Viewpoint: 9/11 Re-Instilled Serious Approach To News
ABC News and other national news outlets are preparing for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Ten years later, some news analysts are pondering whether TV news has learned anything from this horrendous tragedy.
TV news was rightly praised for sifting the truth out of the ashes and providing a reassuring presence throughout the ordeal. You?ve seen countless stories of heroism, survivors and victims, the government?s response and grief. I read a trade journal essay asking whether the disaster caused TV news to get more serious and turn more attention to public affairs. Network news has probably done a better job — the national news networks march off to cover the major tsunami, Middle East wars and major economic news as of late.
Local news coverage is more of a mixed bag. I travel frequently and I see TV stations in most major cities still following the easy trail of shootings, wrecks and robberies. Economic realities have caused many news providers to eliminate or consolidate news resources, and journalist voices have been lost such as Newspapertree.com and KDBC-TV, which turned its news gathering over to KTSM.
There may have been one positive change in local news as a result of 9/11: Barbara Cochran, a journalism professor at the University of Missouri, said that the attacks raised the consciousness of stations.
?They are a lot more aware that something surprising and terrible can happen at any moment, and you have to be prepared to cover it,? she said.
These ugly attacks and other tragedies can happen in Norway or Fort Hood or God forbid, El Paso. Our 13-consecutive hours of live coverage of Storm 2006 helped prepare the KVIA newsroom for almost anything. Still, with the exception of talent and enterprise reporting, most TV station newscast content pretty much looks the same.
We produce five hours of local news every weekday at KVIA. We are the only El Paso TV station to provide news at noon, 4 p.m. and weekend mornings. I?m most proud of the truly unique product that we produce every Sunday night at 10:35 — ABC-7?s Xtra, which tackles the big stories in depth. This is meaningful, serious coverage that is unduplicated in this market. We focus on only one story, and examine it from all sides, including questions from our audience.
Last weekend, it was a discussion of Rick Perry?s presidential bid. The week prior featured the El Paso Independent School District school board president and interim superintendent in the wake of the arrest of Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia arrest. From the mayor to public corruption to the governor of New Mexico, ABC-7 Xtra, with host Darren Hunt, delivers the goods.
If you are critical of local TV news and want meaty NPR-type discussions, I encourage you to watch Xtra.
This column first appeared in El Paso Inc.
