October 17, 2008

I used to have a fascination with TV news. I do not watch it very often anymore because of time and all the bad news there seems to be, but once upon a time I watched it every chance I got. My "what do you want to be when you grow up" answer was a TV news anchorwoman from about 6 years old to probably 12 years old. Even when I was too young to understand the implications of what was being said; I would watch intently and admire the pretty smiles and perfect hair of the anchor women. I am not entirely sure what changed my mind, but I do recall my aspiration to appear on TV dwindled as my self-consciousness rose due to puberty and other common teenage "things." Perhaps I just was not TV material, or at least I did not think I was.

The task of writing news for television may or may not be as glamorous as the women communicating it on air. It seems like such a powerful position to be in; determining what is newsworthy (that might be over-stepping what a writer actually gets to do) and what will keep people from turning the channel. With such a variety of ways to get the news, it seems like TV is right at the bottom with the newspaper. That is the way it works in my busy life. I do not have time to sit down and read a paper, and I really do not have time to sit down at home and watch the television. I especially am not going to make the time when it seems like most of what is reported is just tragic and sad. I still admire the men and women who deliver TV news, but this class has shown me there is a translator almost everywhere. Without those who write the news, would the anchors seem so impressive?