Tom Brokaw, What's the Fuss?

[ramapo]

So Tom Brokaw is leaving the NBC Nightly News. The ongoing Brokaw-fest is such self-indulgent pulp on the part of NBC and Brokaw. Tonight it seems there was an hour-long special highlighting Brokaw's stint on NBC.

Now I've been around since the days of Huntley-Brinkley and I'm trying to think of some memorable story that Brokaw broke in the past 25 years. Surely there's some contribution to journalism?

I don't think so. Brokaw, Jennings and Rather left journalism behind many years ago and became entertainers and apologists.

So Brokaw leaves. Big deal. What will we be missing? Nothing but swarmy self-importance.

I'll be waiting to see what big story Brian Williams breaks....

[The Straight Story]

1. I think it was 2 hours long

and despite how we ourselves may feel I can understand their send offs. Many older folks have had him tuned in for decades and people get attached to someone they see every day. Back in the day where you basically only had 3 channels people got used to the nightly news (somewhat dead now IMHO). The older generation still has an attachment to such things and that brings in the nostalgia factor. Many folks went through times they remember and they were watching a certain person and hanging on what was being reported.

It's part human nature and part PR, a PR that does work because people are delivered something which they are connected to in some way.

Cable news changes more rapidly, the network news has a history going back some time and is slow to change anchors - they get someone and stick with them, that person finds a niche audience, and you don't want to slap your core around by telling them you are replacing them with someone younger and a more glitzy theme. In a changing world they offer a constant over time - even if you don't like the anchor you are familiar with them, you 'know' them. And when they leave it is more a big deal than if some talking head that was on cnn for two months gets axed.

At any rate, just my insight.

[The Straight Story]

2. I might want to add as well

That they longer they are around the more people they meet when covering things, and those people tend to watch that person more - and even if not more they will feel an attachment that before they did not to that person and tune them in whereas before they did not.

Example: I met peter jennings once at a gas station in Brady, NV. He parked next to my car and walked in as I was walking out. I thought for sure is was him but waited outside for a sec with my friends (we had been driving hours and stopped to get out and stretch for a bit) just to see. He came out, talked to us for a few, and drove off (he was driving a lincoln navigator and was there visting his son). We hung out a while longer then got back in the car and kept on driving, but we still remember it when we are flipping through channels and see him (and we joke about it being a red light district). I don't necessarily like the guy but it was weird to meet someone you have seen for many years on tv, he seemed like a familiar face in a sea of people we had seen over the course of the trip.

[Skink]

5. His big accomplishment...

Convincing the American public through nightly news casts that Social Security is in trouble right now, when we know any potetial problem is really 75 years out and there are many fixes that can be debated for eons to come.

20 years ago we increased payroll taxes to fix a broken system. That 2 trillion dollar surpluss which was created.... by raising payroll taxes :hi: wasn't meant to be given away in the form of tax cuts to giant corporations. There's the problem.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

3. Brokaw will NOT BE MISSED by ME !!-whata jerk-good ridance !

I saw part of that "Look how Great I am' show by Tom Brokaw !

That guy is a complete idiot-
Did he mention on the show that he never finished high school?
it's true--
And he has a credible, intelligent, opinion?
That's his problem (and the rest)--they all state "opinions"-
They are SUPPOSED to present us FACTS-


In the part I saw he "opinionated" his take on the Chicago Democratic Convention 1968 Police Brutality and he actually BLAMED those who were PROTESTING !!!
WTF !!??
I was amazed, then he showed current interviews with "those in charge" that day and they each said it was the protestors' fault...one guy said something like
"if someone gets in your face and says they're going to hit you it's ok to hit them and that's what we did."
--I wasn't going to watch any more of his stupidity

LATER TOM--maybe a radio talk show with Rush now?

[Joy Anne]

4. He didn't finish high school either?

I thought that was Peter Jennings, who sometimes shows big gaps in his knowledge whenever he isn't reading from the Teleprompter.

So why are these guys going along with the mantra that outsourcing means Americans have to get better educated?

[The Straight Story]

6. good question you ask

I dropped out and got a GED. I read books from the library all the time from when I was 14 until now (I am 39). I lived for knowledge of all types, which is what has attracted me to the internet so much - see things like http://scholar.google.net as an example :)

I make about 70k, have engineers with masters working for me, and I never went to college (though I did go to tech school for awhile in 86 for drafting, it was a joke. I ended up helping the math teacher on hard problems, but then I guess it was not his area).

I think college is valuable (and may someday yet go myself for math. I tried when I was 16, even had the philosophy professor in my corner, but they wanted me to graduate first). Life took a weird turn and I ended up not going, but I still try to read and learn all I can to this day.

And in some ways I am glad of how things turned out. I am doing work on number theory for fun and have found some things I have discovered were already discovered - the cool thing is I didn't know it and did not rely on others to tell me something, I learned on my own. I like the challenge. I am not trying to win awards, impress anyone, I just love to learn new things and figure out as much as I can on my own (in some areas, other ones I want to read all I can on as I don't have time to figure out for myself).

Learning is a wonderful thing. My current personal quest in number theory is a long standing series of things which I am trying not to read up on too much as my approach is totally different (and I know it is because I have read the works of others in the field and have not seen such an approach, but I don't read too much so as not to influence my own methods. I have read enough to confirm my approaches are different and try to read things relating to the general subject matter which allow me to have fun by learning something new without biasing me towards my methods. I may be way out in left field, but if I am I want to discover that for myself, more fun that way.)

Maybe the question for jennings and others is - are they wanting to report the entire story in search of truth or just reporting what is seen and generally known (like 9/11, the election, et al). IE do they report on a base level and leave the rest to others, or do they dig and if so why do they choose what they do to dig?

We all have a bias, the strength of a 'real' reporter is to put aside your personal beliefs and attempt to bring to light the whole story from all sides (but who are we to bitch, you think we would ever cover * without a bias here?? Same with many blogs.)

A search for the truth often leaves one with few friends. For those who do not seek truth seek confirmation of their beliefs/bias and will reject that which does not mesh with their ideals.

Truth, when relating to politics and beliefs (from political types in socialism/democracy/republic/et al) is not always a truth because how we measure success is defined by that belief/philosophy. This makes it hard for us all to find a common kernel to run on because we all have different ideals on how things should be based upon what we see as the 'best'.

Ok, got off on a rant again :) Sorry about that!

[number6]

7. if they.. ever were journalists ....

"Brokaw, Jennings and Rather left journalism behind many years ago and became entertainers and apologists."