I'm a big fan of news programs. I absorb news like a sponge. When I'm cooking, the TV is always tuned to either a local news channel or CNN.
But as much as I like watching the news, there are times I notice some glaring mistakes. Misspelled names of people, places and events. Unverified reports all issued for the sake of exclusivity. Different angles of one incident reported by rival news networks, all of them dishing out different information. You cannot tell who is reporting accurately.
But my pet peeve is when reporters themselves get the facts wrong. For me, a good news reporter must be familiar with all the facts before s/he reports on air. You can absolutely tell if a reporter is merely speculating or reporting truthfully. In this day and age when citizens can go online to check the authenticity of facts, it is imperative we are fed the real figures by the very agencies that are tasked with providing the news.
For instance, a radio reporter was asked if the late DILG Secretary Robredo's parents were still alive. She answered 'Yung lang po nanay niya, ang buhay pa rin". That is not accurate as both his parents are still around albeit in frail health.
Another thing that gets me all riled up is the manner certain persons (not just reporters) introduce the President. They refer to him as President BeNign0 S. Aquino III but the correct way is President BeNign0 C. Aquino III. Everybody knows the middle initial is the surname of one's mother, so why would they use his 2nd name, Simeon as his middle initial???
It isn't just the local news networks that make mistakes, this also goes for the international news agencies. But in fairness to them, they immediately issue an erratum notice to correct their errors. But here it is seldom done.
Lately, one of my must watch TV shows is The Newsroom on HBO. It stars Jeff Daniels as a TV news anchor. The show presents the behind the scenes travails of a news program. Yes, it veers towards the liberal Neorealism side of the US political spectrum and it deals with issues that are not relevant in this side of the globe. Yet the brainstorming sessions, the gathering of facts and the appropriate resource persons, the writing of the stories to the actual TV show as it airs live - they are all fascinating to absorb for me, the news junkie.
The Newsroom airs @ 9pm every Wednesdays on HBO.
Another thing that gets me all riled up is the manner certain persons (not just reporters) introduce the President. They refer to him as President BeNign0 S. Aquino III but the correct way is President BeNign0 C. Aquino III. Everybody knows the middle initial is the surname of one's mother, so why would they use his 2nd name, Simeon as his middle initial???
It isn't just the local news networks that make mistakes, this also goes for the international news agencies. But in fairness to them, they immediately issue an erratum notice to correct their errors. But here it is seldom done.
Lately, one of my must watch TV shows is The Newsroom on HBO. It stars Jeff Daniels as a TV news anchor. The show presents the behind the scenes travails of a news program. Yes, it veers towards the liberal Neorealism side of the US political spectrum and it deals with issues that are not relevant in this side of the globe. Yet the brainstorming sessions, the gathering of facts and the appropriate resource persons, the writing of the stories to the actual TV show as it airs live - they are all fascinating to absorb for me, the news junkie.
The Newsroom airs @ 9pm every Wednesdays on HBO.
4 comments:
I haven't seen any news blunder mistakes recently, but that's probably because I haven't been watching a lot of TV. Haven't had the time lately - work, school and textbooks.
Pay close attention, there are bound to be some mistakes. he he he
Yes I'm too critical for my own good.
I recently watched a new local reporter make so many mistakes while making a newsflash report. The poor girl was so nervous. Her voice was trembling and she had trouble uttering the words. It was probably her debut as a reporter. I felt sorry for her. I couldn't stand it any longer so I changed the channel.
Well it would be understandable for a rookie reporter to make mistakes given that she doesn't have much experience yet. I would change the channel as well out of pity.
But I'm referring to veteran journalists who make idiotic mistakes. That is a gross neglect of their chosen profession. They should be consciously aware of reporting verified facts every time they go on air.
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