Journalists should tell the news, not be it

Stuff co.nz 17 November 2020
OPINION: Let me take you back to last century before terrorism, 9/11, Covid-19. Even before social media.

As a journalist, I was trained to always get all sides of a story.

But equally importantly, we were told never to be the story, never let our personality, views or ego get in the way: we were telling it, not being it.

But it’s all changed. Newshub’s Tova O’Brien gives her opinion on nearly every story, broadcasters Jack Tame and Paddy Gower seem more personality than journalist.

Lately I’ve found myself yelling at the screen: ‘It’s not about you. Just give me the facts.’

I’m saddened that many will think a recent interview with O’Brien and ousted MP Jami-Lee Ross was successful because it went viral.

Going viral doesn’t indicate good journalism.

Do we really require our journalists to be celebrities?

Do we need Paddy Gower strutting around the TV studio doing silly walks, Toni Street fronting the cover of every woman’s magazine, and is Jack Tame so important that we care that he is isolating in Hamilton?

I just want the news.

Social media has helped the celebrity frenzy. Journalists are not just on the screen in the lounge, they’re dropping us a line on Twitter, and their latest exploits pop up on Facebook and Instagram. We hold them close in our handbags and pockets, we can check in on them whenever we like.

By engaging with them we are giving them feedback, measuring them while they measure themselves by ‘likes’.

Their bosses tell them to build a following to drive the ratings.

Their agents tell them to get famous enough to survive in case their fickle world requires them to head overseas or onto the speaking and hosting circuit.

Is success as a journalist now defined by their celebrity status? Does anyone still aim to find and accurately report a good story?

And when did the lines between celebrity and job get so blurred that even the head of a government department has to withdraw from being put forward as a TV celebrity?

Ministry of Health boss Ashley Bloomfield last week removed his nomination from TV Personality of the Year. His cult status has grown since fronting one of the most-watched TV shows – the daily Covid-19 update.

This week, however, someone decided that potentially becoming the TV personality of the year was a step too far.

A statement from his office said he was ‘’humbled’’ by the nomination, but given his primary role as a public servant, not a TV personality, he would like to step aside from consideration.

Hooray for someone who understands what their job is. Perhaps some of our journalists can take note and stick to their role.

Because in a time when fake news is real and we are being polarised to different views through our choice of news feeds, we need good solid and clear journalism more than ever.

And it’s an enormous concern to me that journalists are being encouraged to be celebrities at the cost of straight news.

So, journalists: it’s not your job to add your opinion into every story and it’s not your job to be a personality.

It’s your job to set the scene, report the facts and find the experts to do the analysis.

It’s your job to retain trust in the media.

There’s a lot of stuff going on in the world that we need to know about and make decisions on.

Help us make those decisions with simple, plain fact. Let’s skip the celebrity circus.

– Cas Carter is a marketing and communications specialist.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/300159307/journalists-should-tell-the-news-not-be-it