Counting Color... and Missing the Point?
This morning I read a
blog entry from Eric Deggans ("The Feed") about:
"(a bit) of depressing news comes courtesy of network TV news analyst Andrew Tyndall, who has released his typically thorough accounting of the big three broadcasters' journalism work in 2008, listing the top 20 most-visible TV reporters on the evening news shows (anchors excluded). And not a single journalist of color made this list -- for the second year in a row."The blog entry goes on to summarize Tyndall's findings about the so-called "Big Three" (NBC, ABC, CBS) newscasts and their lack of correspondents of color assigned to cover the election. It is indeed depressing. First, because the networks don't seem to "get it" about diversity, and second because they are falling behind the times in general by not diversifying the ranks of their correspondents.
Too bad. The "Big Three" (and can we really call them that anymore?) are missing opportunities.
By contrast, if you watched CNN at all during the election and its run-up, you couldn't escape Suzanne Malveaux covering the Obama campaign. And you couldn't help but notice the diversity among the pundits weighing in on the campaign from start to finish.
I submit that, while important, Tyndall's accounting misses the point by not including the cable news "Big Three" (CNN, FNC, MSNBC). A very different and interesting picture would emerge.