News coverage, which is something that is supposed to bring truth about issues to the public, has turned into entertainment. While the news can be entertaining, the choices of what to cover should not be for purely entertainment reasons. Originally television news stations broadcasted information about world leaders, wars and global issues; today the news is filled with celebrity gossip and silly stories whose main purpose is to pull heartstrings. Many newscasters have been criticized for following the trend of covering gossip stories, but the truth may be that the world is changing and for people to stay on top and be able to cover hard-hitting news, they might have to cover softer issues too.
Barbara Walters is an excellent example of this. Throughout her years in the news business she has one too many awards to count, and she has covered some of the most important issues of our time. Some of her stories may have swayed a little to the other side, and have felt very close to gossip, but in the over all picture, her accomplishments are amazing. Just a few of her many awards include:
- Part of the NBC News Team sent to cover President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the People’s Republic of China in 1972
- Arranged the first joint interview with Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin
- Interviewed 6 presidents, as well as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin,
- National Association of Television Program Executives Award
- International Radio and Television Society’s Broadcaster of the Year
- International Women’s Media Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
- Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame
While her accomplishments are mind boggling, her faults are also present too. Throughout her many years in the business Barbara Walters has had her less than golden moments. She is known for asking Monica Lewinsky what kind of tree she would be, and for having trouble separating her celebrity and professional lives. Also some say she adds too much entertainment into her news stories. My thought is, if she has covered some of the most important news stories during her career then why not add in a couple of the softer stories if it keeps people paying attention to the more important issues. The viewers will just have to remember that television is not always truthful, and neither are the people who are viewed on it.
