Two interesting pieces to comment on and one for some good reading.
1. In "For Once, CNN Takes New Less Seriously", it's clear that the format of shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are catching on and even the elusive, "we're the toughest news in the business" CNN is trying to pull on the 18-34 demographic that the comedy/news shows draw on. Of course, this comes only a few weeks before the end of the election, so who knows how the show will fair. But, what do you think of this type of news shows? This is not Comedy Central, so what is CNN's commitment to this show saying about mainstream news outlets and how they're trying to reach viewers? Is this a good move?
2. Rituals is a regular column in the Escape section of Friday's NYT. The content varies, but this one ("1st Down and 3 decades gone by") stuck out as something, topic-wise, we might be able to incorporate into The Voice. Maybe a way to get alums interested in reading and/or writing for us? The style of this piece of quite touching yet avoids sentimentality. How does the author keep us engaged with the narrative? Any style tips to take from this piece?
No need to comment on this final suggested reading, but I thought it a good read on a hotly debated topic in California: Proposition 2. That's the prop about caged animals. A long read, but an interesting one. Lots to learn in "The Barnyard Strategist."
12 comments:
I think the new CNN show is a sad example of how much the American attention span is narrowing. Though I do believe that news shows with a comical spin such as the Daily Show and Colbert Report are awesome, they are not enough to fully inform citizens. Especially after Orville Schell's talk about the importance of journalism in democracy, I am worried that true news sources, without the entertainment factor will no longer be enough to satisfy the general public. So though I don't think it's a horrible thing that CNN has a new comedy news show, I hope it is not the beginning of a paradigm of real news turning into unsubstantial entertainment.
By creating a new comic news segment, CNN will most likely succeed in gaining more viewers, especially those from the younger generations. Having a more entertaining news outlet, though not as informative as traditional news sources, is beneficial by providing news to those who might not ever learn of it otherwise. To mention our speaker again, Orville Schell spoke of the importance of the comedic news source; it is better for people to be receiving news laced with humor than none at all.
However, like Anjuli said, the very fact that CNN finds it necessary to create such a program shines light on the behavior of society. We are reaching a point where people do not have the patience, the time, and most importantly, the interest to watch or read traditional news stories.
I think it is reasonable that CNN wants to attract and regain the attention of many viewers with a comic show. I just hope that this sort of fast-paced comedy news program remains as only one of numerous ways to consume news, and does not turn into the go-to news outlet for the majority of the population.
"1st Down and 3 Decades Gone By"
I can see the idea of an "Escape" piece working well in the Voice, whether the people who write them end up being Voice staff members or teachers or alums. I think that this type of story provides a nice contrast to our other, mostly news/current event driven stories.
This piece was a real success in the way Caldwell used enough details to express his emotions, but not so many that it became sappy or distracting from the specific images he chose to develop.
"First Down and Three Decades Gone"
I thougt that this piece was well written. It provided a lot of detail so that you were able to imagine that you were at the football stadium. However, throughout his whole piece he did not stray away from his purpose. I think an article similar to this would be interesting for "The Voice" because I think it is a little bit different than the articles that we write about. Providing a variety of different styles of writing will keep the readers intrigued. Also, if we get different writers like alumni, it will add to the final outcome of "The Voice" in a positive way.
I read the CNN article as well and I agree with Anjuli that it is unfortunate that CNN feels as though to capture the attention of the AMerican people, they need to broadcast a comedic news show. This speaks to the fact that the American public does not have a great interest in what is going on in the world today. I feel like it is even more sad that at such an important time with this historic election approaching CNN is taking more steps to bring in more viewers when it seems as though more people would be watching the news right now than ever before. It made me realize even more the importance of being an informed citizen in a democratic society.
I personally don't think that CNN's comedy news show is such a bad thing. There is much worse supposed news on T.V today that is a joke without even trying to be. In a 24 hour news cycle, a few good stories will come out but most of the time is spent talking about unimportant rumors about candidates and celebrity gossip as well as repeating the same stuff over and over again.Comedy shows should never replace the nightly most serious network broadcasts but I don't see any problem with this show running next to other shows whose main goal is profit making rather than informing. I usually feel almost equally informed after watching Stewart and Colbert as I do watching other shows. T.V in general is not the best place to get real informative news. Newspapers and the internet are generally far superior and quicker
Anjuli's comment really opened my eyes, but I do believe that this is a good move by CNN. A study shows that americans who watch shows such as the Daily Show and The Colbert Report are actually more aware of worl and national events than those who claim they receive their news from other news sources such as CNN and Fox news. I presume that this is because one watching a satirical news show would be more attentive and on the look out for the jokes, and in the process catch the news that is actually happening today. I somewhat agree with anjuli's response, but I feel like your response implies that the Colbert Report/Daily Show are lacking in news, which in reality they are not. If you have ever watched one of these shows, they are actually infested with real news, and analyze it intelligently and sophisticatedly, while adding a humorous twist to it. If CNN were to have something like oh say.. the Onion, then that would be a problem. The Onion simply fabricates news stories, unlike the satirical news shows which analyze real news but make it humorous by pointing out the humor in the situation. As for The Voice, I really think that I little column such as this, where we say major news today and a a bit of humor would be really beneficial and really become popular quick. Just an idea, but I really feel strongly bout it If we were to try it.
Regarding the style and tone of the CNN article, I really liked that Itzkoff didn't try to be humorous. He was writing about a comedian, interviewing a comedian and yet he managed to keep his tone serious. It bothers me when writers feel like they need to play up who they are writing about but Itzkoff let Hughley be the funny man. On another note I also agree with Anjuli. Looking at what is on TV nowadays is sometimes depressing. The fact that "reality" tv is probably the most popular genre and news stations like CNN feel they need to add a comic section is worrying. Not that I don't love the Colbert Report but it might be important to keep certain genres separate. It will be very interesting to see whether or not the show is a success on CNN.
I agree with austin that CNN choosing to air a comedy news show is not a negative thing. It is the duty of the media to keep the public informed. As little as I and others like to admit, we are moving in to an age where the media has to work hard to grab the public's attention. If this can be done through comedy news shows, then it is worth it for news channels, even ones as "serious" as CNN to air them. Also, the fact that Americans like to receive there news with a smile is understandable. There is so much negative news out there today that delivering it with a laugh helps make the impact less painful for the public.
I am not interested in sports, and I have to admit that the picture before the article "1st down and three decades gone by" that directly alluded to football was a major turnoff. However I started reading the article and realized that it was about sports but had an interesting enough angle to keep me engaged. We should do more sports articles like this where the subject is sports but it has an angle that appeals to a wider readership than just sports fans. I think that Nish's article about the history of the rivalry between UHS and MA might fit this profile. I also like the "alum" perspective of high school. It would be interesting if we had a column of our paper devoted to article's written by alums about there experiences at MA or about what they are doing now.
After reading the high school football article, it made me reflect on MA athletics. It saddens me to think that I will never experience the sensation that the author felt at his football game. Not because we don't have football, but because we do not have that sense of athletic pride for any team, outside of the ones that we individually play on. Sure, people come to the championship soccer game and uni rivalries, but I will never get the chills that he felt just watching a game at his alma mater. Maybe this is because we dont have football. I, however, believe that could and should change. Crystal Springs Uplands School, which has a smaller student body for grades 9-12 than ma, fields a 7 on 7 football team. This is plausible for MA. If we could do this, fans would come to games, other sports would gain more support, and we would have more pride in our teams, which would in turn lead to more pride in our school.
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