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Join TSPR for a weekly conversation about media issues. News Director Rich Egger and expert panelists discuss what’s in the news about the news business.

More Does Not Always Mean Better

The Shop Talk panelists discuss the general quality of television news reporting.

They start by referring to a report on an annual surveyabout the amount of broadcast news being produced.  It found the amount of TV news remains near a record high while there is a small drop in radio news.

While it’s encouraging to see more TV news generated, the panelists question the quality of what’s being produced.

Jasmine Crighton cited a Gallup poll that found few Americans place much confidence in TV news (the results were also poor for newspapers and the Internet). Crighton thinks the poll results show substance is lacking in TV news coverage.

Panelist Lisa Kernek said the task of producing quality news has become more difficult as newsroom staff sizes have been reduced over the years.  She feels quality reporting requires a healthy investment in staff. 

Panelist Rich Egger questioned what was defined as “news” for the survey.  Do cooking segments, musician performances, and other fluff contained within newscasts count as time devoted to news?

Rich is TSPR's News Director.