powerpoint for cmcs paper v2 - handout
TRANSCRIPT
Josh Nathan, MA
Implications of Journalism’s Tall Tales on a Telling Public
Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS)
New York, New York September 2015
Communication Professor | Media Strategist Broadcaster’s Seal of Approval
Author: Too Mad to Trust (2015) Can TV News Change History? (2008)
Abstract
NBC’s former star Managing Editor and Anchor Brian Williams returns after six month’s suspension when his credibility came under attack in early 2015. Like dominoes, a host of tall tales told to the American public in his broadcasts seemingly fell one-by-one starting from when he worked as a reporter covering the war in Iraq. The damage to his profession is done. However, Williams’ fate, and future, may still be bright when viewed through the sheer inertia of Maurice Halbwachs’ theory of collective memory. While the majority of Americans think journalism’s role is more important in society than ever before, the perception that the news is not accurate or fair hit a 30-year low (Pew Research Center, 2013). Unless press tactics change without a public outcry, errors, lies, and biases reported remain rooted in the collective unconscious leading all parties away from any semblance of accuracy as history becomes the exclusive realm for mythic narratives.
• Groomed to succeed Brokaw, Williams is named a “Breakthrough Celebrity” by People in 1997 as an MSNBC Anchor.
Evolution of the Celebrity News Anchor
Tom Brokaw, Bob Wright, and Brian Williams September 1997
Globe Photos: Kelly Jordan
“This is a strange business because you always get kudos after a horrific
tragedy.” Brian Williams tells People about his popularity
after being one of the first to announce Princess Diana’s death.
• People pave the way for Williams’ return as MSNBC’s breaking news and special reports anchor.
Evolution of the Celebrity News Anchor
Invision/AP Photo: Brad Barket
“This is tailor-made for him. Being ringmaster of aggressive news
coverage is exactly what he’s great at. They are not talking about giving him a late-night interview show. They
are not having him be a comedian. They are having him do something that puts him at the top of his craft.”
Jonathan Klein, former CNN President
Brian Williams Prepares for a September 2015 Return
• Did he exaggerate, lie, misremember, misreport – and to what degree do viewers care?
Evolution of the Celebrity News Anchor
Viewer Values
SOURCE: The Pew Research Center
(A Contradiction)
• 71% polled believe press tries to cover up mistakes.
YET
IN 2015
Celebrity Cravings • Average attention span is 8.25 seconds.
– Cultural shift bent toward Williams’ journalistic persona. – Trust and accuracy trail personality for viewers. – Williams was not concocting “Onion-like stories.” – 60% polled after his admission did not think Williams should
resign or were unsure; loyal fan base exists.
“Being a reporter is a privilege. . . . You have to give up some of your rights as a citizen. You’re no longer a Democrat or a
Republican, no longer a public proponent of any social issue, a protester in
demonstrations, a signer of petitions, an advocate of good causes, a fundraiser for charities, or an advocate on behalf of any
constituency. . . . Prepare to be unpopular. Finally, get ready to be fired for the wrong
reason or quit on principle.”
• Do ethics matter?
WBBM-TV Anchor Carol Marin, Nieman Reports (2001)
A Human Interest Story
• Engaging stories that socially unite • Memorable • Detracts from more veritable socio-political issues • Often consistent with political passivity • Requires: “True little incidents are not life’s debris
but signs, emblems, and appeals.” Media Emphasis
Audience Identification Longer Narrative Arc Discursive Space
Fox News Anchor Bill O’Reilly
Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1964)
Both men moderate the memory of their stories
Brian Williams
Moderating Memory
• French social psychologist Maurice Halbwachs was the first to study what he later dubbed “Collective Memory.” – Individual memories are ephemeral
unless rooted in the deeper collective unconscious.
N.N. Korzh (2001)
Most agree television serves as a communal portal through which nearly identical memories are made for the majority.
“The common repertoire of interpretations and explanations acts on the cognitive
system through the media.” • Jérôme Bourdon suggests three types: – Wallpaper Memories – Flashbulb Memories – Close-encounter Memories
“I will argue that in all cases viewers experience an important symbolic change, not unlike that of a pilgrimage.”
Jérôme Bourdon (2003)
The Mythic Narrative
Forgetting, to an extent, is part of The Human Condition.
Paul Revere or Christopher Columbus?
• Accuracy is often defined by perspective,
which changes.
• Americans revere Revere because of a
tall tale from Longfellow. • Columbus Day is contentious. • “Google” and “Yahoo!” mindset leads
away from critical thought.
“Memory is bound up with power, and both memory,
and its corollary, forgetting, are
hegemonically produced and maintained, never
seamlessly or completely, but formidably and
powerfully nonetheless. . . . Thus it
is the powerful who often create the narrative
structure that control collective memory.”
In Uhrmacher and Tinkler’s Engaging learners and the
community through the study of monuments (2008)
Conclusion • Williams making waves for 20
years. • Ego and fallible memory stalled
his continued rise. – Nightly News’ Holt is Anchor,
but not Managing Editor. • Americans already self-styled
revisionists; love tales of redemption, however tall!
• Most clamor for the celebrity anchor.
Typhoon Brian October 22, 1992
90mph Winds Pressure 965 mbar
• Williams’ Wallpaper memory is steadfast.
– Known more for being first on the scene than first to lie.
• Williams moderates this “Flashbulb” event, perhaps furthering any Close-encounter memories with viewers.
• New role could breathe new life across all platforms at NBC.
The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Larger Ramifications?
What does Williams’ continued prominence say about society or the field of journalism?
“This battle’s gonna be won on the PR level. Hearts and minds.
They manipulate your image, Columbus. You manipulate
theirs.” The Sopranos consigliere Silvio Dante
Steven van Zandt as Silvio Dante in HBO’s The Sopranos
“Eventually a story will break that will find Williams, serving as a calm and articulate air-traffic controller for streams of information. . . . Imagine
him on the recent story of escaped convicts, a long-lasting story that held greater viewer interest
than actual national import.” The Denver Post’s Joanne Ostrow (2015)
Information on the Researcher
Working to reduce anticipated fears in kids, Josh Nathan is celebrating the launch of
his new children’s book, Too Mad to Trust. In it, he applies theories related to
interpersonal deception, nonverbal communication, and anticipated emotion to help
prevent speech-language disorders like stuttering or selective mutism. After earning
his M.A. in Communication, Josh left broadcasting for The Art Institute of Colorado
where he has been teaching Speech and Critical Thinking for more than eight years.
He finds his niche in writing and speaking about the influence of media with his first
book, Can TV News Change History? published in 2008. He often finds his most
valuable ideas while traveling, which is what he considers the most active form of
learning.
Josh Nathan:
References
Amid criticism, support for media’s ‘watchdog’ role stands out. (2013, August 8). Pew Research Center.
Retrieved from http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-pdf/8-8-2013%20Media%20Attitudes%20Release.pdf
Breakthroughs ’97. (1997, December 29). People, 48(26), 122.
Bourdon, J. (2003, fall/winter). Some sense of time. History and Memory, 15(2), 5-31.
Burrough, B. (2015, May). The inside story of the civil war for the soul of NBC news. Vanity Fair. Retrieved from
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/nbc-news-brian-williams-scandal-comcast
Dayan, D., & Katz, E. (1992). Media events: The live broadcasting of history. London, U.K.: Harvard University
Press.
Fine, G. A., & White, R. A. (2002). Creating collective attention in the public domain: Human interest narratives
and the rescue of Floyd Collins. Social Forces, 81(1), 57-85.
Goodale, G. (2015, February 10). Brian Williams suspended: How big a blow was dealt to network news?
Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2015/0210/Brian-Williams-
suspended-How-big-a-blow-was-dealt-to-network-news-video
Halbwachs, M. (1992). On Collective Memory. (L.W. Coser, Ed. & Trans.). New York, NY: Harper Colophon.
(Original work published 1950)
Koblin, J., & Steel, E. (2015, June 18). Brian Williams gets new role at lower salary. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/business/media/brian-williams-nbc-lester-holt.html?_r=0
References
Korzh, N.N. (2001, May-June). Representation of historical knowledge in collective memory. Journal of Russian
and East European Psychology, 39(3), 69-83.
Marin, C. (2001). Journalists need help with ethical decisions. Nieman Reports, 55(2), 76.
Matsa, K. E. (2015, July 15). Early morning, noon and late evening slots drive growth in local TV news. Pew
Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/15/early-morning-noon-and-
late-evening-slots-drive-growth-in-local-tv-news/
Merleau-Ponty, M. (1964). On news items. (R. C. McCleary, Trans.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University
Press.
Mitchell, A. (2015, April 29). State of the news media 2015. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://
www.journalism.org/2015/04/29/state-of-the-news-media-2015/
Mitchell, K. (2003). Monuments, memorials, and the politics of memory. Urban Geography, 24(5), 442-459.
Nathan, J. D. (2006). President Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina as portrayed by the media: An imprint on
American collective memory (Master’s thesis). Available from ProQuestDissertations and Theses database.
(UMI No. 1432733)
Ostrow, J. (2015, July 5). Donald Trump, Brian Williams and NBC crisis management. The Denver Post.
Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/television/ci_28428024/donald-trump-brian-williams-and-nbc-
crisis-management
References
Pethokoukis, J. M. (2000). A dose of hard news. U.S. News and World Report, 129(19), 54.
Poniewozik, J. (2015, June 25). Brian Williams’ demotion sends a mixed message. Time, 186(1/2), 37.
Shafer, J. (2015, February 5). Why did Brian Williams lie? Politico Magazine. Retrieved
from http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/brian-williams-lie-114950.html#.VaGmQ2BUjeU
Suhay, L. (2015, February 11). Brian Williams: When the anchor goes, news audiences may drift away fast.
Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/TV/2015/0211/Brian-
Williams-When-the-anchor-goes-news-audiences-may-drift-away-fast-video
Uhrmacher, P. B., & Tinkler, B. (2008, July-September). Engaging learners and the community through the
study of monuments. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 11(3), 225-238. doi
10.1080/13603120801918772
Vanacker, B. (2012). Don’t shoot the messenger: Journalism and mass media in the Sopranos. Journal of
Popular Film & Television, 40(1), 32-41. doi: 10.1080/01956051.2011.578171
Westin, D. (2015, February 12). It wasn’t all Brian Williams’ fault. Time.com. Retrieved from http://time.com
3703411/brian-williams-journalists-turned-celebrities/
Zobel, H. B. (1991). Paul Revere. In E. Foner & J.A. Garraty (Eds.), The
reader’s companion to American history. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.