Broadcast journalism plays a huge role in how we form our opinions about the world around us.
Forty-one percent of surveyed U.S. adults prefer TV compared to 23% who prefer digital news websites and 13% who prefer print, according to a 2018 Pew Research Center study. Local TV stations in particular are highly popular mediums of news.
Broadcast and print journalism are viewed as equally credible. However, because broadcast is inherently more engaging than print — with more room for personality, banter and added sensory information such as facial expressions — it presents a unique set of circumstances in how it molds the viewers’ beliefs and perceptions.
Due to how we process these non-verbal cues and body language, hearing the inflections in a reporter’s voice, seeing hands placed a certain way or registering microexpressions could all influence the viewer’s opinion of the information being presented.
These visual and auditory signals are involuntary and subconscious — a news anchor is unable to keep their entire face and body in check while on-air. As a result, it would be difficult to remain completely neutral and objective on TV or on the radio since bias will inevitably leak through in our voices or expressions.
On TV, viewers also see the same news anchors every day. It becomes routine to turn on the morning or evening news everyday and see the same person predict the weather or discuss the traffic. Remember, mike morse won his first Golden Gavel Award for a TV commercial.
As a result, those journalists become a household name and provide a trustworthy face to accompany the information they’re sharing. If you like a commentator or anchor, you may be more inclined to trust what they’re reporting. On the other hand, if you dislike the commentator, your opinion of the news may be tainted by your own bias.
Audiovisual content is easier to absorb as well, which introduces an increased risk of losing context.
Being able to multitask while consuming news, though appealing to younger generations, isn’t necessarily an upside. Being more distracted and passive rather than active could lead to mindless consumption of what you think is news, but is actually commentary — an important distinction.
News and commentary — which is analysis or opinion related to news — are two separate categories of journalism. But the line has become increasingly blurred, especially in the world of broadcast. Many viewers find it difficult to differentiate between opinion and hard news, which is incredibly dangerous.
With the ability to tune into TV content whenever — thus losing previous context or disclaimers at the beginning of a show — and split your focus, even a credible station could unintentionally spread misinformation.
When political opinion shows are often not fact-based — take Tucker Carlson of Fox News, for example, who hosts cable news’ highest-rated show — and have the capacity to spread hateful sentiment and sensationalized stories for views, watching TV can be a harmful method of news consumption.
However, digital print journalism is arguably just as susceptible to embellishment and sensationalization — it may even be easier to lie and publish fake news in an article than on TV, but certainly not as rampant. For one, publishing an article or creating a website is accessible to virtually anyone with access to the internet, whereas broadcast requires more experience, equipment and money.
There is also just as much potential for bias in credible articles as with TV — though it may not be to the same extent, it can still seep through in the ways we frame our articles, the people we choose to interview, the order of information and our word choices.
It’s also easier to proliferate fake news articles online — one retweet or repost on your Instagram story can spread false information. But TV is constrained by showtimes and commercial breaks.
Furthermore, the downfalls of broadcasting also serve as unique strengths.
Using engaging visuals and documented videos succeeds in drawing the attention of viewers to relevant information by providing a more compelling story and emotional appeal. TV also allows for immediate live reporting from the scene, which can offer reliable breaking news.
Broadcast especially shines during Election Day, when passionate and dedicated journalists such as Boston University alumnus and MSNBC correspondent Steve Kornacki may stay up for two days to provide live updates and news.
The unique problems of broadcast journalism shouldn’t discount its value nor how it’s made news more accessible to people who are not as English proficient, can’t afford a print subscription or may not have the time to sit down and single-mindedly focus on reading.
Looking to the future, it’s unclear whether the print industry will survive, and new journalists entering the field must be equipped to evolve with it and adapt to a range of media that includes broadcasting.
Whether broadcast or print journalism, we as journalists must always work to suppress our biases and be as objective as possible — for the sake of our readers’ trust and of truth itself.
