Technique triumphing over substance

As for the story of the antipollution rally, there will have been little time to explain to the audience what an antipollution rally means. How, for example, did these people get organized? What are the scientific arguments for and against the dangers of pollution in this case? How many other antipollution rallies have been held in this region? Who owns the company that is accused of polluting the environment? What is the position of the local political leaders on this question? And so on. As we have said, television news is in a constant struggle with time, and time is a fierce adversary. Two minutes for the antipollution rally, and that’s it. And plenty of pictures. Moreover, as we have tried to suggest in this chapter, the technical demands of television are so complex and unrelenting that everyone concerned is preoccupied with getting matters technically right. Frequently, it is a case of technique triumphing over substance. In TV news, that is the way it goes, most of the time.

uit: How to watch TV news - Neil Postman en Steve Powers


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