Media panel debates: “What’s News?”
by Maria L. Kent
Arguments over whether
television is “news” sparked
debate among panelists in print
and broadcast journalism at a
panel discussion held on Sept.
5. “TV by nature is a
fraud...TV distorts us,” said
Sandy Sarobin of KYW radio.
The panel discussion entitled
“What’s News: Choosing What
the Public Should Know,”
centered around whether
broadcast journalism, mainly
television, gave the public
“news” or just headlines of the
news. Also discussed was what
is news and media as a business.
The panel debated whether
the mass media are messengers
or social reformers. Terri Guer
risi, assignment editor for
WHP-TV, said that elements of
social reform are present in the
mass media. Sandy Sarobin,
KYW radio, said, “If you per
form your job as a journalist,
you are definitely a social
reformer.” According to Dale
Davenport, city editor of the
Harrisburg Patriot, moral code
and ethics, fairness and ac
curacy are the necessary ingre
dients when giving an honest
accountfng of the news.
The discussion included,
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News; Terri Guerrisi, WHP
TV; Tony Romeo, WGAL-TV;
and Sandy sarobin, KYW
radio. Moderators of the
discussion were humanities
faculty members Eton Chur
chill and Mark S. Guralnick.
Each panelist described what
his job titles and responsibilities
were and what each of them,
through his experience, thought
“news” was. Dale Davenport
said, “news boils down to four
things... consequence, conflict,
cash and celebrity.” Davenport
added, “hews is what’s
unusual... no news is good
news.” Another panelist said
that events that are unusual are
the news and most time, it is
bad news. According to Guer
risi, “People are fascinated
with tradegy... it’s part of
human nature.” All the
panelists thought news should
have a balance between what
people should know and what
they want.
The panelists agreed that
news has elements of interest,
importance and enterainment
based on fact. They also agreed
that what becomes “news” is
usually “bad news.” However,
some panelists did disagree that
“good news” could be con
sidered news.
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Other topics discussed were
jobs and what a journalist’s job
consists of. Guerrisi said a jour
nalist’s job is to find out what
happened and give the public
the information. Guerrisi con
tinued, “you (journalists) act
like a filter.”
Another important topic
discussed was whether mass
media should be a business.
The business factor in TV is
selling advertising, in print
journalism it’s selling news
papers. Tony Romeo, reporter
for WGAL-TV said,“ We are
a business...with business
operations...we will have con
straints.” Romeo continued,
“News is a business and if you
think it isn’t entertain
ing...you’re foolish.” Romeo
pointed out that Media is in
dependent of government but
dependent on how many people
watch the news and how many
papers are sold. Guerrisi add
ed that performance is involv
ed in the business of covering
the news.
Sandy Sarobin said,
“laziness and disinterest” are
shortfalls in covering the news.
Sarobin added, “Tough stories
are never covered...it’s what we
don’t cover that makes us a
disgrace.” He added, the role
The Capitol Times Friday, September 13, 1985 Page
is news”
right) Dale
Guralnick,
“What
(left
Mark
of a journalist should be as an
impediment to the slick
package of disinformation.
Guerrisi defended television by
saying that TV doesn’t report
events the same way. She also
said,“they are totally diferent
mediums.”
Guerrisi stressed the positive
side of TV. She said that TV is
more timely than print jour
nalism and TV can show what
Terri Guerrisi,
Sandy Sarobin.
Drexler
Davenport,
is being talked about with
graphics. According to Guerrisi
she doesn’t believe that TV is
headlines but rather a capsuliz
ed version of the news and if
people want more detail a series
on the
included