TTMediawatch: Your questions answered (Pt 3)

Darcelle Beekley: What do you think can be done to make young people more interested in reading newspapers and watching news on TV?

TTMedia Watch: Young people need to be taught the importance of the world around them by either their parents or teachers, and that doesn't begin in high school, it starts at the primary level with an introduction to current affairs.

Do you think there should be more transparency regarding how errant reporters are penalized?

TTMedia Watch: Yes there should be more transparency, but unfortunately it seems that the local media is an employees market, so if these errant reporters feel they have been slighted by their bosses, they can easily move on to the next media house where they feel their worth (or ego-tripping) is more appreciated.

Media managers are often held to ransom by these over-inflated egos, so the easiest thing to do is nothing at all.

Alice Dain: How do editors and administrators typically respond to significant on-air flubs?

TTMedia Watch: Significant meaning telling the nation that the PM was shot when he wasn't? Most times a grudging apology is offered almost immediately, while other times the policy is do or say nothing and maybe everyone will forget it even happened.

Avalene Harris: I do not think that media workers should purchases tickets to cover fetes. The onus should be on fete promoters to facilitate the media's request if they want their event publicized. In the event that tickets are not sent, do you believe that their 'demanding' behavior was justified? If not, how should editors/management deal with these reporters?

TTMedia Watch: If fete promoters or anyone one else wants an event publicized they rightly should send invitations and the necessary tickets, but since when does it take a crew of 12 (scantily dressed) people to cover a fete when the story on that fete will not last more than 2 minutes?

Assignments editors are the ones to make arrangements for these events and not reporters, so they can often be unreasonable in their requests, depending on the hype surrounding the event. Do you believe that same assignments editor would 'demand' 12 tickets to a luncheon for a home for the aged?

These fete tickets are not cheap, so any fete-loving editor would promise to cover the event once several tickets are sent so the three cameramen, the broadcast assistant, the six reporters and the cleaner can get in for free. Oh, add their grandmother (who is freelancing as an editor) to the list for tickets.

Do you think that a reporter should be blamed for reporting incorrect information which was given to them by the police?

TTMedia Watch: One of the fundamentals of reporting is that information should go through at least three sources before being published/broadcast. So if a police source gives information, there must be some way to corroborate that information before going to air with it. Otherwise, use the other fundamental principle...if in doubt, leave it out.
But we live in a culture of reporters/editors/media houses which prefer to have incorrect scoops rather than stale facts.