think about my life after college. I've made a living telling stories.

Think about the alternative next time you think your job is tough, or you've worked a long day, or knocked out two packages or three live shots. If any of you waited tables or had any kind of summer job, think back to how that felt compared to what you do now. Or look at the jobs of some of the people you interview; wanna trade with an oil spill clean up worker, a dishwasher, or a roofer?

I remember riding home with a photog after we'd spent grueling days covering the 1988 Democratic and Republican conventions. Three packages a day, live shots, the logistical nightmare of hauling equipment through thousands of media people on the convention floor. At one point we were so tired of lugging the gear that I went to a luggage store and bought one of those carts flight attendants were using to wheel luggage through airports (at that point wheeled luggage didn't exist); we piled the deck, the battery belt and the tripod on the cart and it saved our backs quite a bit.

As we pulled out of the hotel lot to head home I said, "I don't think I've ever been this tired in my life." "Yeah," said the photog, "but it's a good kind of tired."

He was right. When you've accomplished something special, it doesn't matter how much you've put into it. You can take that feeling home and bathe your soul in it.

I never got that feeling after a day making sandwiches.

You all tell stories for a living. You may be underpaid and dealing with the new realities of the business, but the bottom line is that you put dinner on the table by telling stories.

If that's not enough for you, go out and get a real job.

Only you can fix this problem

Well, apparently we're somewhere between Congress and used car salesmen on the old trust meter.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/142133/Confidence-Newspapers-News-Remains-Rarity.aspx

So, only 22 percent of Americans trust members of the television news media. It sounds even worse when you do the math and realize 78 percent don't trust us. Here's something even more telling: newspapers rated higher than television... and they do editorials. Their opinions are right out in the open, and people still trust us even less.

First, let's look at how it got this way.

-Bias: Never before has media bias been so in-your-face. When you have some members of the media who don't even try to hide their political affiliation, you've got a trust problem with the public. Sometimes it is just the tone of the person doing the interview; softballs for members of one party, an attack dog attitude for the other. Bias has always existed, but it was a lot more subtle years ago.

-Sensationalism: Average stories are blown way out of proportion. While this has always been true, it's gotten much worse of late.

-One-sided reporting: Too many reporters go out and do one interview per package, never stopping to even consider another side of the story.

-Out of context editing: I can take just about any political speech and make someone look like a saint or the devil with a few simple cuts.

-Lack of class: How can you trust anyone who shoves a microphone in someone's face after a tragedy?

-The Internet has revealed all of our old tricks: The public is now well versed in ratings, editing tricks, journalistic principles or lack thereof, and how reporters actually gather facts. People can see entire speeches and decide for themselves what a politician actually meant. They can look up anyone's background. And they no longer take one news organization's word for anything.

The Japanese have a saying. "Fix the problem, not the blame." That said, here's how you can do your small part to make television news trustworthy again.

-Check your opinions at the door. You may be a bleeding heart liberal or a Bible-thumping conservative, but the public doesn't need to know it from your actions or your words. Keep your personal views to yourself and put stories together in a fair manner. Give each side equal time. Make sure your b-roll doesn't cast either side in a bad light. Let the viewers decide for themselves how they feel about a story.

Remember, people who disagree with you are not stupid just because they don't share your views. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Except media people have to keep theirs under wraps. People who watch your stories on a regular basis should have absolutely no clue where you stand on issues or what your political affiliation might be.

-Be professional, especially in the field. A few years ago I was on a network story covering a tragedy. Several people had been killed in a senseless crime, most of whom were members of a particular church. I walked into the church without a camera and asked the priest if he wanted to comment. I'll never forget what he said. "I can't believe you actually offered me the chance to say no." Others had apparently been shoving cameras in his face.

The next day a family member actually drove to our satellite truck and invited us to come by for a news conference. When we arrived, several other news organizations weren't even there.

Did they trust us simply because word got around that we were polite and didn't use ambush journalism? You make the call.

-Treat all people you interview equally. The dirty mechanic covered with grease deserves the same respect as the man in the thousand dollar suit. They're equal. The mechanic might even be a lot smarter than the guy in the suit. (Hence the term "empty suit.") Keep this in mind: both have one vote on election day. Both count the same in the ratings book.

-Stop airing stories that are in bad taste. Here's the great indicator: if you wouldn't want your mother to see your story, it's outta here. Either that, or fix it so she could watch it. Also, it's time for the all-time most effective tease ("You may find our next story disturbing") to be retired. If it's disturbing, it doesn't need to air.

-Look for more positive stories. The most common complaint I hear from viewers is that local news is all bad, all death and destruction. Would you want to listen to someone everyday who told depressing stories? Well, that's what the viewer is getting.

Bottom line, ethics, class and professionalism start with you.

-

Haven't heard anything? Send another tape

Okay, I want you to remember all of the emails you received in the past seven days.

Can't do it, huh? Now ask a News Director to name all the people who sent tapes last month.

If you've sent a tape more than two months ago and haven't heard anything, send another. Situations change, NDs can't remember every tape they've seen, and you probably have a better tape anyway. So stick another tape in the mail. Your cover letter doesn't even need to mention that you've already sent one.

Now, if you've gotten favorable feedback from a ND, you should be sending a tape every two months anyway, even if you never hear anything. When the same names keep crossing a ND's desk, then he might start to remember you.

The flight attendant's field guide to quitting a job in broadcasting

Quitting a job can be a euphoric experience, especially if you're leaving a gig located in the ninth circle of hell. Sadly, we can't pull a Jet Blue, grab a beer and hit the emergency slide. The closest that we in the news business could get would be to steal all the Sweet 'n' Low from the break room and roll down a satellite dish.

However, since some lack the creative flair to quit a job in a memorable manner, here is an all-purpose resignation letter. Whether you're leaving in a professional manner or napalming a bridge, this multiple choice letter will enable you to leave in style.


Dear:

a: name of News Director
b: name of General Manager (if you want to send a subtle message by going over the head of the News Director)
c: idiot who runs the newsroom
d: crash dummy

Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation. During my two years here:
a: it has been a pleasure to be a part of your team.
b: I've learned a good deal about the news business.
c: I've had the suicide hotline on speed dial.
d: you've proven that people rise to the level of their incompetence.

I am leaving in order to:
a: pursue a great opportunity
b: take a job that will enable me to take my skills to the next level
c: work for someone with more intelligence than a sock puppet
d: preserve what is left of my sanity so that I do not end up in a rubber room

My last day will be:
a: in two weeks
b: in two weeks minus the 37 comp days you owe me for all the unpaid overtime I worked
c: only experienced if you can take a trip back to last Friday in a time machine

I would like to:
a: thank you for the opportunity that you have afforded me during my time here
b: wish you and the news team the best in the future
c: hit lotto, buy the station, and fire you
d: see you reincarnated as a spider

In closing, I'd like to say:
a: I'll keep in touch as I'm sure our paths will cross again
b: I'll send good people your way
c: I'll think of my time here as a root canal that lasted two years
d: you're a big meanie and I hope you get hit on the head by a meteor

Sincerely,
(your name here)

Laugh for the day...

And you though the Jet Blue flight attendant grabbed a beer and slid down the emergency chute quit in a clever way.

Check out this gal's very creative resignation...

http://thechive.com/2010/08/10/girl-quits-her-job-on-dry-erase-board-emails-entire-office-33-photos/