The heat is on for new wave of TV journalists

The launch of the digital TV era has spawned a host of programmes and channels devoted to news. With it has come a surge in demand for experienced, quality journalists, who are being chased by digital channels desperate to get a head start on the competition. Head-hunters have found rich pickings in traditional newsrooms, which has led to a migration of print journalists to broadcasting. While this phenomenon holds promise for our new media scene, it also carries risks.

Turncoat print journalists will soon discover the advantages of switching to television. TV news reports create an immediate impact. A “breaking news” report on police bribery or an anti-corruption campaign can reach the TV audience immediately, gaining prompt reaction and calls for change. And nothing beats real-time rolling reports when it comes to coverage of fast-changing political crises. Add video footage and the bigger audience into the mix, and it’s no surprise that journalists are quitting ink for screens.

The rolling 24-hour news cycle and mass reach can, however, be a double-edged sword. 

Print journalism allows more time for checking facts, updates and editing. In contrast, there is little editing involved in television news and none at all when it comes to live reports. On TV the demand for swift and accurate snapshots of information leaves little time for journalists to dig deeper into a story or find interesting fresh ways to present it.

With the cutthroat competition among digital TV channels, broadcasting journalists face a tough challenge. The race to attract viewers and advertising revenue will force them to improve their quality of content. But there’s also a destructive side. The fierce battle between news channels recently saw one try to “steal” a scoop by whisking away the source, an elderly rural resident, and ensconcing her in accommodation it had paid for. Fighting “dirty” in this manner shows how fierce competition can easily turn ugly, and how it can limit, rather than increase, the coverage of news.

Television news also requires much more money than its print equivalent. This can lead to ethical questions and conflicts of interest for the journalists involved. Will a news host be able to talk about energy reform without bias if the programme’s main sponsor is an energy company? Will a journalist be allowed to investigate fraud at an insurance company if that company is a main sponsor of the show? And would they be permitted to report on corruption involving one of the channel’s own executives? 

Whatever the answers, the migration is underway – and it could be a blessing in disguise now that print media are in decline. Broadcast journalists will need to overcome new challenges. The proliferation of channels means the audience can shop around with remote in hand. It also means they are less likely to put up with substandard content. News reporters will be under a lot of pressure to produce fair and insightful reports under serious time constraints.

They will also find that while being presentable on camera is difficult, it’s harder still to maintain journalistic ethics in the studio behind it.