Latest news with #WalterCronkite
Bangkok Post
5 days ago
- General
- Bangkok Post
More missiles, memes, and the new resistance
There was a time, not so long ago, when Walter Cronkite's sombre baritone could turn battlefield dispatches into moments of collective reckoning. Even the first "television war" of 1991, piped in grainy bursts from Baghdad, felt slow enough for shock to sink in. These days, the missiles that streak above Natanz or Esfahan arrive on TikTok between latte art tutorials and kittens sliding off sofas. The effect is less shock-and-awe, more scroll-and-shrug. Last month's US strikes on Iran's nuclear bunkers should have rattled nerves. Instead, much of Gen Z greeted the spectacle with an arched eyebrow and a sardonic playlist. One clip looped "Another One Bites the Dust" over orange fireballs; another labelled the bombardment "Just another Tuesday" before pivoting to a dance challenge. Outrage, it seems, has gone the way of MySpace. Call it apathy if you like -- I'd call it adaptation. This generation has been weaned on crisis: melting ice caps, school lockdown drills, pandemic graphs, brittle democracies. Catastrophe is no longer an interruption; it is the operating system. So when Washington crossed a carefully drawn red line in Iran, young viewers simply filed the incident alongside all the other background errors in the global code. Older eyes see dangerous detachment. Algorithms deliver bite-sized adrenaline jolts until empathy wears thin, like a favourite song replayed to death. Psychologists dub it "compassion fatigue". I prefer "algorithmic anaesthesia". Once, war arrived wrapped in solemn headlines; now it comes as jump-cut carnage set to distorted pop. Memes replace manifestos. Irony becomes armour. And if that feels like cheapening tragedy, we might ask who devalued it first. Two decades of "surgical strikes" and euphemisms -- collateral damage, regime change -- have taught the young the true market price of outrage, and it's been heavily discounted. That armour can grow into apathy. But writing off TikTok cynicism as nihilism overlooks its rational core. This cohort grew up watching leaders tweet condolence emojis at dawn and forget them by dusk. They saw hashtags blaze, then fade before any law could change. For them, politics is churn: ritual sorrow followed by bipartisan amnesia. If millennials flirted with ironic distance, Gen Z has said its vows. Placards become punch lines; rage becomes reaction videos. What emerges is a minimalist ethic: survive, stay sane, meme through the mayhem. Yet the story doesn't end there. Behind the screen, young people patch together decentralised lifelines -- raising bail on Twitch and routing donations faster than governments draft statements. They may skip street marches, but their silent networks can do more in an hour than a million retweets. Perhaps, though, the mask of indifference hides a new emotional literacy -- a refusal to perform outrage on cue for institutions that have squandered trust. Their muted feed is a verdict: fix the system first, then we'll talk. Detachment becomes a tactic. In an age when dissent is data-mined and sold back as targeted ads, withholding emotion is a small act of sabotage. Staying unreadable, even flippant, may be the last form of resistance that big tech cannot monetise. And there is tenderness, too. Absurd memes in private chats morph into coping hymns; crowdfunding links outpace disaster diplomacy; gallows jokes cushion fragile psyches while redistributing small but vital resources. These micro-gestures, mostly invisible to legacy media, redraw the map of activism. So, what do we older scribes advise? Chant louder? Feel harder? They tried that. The burden now rests with those in charge. If America's foreign policy insists on spectacle, it must also reckon with the quiet revolution growing in its shadow -- a generation that has stopped listening and started building elsewhere. Offer something tangible -- climate action, student-debt relief, gun-safety laws -- and watch sarcasm melt into attention. Until then, ballistic arcs will glide past on a timeline sound-tracked by sardonic remixes. It is fashionable to scold the young for laughing at the apocalypse, yet gallows humour has long been history's pressure valve. Wilfred Owen once wrote of "a comedy of manners in hell". Today's TikTok jokes carry the same DNA -- lifeboats of wit in a sea of fire. Missiles may fall faster than a feed can refresh, but somewhere between punchlines, a pulse still beats. If that rhythm turns into action, it could rattle the corridors of power more than any viral video -- but only if those in power are willing to listen before the scroll moves on, indefinitely. Imran Khalid is a columnist on international affairs based in Karachi, Pakistan. He has been a regular contributor to publications such as 'Newsweek', 'The Hill', 'Nikkei Asia', 'The South China Morning Post' and Foreign Policy in Focus.
Fox News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
BROADCAST BIAS: Media elites put their profession over patriotism
When I was a member of the White House press corps, it was easily observable that reporters felt they could not say the "Pledge of Allegiance" with other Americans at the White House. That, somehow, compromised their neutrality. This inaction suggested that American reporters shouldn't show appreciation for their country enshrining freedom of the press. That's a lack of gratitude, not just a lack of patriotism. For the broadcast media, the feeling that they weren't rooting for America was first underlined in their opposition to the Vietnam War. This was crystallized with CBS anchor Walter Cronkite declaring from Saigon in 1968 that America was going to lose, "that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors." Cronkite had been over-praised as the essence of objectivity, but politicians feared his persuasive power. Media power to sway the country was more satisfying than patriotism. Journalism is poised against patriotism. Journalists disdain patriotism as "my country right or wrong," and they always want to be right. They associate patriotism with warmongers pushing for endless wars. In March 1989, the media's controversial ingratitude toward America was spotlighted by a PBS show called "Ethics In America." Professor Charles Ogletree created a scenario where America was fighting a fictional country called North Kosan. The enemy was going to assault American troops. He asked: does a reporter have a "higher duty as an American citizen" to warn the troops? Without hesitation, CBS journalist Mike Wallace said no. "No, you don't have higher duty ... you're a reporter." ABC anchor Peter Jennings first said he would notify them, then changed his mind: "I think he's right too. I chickened out." In an April 1990 primetime special, Jennings clearly signaled America was not a benign force in the world. "The United States is deeply involved in Cambodia again. Cambodia is on the edge of hell again." September 11, 2001, may have united the country for a few weeks, but not on ABC. Six days after thousands of Americans died, ABC "Politically Incorrect" host Bill Maher argued that the terrorists who drove planes into buildings were more courageous than American pilots: "We have been the cowards. Lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away, that's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, not cowardly." Two weeks later, "CBS Evening News" producer Dick Meyer wrote a commentary on on the discomfort with the American flag. "Our 10-year-old daughter asked her mother if we could put a flag on our car. My wife reluctantly agreed, but hasn't procured the flag yet. ... My wife essentially shares our daughter's feelings. But for her, the symbol of the flag was appropriated in her youth by counter-protesters who used it to deny the patriotism of the war's opponents. Flag-waving feels aggressive to her." Burning the flag isn't aggressive. Waving it is. Flag pins were still offending PBS host Bill Moyers, who uncorked a pompous commentary on his program "Now" on the taxpayer-funded network. The flag's been hijacked and turned into a logo – the trademark of a monopoly on patriotism. ... When I see flags sprouting on official lapels, I think of the time in China when I saw Mao's Little Red Book on every official's desk, omnipresent and unread." Four years later, Moyers was still at it on his PBS show, now called "Moyers & Company." This time, he ripped the pledge: "The next time you say the 'Pledge of Allegiance.' ... Remember, it's a lie, a whopper of a lie. We coax it from the mouths of babes for the same reason our politicians wear their flag pins on their lapels. It makes the hypocrisy go down easier." Also in 2007, the ABC News program "The View" featured Rosie O'Donnell suggesting we were the terrorists: "I just want to say something: 655,000 Iraqi civilians are dead. Who are the terrorists?...If you were in Iraq, and the other country, the United States, the richest in the world, invaded your country and killed 655,000 of your citizens, what would you call us?" "The View" was still at this in 2021, when Olympian athlete Gwen Berry turned away and covered her head while they played the national anthem at the delayed Olympic trials. Whoopi Goldberg came to her defense: "In the upcoming days, we'll play you the American anthem and let you see what you think of it. Because there's some stuff in there that makes it a little bit tough to take." America is a free country, and journalists are free to denigrate it. Journalists are free to assert that their precious profession places them above putrid pledges of allegiance. But they shouldn't be mystified when Americans decide they don't trust networks that sound suspicious of the national unity that patriotism can bring.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
I'll never forget what Walter Cronkite told me
One time, I was interviewing this old guy and he went on and on about how important good journalism is to democracy. You could tell he really believed it. That old guy's name was Walter Cronkite. I interviewed him in his office several years ago, and his words and passion for good journalism have never been more important or rung so true. And The Arizona Republic provides plenty of it. Whether it's local news and sports, expert looks at the dining scene, tough coverage of politics or informed opinions about what's going on in the Valley and the world, The Republic and offer all this in addition to, if I might twist your arm a bit, my media criticism and commentary and movie and TV reviews. And if there is one thing that's true about providing such thorough coverage of the place where we live and beyond, it's this — it ain't free. That's where you come in. A subscription to The Republic helps support our work, which I frequently argue is important. Our coverage of major stories, such as the Gilbert Goons and local favorites like high school sports, is unparalleled. I read it, and you should, too. Not to oversimplify things, but reading our coverage is how I know what's going on in the community I live in. And that's important. For my part, I write about how the media covers (or doesn't) the kind of attacks on democracy Cronkite warned against, alongside reviews of films (horror movies are a particular favorite) and TV shows (I love TV), and the occasional food essay. Recently, I wrote about criticism of the book 'Original Sin,' and how some people think it's something that shouldn't exist. I disagree. You can write about almost anything, and we do. If you don't like one story, move on — you'll likely enjoy the next one. Not only can we cover more than one thing, but we have to. It's what we do. And we do it well. We'd love for you to be a part of it. After all, you don't want to disappoint Walter Cronkite. Special offer: If you like our work, please consider becoming a subscriber. Save on a new subscription today. Reach Goodykoontz at Facebook: Media commentary with a side of snark? Sign up for The Watchlist newsletter with Bill Goodykoontz. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republic columnist: My mission is to uncover the truth
DW
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- DW
Is podcast authenticity overrated—or essential?
The word "authenticity" gets tossed around with fervor as a way to connect with audiences and grow your show – "Be yourself!" or "Find your voice!" But what does authenticity actually mean? And does it really matter? For many podcasters and producers, authenticity is seen as a key ingredient in connecting with listeners. The authoritative, slightly formal, calm and measured style of classic news presenters like Walter Cronkite in the US or [insert name of famous TV or radio news reader of decades past here] are over – no longer to contemporary audiences' taste. When people hear a story that's unfiltered and sincere, the thinking goes, they're more likely to invest their time and stay loyal to the show. According to a 2023 article from Podium titled "Authenticity in Podcasting: Building Genuine Connections with Listeners," audiences are more likely to develop trust in a host who appears flawed, relatable and emotionally available – provided it feels sincere. The article noted that hosts who share not just content but context (why this story matters to them) tend to build stronger listener relationships. "Sharing behind-the-scenes content, discussing the podcasting journey, challenges faced, or personal anecdotes can humanize the podcast," the article read. "It reminds listeners that there's a real person with genuine emotions and experiences behind the microphone, fostering deeper empathy and connection." "Indeed, a sense of authenticity can be the secret sauce in making a podcast feel human," said Amanda McLoughlin, co-founder of Multitude Productions, a Brooklyn-based podcast collective. "But it's also one of the hardest things to fake – listeners can sniff it out a mile away." Listeners these days want to feel connected to hosts, and authenticity helps that happen Image: Zoonar II/IMAGO Faking it What insiders warn against is turning vulnerability to a marketing gimmick, the cringey phenomenon of "fake authenticity." This ranges from overproduced vulnerability, overly casual banter or confessional monologues that feel performative, not personal. And, consider if that kind of vibe is what your podcast even needs? If your show is about stock trends, baring your soul every week might not make sense. Podcast coach and strategist Eric Nuzum, co-founder of Magnificent Noise, former VP for programming at NPR, and author of The Audio Insurgent newsletter, put it this way: 'Authenticity isn't about telling your deepest secrets. It's about being consistent, showing up in your audience's feed with a voice that they recognize and trust." The line between authenticity and artificiality is a fine one. One person who did it well is child actor turned book author turned podcaster Jennette McCurdy. Her podcast Hard Feelings, which produced new episodes until Feb. 2024, intentionally leaned into emotional complexity. In an interview with Teen Vogue, McCurdy described the goal as "creating space where messiness isn't just tolerated but expected. It's about allowing for complexity, not just performance." So does that mean you don't need planning or any kind of script, just a microphone and raw emotion? Australian audio producer Chris Marsh has worked behind the scenes of the radio and podcasts of the comedy duo of Hamish & Andy for more than 15 years. He told the PodCircle that authenticity wasn't about chaos or lack of prep. "We do a lot of work behind the scenes – reading thousands of listener emails, planning meetings, testing ideas," he said. "The trick is creating space for spontaneity," he said. Being authentic doesn't mean improvisation. Marsh likes to plan spontaneity into shows Image: Blend Images/Strauss/Curtis/picture alliance One of the things that has kept Hamish & Andy popular since transitioning from radio to podcasting is their consistent commitment to their audience. Early in their career, they dubbed their show "The People's Show," a philosophy that Marsh says still drives their choices: "We make our listeners the stars of the show. We involve them, we meet them, we read their emails. That kind of connection keeps the show grounded." This echoes what many successful podcasters have discovered: authenticity isn't just about what happens behind the mic—it's about the entire listener relationship. So that means in addition to Nuzum's advice to hosts to "talk to one listener," hosts also need to make sure those listeners feel part of a community they've built. A fine line So how do podcasters find this elusive balance between "real" and "faked" authenticity? For McLoughlin, it depends on what works for the person behind the mic. "Some people need a script, others need an outline, and some need to riff. The question is, what gets you into that zone where you sound most like yourself?" Marsh offers this advice: "Don't try to bend yourself to fit a show. Make the show you actually want to make." Ultimately, authenticity in podcasting is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It's a mix of tone, consistency, vulnerability and trust. It's about putting in the work to sound effortless, about being generous with your listeners, and about allowing your show to evolve while remaining true to its mission. So is authenticity overrated? Not if it's real or if it's earned. And it can make the difference in whether someone decides to listen again.
Los Angeles Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The network evening news is in flux: Why an American TV institution is under pressure
For broadcast networks, the evening news broadcast is a cherished part of their legacies — having brought the likes of Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings into living rooms over the decades. But with pressures mounting on the traditional TV business, the American institution is in a period of flux. The traditional TV audience is a slow melting glacier, with network evening newscasts down nearly 1 million viewers in the 2024-25 season compared to the previous year, according to Nielsen. As a result, network news executives will be on edge this year, with two of the three broadcasts undergoing major overhauls. Next month, NBC will replace longtime 'Nightly News' anchor Lester Holt with Tom Llamas, 45, who helms the streaming NBC News Now program 'Top Story.' It will mark only the fourth change in the 'Nightly' role since 1983. This comes after 'CBS Evening News' in January replaced Norah O'Donnell with a duo of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. Conceived by outgoing '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens, the new 'CBS Evening News' has aimed to do longer segments instead of the headline-driven style the broadcasts are known for. Although broadcast networks have largely ceded scripted TV shows to streaming, they are still protective of the news programs. Both NBC and CBS are trying to improve their competitive position against 'ABC World News With David Muir,' which has its largest lead over the second-place peacock network in 30 years. Like other TV newscasts, evening programs are in a battle to maintain relevance amid competition from not only cable and streaming but also YouTube, which attracts older audiences as well as younger, digital-savvy viewers. 'No one wants a tombstone that reads 'Here lies the guy who killed the evening news,'' said Jonathan Wald, a veteran producer who worked with Brokaw on 'NBC Nightly News.' Evening newscasts on ABC, CBS and NBC — all of which launched in the late 1940s — are among the few shows that still drive appointment viewing. They've held up better than most TV network genres. Nielsen data show the programs are watched by an average of 18 million viewers a night and reach 71 million each month despite competition from 24-hour cable news and a barrage of platforms available digitally. There are many weeks throughout the year when Muir's broadcast is the most watched program in all of TV, often averaging 8 million viewers. So far, the audience isn't buying the changes on 'CBS Evening News.' The program has dropped below 4 million viewers in some weeks since its launch and occasionally gets topped by 'Special Report With Bret Baier' on Fox News. NBC News executives believe Llamas can provide a fresh spark for 'Nightly News.' They're encouraged that he led in the 25-to-54 age group on recent nights when he filled in for Holt. 'We think he's exactly the right guy at this moment,' said Janelle Rodriguez, executive vice president of programming for NBC News. 'He is someone who has worked at this literally since he was a kid.' But there is always risk involved when an anchor change occurs — programs typically see a shift of 500,000 viewers in the aftermath. A single audience share point decline in the Nielsen ratings can mean about $10 million less in ad revenue. Evening news broadcasts are still profitable businesses and have benefited from increased advertiser demand for audiences watching live TV. In 2024, ad spending on the three network evening newscasts, including the weekend editions, hit $669 million, according to measurement firm an increase of 12% over the previous year. The programs also still provide an identity for ABC, CBS and NBC. A recent study by research firm Magid found that 50% of consumers cite news as their top reason for watching a network TV affiliate. Most of the people tuning in at 6:30 p.m. to watch are older viewers who likely grew up with the habit, as evidenced by the commercial breaks. The data from iSpot show around 46% of the ad dollars spent on the programs are for pharmaceutical products. Competitors have long taken shots at 'World News,' calling it a shallow broadcast that delivers a lot of of stories without much detail. ABC News executives counter that Muir has traveled around the world to do lengthier reports that are expanded into documentaries for Hulu. 'We spend a lot of time making sure the show is informative visually and reflects a modern, elegant broadcast,' said Chris Dinan, Muir's executive producer. 'David knows television. He's a student of it.' Viewers, who like Muir and the visual sizzle of 'World News,' have made it No. 1 for nine consecutive years. 'You can't listen to the chattering classes,' said Wald. 'The show is watchable and consistent. You know what you're going to get.' Muir's success has been rewarded. After sharing special coverage anchor duties with George Stephanopoulos, he is now the dominant face of ABC News. Muir's former longtime executive producer, Almin Karamehmedovic, became president of the division last year. For most of his tenure, Muir has maintained a neutral image that protected him from right-wing claims of bias made against many mainstream journalists. That changed last fall as Muir and colleague Linsey Davis became targets after they vigorously fact-checked President Trump at the second presidential debate in September. 'I'm not fans of those guys anymore,' Trump said during a Fox News appearance. 'And his hair was better five years ago.' Trump's anger at Muir has had no impact on the ratings for 'World News,' which have remained steady. Nielsen data show the program's audience is down only 1% in the 2024-25 TV season compared to a year ago, while 'NBC Nightly News' is off 6% and 'CBS Evening News' is down 8%. While Holt's departure from 'Nightly News' was presented as his decision, NBC News is historically unsentimental when it comes to making talent transitions, always looking for the next generation. Llamas, 45, has spent three years at the helm of 'Top Story' on NBC News Now, the network's 24-hour streaming news service that draws a younger audience than the broadcast network. Like Muir, Llamas has been immersed in TV news since he was a teenager. Muir worked in a local Syracuse TV newsroom where staffers tracked his growth spurt with pencil marks on a wall. A 15-year-old Llamas landed an internship at a Miami TV station with the help of Jorge Ramos, the longtime Univision anchor. (Ramos' children were patients of Llamas' father, who has a dental practice in Miami.) Llamas interned at 'NBC Nightly News' and went on to jobs at MSNBC and as a local anchor at NBC's Miami and New York stations. He moved to ABC News in 2014, where he was anchor of the weekend newscast and often filled in for Muir. He returned to NBC in 2021, leading to immediate speculation that he was being developed as Holt's heir apparent. 'He'll be a great steward for what 'Nightly' is now and maybe even extend its lifespan by injecting some youth,' said Wald. The question at CBS News — which has been distracted by a lawsuit filed by Trump against '60 Minutes' and the pending sale of parent company Paramount Global to Skydance Media — is whether it will make tweaks to its evening news format before viewers start sampling again after Holt departs. CBS News declined to provide an executive to speak on the record about the newscast. But two people close to the show said management continues to support the alternative approach to the broadcast and there are no imminent changes. People who work on 'CBS Evening News' but were not authorized to comment publicly said the program has already moved to shorter pieces. The producers are also expected to get some notes from Tom Cibrowski, the new CBS News president who comes from ABC News, where there is an emphasis on being viewer-friendly. But the challenges faced by CBS demonstrate how hard it is to make changes to evening news when continuity and familiarity matter to the audience. Muir was a longtime weekend anchor and then primary substitute for Diane Sawyer during her five-year run on 'World News.' Holt was a fill-in for Brian Williams before his abrupt departure in 2015. CBS has likely been hurt by changing evening news anchors six times since Dan Rather ended his 20-year run at the desk in 2005. The program has long suffered from a weak audience lead-in from its local stations, a problem that goes back to the mid-1990s, when a number of its affiliates switched to Fox after CBS lost its NFL package. But broadcast networks are aware that the downward trend in appointment viewing on traditional TV is never going to reverse. It's why the networks have expanded their evening news programs online. Llamas will continue to do 'Top Story' on NBC News Now after he takes over for Holt in June. Dickerson has done an additional half-hour, which includes a longer newsmaker interview and a brief commentary at the end, on 'CBS Evening News Plus,' which is shown on CBS News Streaming after the network broadcast. All of the evening newscasts stream full episodes on YouTube, each attracting several hundred thousand viewers a night, as well as getting repeat airings on the 24-hour streaming news channels. 'NBC Nightly News' clips reached 43 million on TikTok in the first quarter of 2025. 'As people move across different distribution points, we need to be ready for them,' Rodriguez said.
