The Nine Network’s recent staged live crosses to a helicopter “in flight” tell you all you need to know about the state of much of our mainstream media  – cynical pretenders that see news as entertainment and their audiences as idiots.

Of course, faking live broadcasts is an age-old ruse in the infotainment business that commercial radio and television calls ‘news’. The classic was Media Watch’s 1996 expose of Today Tonight hack Dave ‘Sluggo’ Richardson, who, in the hunt for fugitive businessman Christopher Skase, used Barcelona as the set for an imagined showdown with police in Skase’s Majorca hideaway.

Less blatantly, but no less dishonestly, Australian networks continue the tradition today by having reporters sitting cosily in a studio in London, New York or Los Angeles and reporting on events hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. The important point isn’t the story. The point is that the network has someone “on the spot”, even if that means turning around agency pictures and re-voicing wire copy, while spending half a year’s budget on a fly-in-fly-out pieces to camera.

And newspapers do it too – ritually copying and pasting from Reuters or AP and sticking their own ‘correspondent’s’ name on the top of the story when the only effort that individual typically makes is throwing a line or two of local context.

Over at the Limited News Deathstar, the trick is to force foreign affairs coverage through their Never Ending Culture Wars blender – which is why Greg Sheridan (the man who spotted Iraq’s WMDs from the American club in Macquarie Street) can describe Tony Abbott as having “the right stuff to master the world” because he sucked  up to some Israeli diplomats at a Sydney luncheon.

And, remember, these are the “professional” journalists – the ones who patronise respected names in social media as “unedited bloggers”,   and claim they themselves are the only ones with the skills and discretion to know news when they see it and provide useful and insightful analysis around it.
I prefer Jeff Jarvis’ take on what journalism is in a social media age. It is no longer defined by who does it – he says – but what they do and how they do it. The community – through Twitter  or other agencies – can share information among themselves, which means journalists are going to have to find new ways of adding value.
Sorry guys, but sitting in a stationary chopper  and yelling over the rotor blades isn’t going to cut it.

10 Comments

pk · September 5, 2011 at 2:19 PM

Fairfax foreign coverage is pretty sad …I don't say that to denigrate their actual foreign correspondents, because they do fantastic work, if you can actually find it among all the wire copy. John Garnaut has written some amazing pieces on China, only to have them printed in the arse end of the Business liftout. Why? They should just save on the ink and replace their World pages with a single helpful line: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world

pk · September 5, 2011 at 2:19 PM

Fairfax foreign coverage is pretty sad …I don't say that to denigrate their actual foreign correspondents, because they do fantastic work, if you can actually find it among all the wire copy. John Garnaut has written some amazing pieces on China, only to have them printed in the arse end of the Business liftout. Why? They should just save on the ink and replace their World pages with a single helpful line: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world

Anonymous · September 6, 2011 at 3:42 AM

I think today's media are so used to reporting the latest dribble that pours from the mouths of certain politians, without challenging the truthfulness of their claims, that 'social media' is the only way to get at least a bit of perspective ( yes, I am talking about the constant chant of a failed government, NBN wastage, BER wastage and whatever meme the opposition can keep up). Just because a lie is constantly repeated does not make it the truth. End rant.

Anonymous · September 6, 2011 at 3:42 AM

I think today's media are so used to reporting the latest dribble that pours from the mouths of certain politians, without challenging the truthfulness of their claims, that 'social media' is the only way to get at least a bit of perspective ( yes, I am talking about the constant chant of a failed government, NBN wastage, BER wastage and whatever meme the opposition can keep up). Just because a lie is constantly repeated does not make it the truth. End rant.

Póló · September 6, 2011 at 7:04 AM

Nice piece and to the point.

I'd bet that some of these MSM hacks have got so powerful that an editor would think twice before interfering with their “copy”.

I love the “what” and “how” in place of the “who”. It stretches the reader's comfort zone and requires active discrimination on their part, but that is surely a good thing.

Much of today's MSM “journalism” has given new meaning to the terms “unedited” (now a compliment?) and “copy” (literally?).

Following you on Twitter. Always a good wakeup call in the morning (Time zone: Ireland).

Rath ar an obair (keep up the good work).

Póló · September 6, 2011 at 7:04 AM

Nice piece and to the point.

I'd bet that some of these MSM hacks have got so powerful that an editor would think twice before interfering with their “copy”.

I love the “what” and “how” in place of the “who”. It stretches the reader's comfort zone and requires active discrimination on their part, but that is surely a good thing.

Much of today's MSM “journalism” has given new meaning to the terms “unedited” (now a compliment?) and “copy” (literally?).

Following you on Twitter. Always a good wakeup call in the morning (Time zone: Ireland).

Rath ar an obair (keep up the good work).

quipper · September 6, 2011 at 10:18 AM

Just so, Mr D

quipper · September 6, 2011 at 10:18 AM

Just so, Mr D

Notus · September 8, 2011 at 10:00 PM

When I first read Greg Sheridan's piece about Abbott I thought he was being sarcastic. How could anyone interpret Abbott's cringe worthy behaviour as being statesman like.
Then I thought, what if Tim Dunlop's satirical article “Tony Abbottland a one Act Play” was reality?
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2784702.html

Ann · September 20, 2011 at 9:55 AM

What a mistake this was!!

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