Many journalists believe that “emotional power can be harnessed” through visual media. One real-life journalist believes that television news has the power of “connect[ing] with the viewer’s heart” through storytelling. This charismatic, heroic image of the journalist is often portrayed in popular culture: a visual media that promotes accuracy and fairness while championing conscientiousness. But popular culture also reveals an unflattering side of visual media that can abuse its power to fabricate, trivialize, dehumanize, and seek profit. Thus, television and broadcast journalism has been a target of ridicule by popular culture. Before the birth of the television, radio journalists were the first kind of broadcast journalists. But like
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The female characters in shows like Mary Tyler Moore Show and Murphy Brown are shown to be competent and skilled in their profession. Similarly there are portrayals of male anchors who are also shown to be principled and skilled in their profession as well. In the film News at Eleven, Frank Kenley is an anchor who exploits a story of a high school student who accuses her teacher of rape. In order to broadcast this story, he “publicly excoriates his station’s role”. And in The Image, Jason Cromwell, also an anchor, reveals a savings and loans scandal that his station had initially misreported. Crowell act of honesty shows his commitment to reporting the truth, even if ratings are at risk. In The Newsroom, producer Mackenzie McHale attempts to convince anchor Will McAvoy to “leave the circus” and “do a news program with loftiest goals”. She tells him, “Reclaiming the Fourth Estate. Reclaiming journalism as an honorable profession. A nightly newscast that informs a debate worthy of a great nation. Civility, respect, and a return to what’s important. The death of bitchiness … [and] gossip. Speaking truth to stupid.” As she is trying to persuade McAvoy, she sums up broadcast journalism’s charismatic facets to the audience, ultimately telling the viewers that being a journalist is a respectable profession. In Up Close & Personal, TV journalist Warren Justice tragically passes while pursuing a story in Panama. His wife at a TV industry event says in tribute of dead Warren, “I thought if I ever stood up at something like this, it would be about glory or showing people. It’s different; I know that now. I’m only here for one reason: to tell a story.” Her tribute sheds light on the amount of courage that can go into journalism—sometimes it
The female characters in shows like Mary Tyler Moore Show and Murphy Brown are shown to be competent and skilled in their profession. Similarly there are portrayals of male anchors who are also shown to be principled and skilled in their profession as well. In the film News at Eleven, Frank Kenley is an anchor who exploits a story of a high school student who accuses her teacher of rape. In order to broadcast this story, he “publicly excoriates his station’s role”. And in The Image, Jason Cromwell, also an anchor, reveals a savings and loans scandal that his station had initially misreported. Crowell act of honesty shows his commitment to reporting the truth, even if ratings are at risk. In The Newsroom, producer Mackenzie McHale attempts to convince anchor Will McAvoy to “leave the circus” and “do a news program with loftiest goals”. She tells him, “Reclaiming the Fourth Estate. Reclaiming journalism as an honorable profession. A nightly newscast that informs a debate worthy of a great nation. Civility, respect, and a return to what’s important. The death of bitchiness … [and] gossip. Speaking truth to stupid.” As she is trying to persuade McAvoy, she sums up broadcast journalism’s charismatic facets to the audience, ultimately telling the viewers that being a journalist is a respectable profession. In Up Close & Personal, TV journalist Warren Justice tragically passes while pursuing a story in Panama. His wife at a TV industry event says in tribute of dead Warren, “I thought if I ever stood up at something like this, it would be about glory or showing people. It’s different; I know that now. I’m only here for one reason: to tell a story.” Her tribute sheds light on the amount of courage that can go into journalism—sometimes it