AREAS OF FRICTION: TABLOID JOURNALISM
Newspapers and broadcast shows are not all alike, and the level of commitment to journalistic standards ranges from wholehearted to nonexistent. Some periodicals are highly praised for their objective and fair reporting, whereas others are famous for headline stories based on hearsay.
The same situation exists on television. Some shows are known as "tabloid television" and "trash TV" because they concentrate on the sensational and use the facade of traditional journalism on what is pure entertainment. This has been called
"journaltainment".
The proliferation of tabloid television means that you have to be very careful. In the race for ratings, some shows have started to offer more sensationalism and to manipulate events for greater effect. Such lapses of journalistic standards are a major concern for the media because the antics of an isolated few affect the credibility of all journalists.
Your challenge is to make sure you don't paint all media with the same brush. You should continue to give service to responsible journalists and provide information. However, if a reporter has a reputation for sensationalism, you are probably better off if you simply refuse to be interviewed or provide information.
If you do decide to work with a tabloid television reporter, there are some points that can help you keep control of the situation:
Never do an adversarial interview alone. One option is to have a lawyer sit in on the interview.
Research the interviewer's record before facing the camera. Know his or her method of questioning.
Don't accept any document on camera. Surprise documents can be used to trip up subjects and make them look foolish.
Get a commitment that you will be able to respond to accusations made by others as part of the story.
If cornered, counterattack. Take the offensive and accuse the reporter of unprofessional conduct, incompetence, or a lack of understanding of the subject.
Vocabulary:
accuse smb. of smth. - обвинять к.-л. в ч.-л.
adversarial - враждебный
commitment to smth. - преданность, верность, обязательство
corner smb. - «загнать в угол»
lack of smth. - отсутствие ч.-л.
lapse - падение
make accusations - выдвигать обвинение
hearsay - слухи
antics - проделки, шутовство
proliferation - распространение
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race for ratings - погоня за рейтингом
sensationalism - сенсационность
tabloid - низкопробный
tabloid press - бульварная пресса
take the offensive - перейти в наступление
trash (material, writing) - чтиво, макулатура, дешевка
trip up - запутывать
Exercises
1) Find the English equivalents in the text:
основываться на слухах; предоставлять информацию; держать ситуацию под контролем; некомпетентность; заручиться обязательствами; сосредоточиваться на ч.-л.; колебаться (варьироваться); подрывать доверие к ч.-л; показаться перед камерой; непрофессиональное поведение.
2) Find in the text the words which describe or mean the following:
a newspaper that has a lot of photographs, stories about famous people, gossip and not much serious news; a level or a scale that shows how good, important, popular etc. someone or something is; something that you have heard about from other people, but do not know to be true; a way of reporting events or stories that makes them as strange, exciting, or shocking as possible.
3) Translate the following words and word-combinations into Russian. Use them in sentences of your own:
1. to accuse smb. of smth.; to make an accusation; to bring an accusation against smb.; the accused;
2. commitment; commitment to a cause; to make a commitment; to commit oneself to smth.
4) Match the words, translate them and use in sentences of your own:
| provide | stories |
| unprofessional | standards |
| headline | concern |
| major | conduct |
| journalistic | information |
5) Translate the following sentences into Russian:
Hearsay is not allowed as evidence in court.
Reporters used extreme and adversarial methods to get their information.
Her latest affair was splashed across the covers of supermarket tabloids.
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The new comedy had the highest television rating this season.
Many people get tripped up over new tax laws.
6) Match the words having the opposite meaning:
| sensational | efficiency |
| incompetence | obscure |
| wholehearted | minor |
| famous | run-of-the-mill |
| major | disinterested |
7) Write down 5 questions to the text using the active vocabulary of the unit.
8) Can you explain the following:
Your challenge is to make sure you don't paint all media with the same brush.
The antics of some media affect the credibility of all journalists.
9) Agree or disagree with the tips concerning handling tabloid reporters. Do you think it will really help you keep control of the situation? Start your sentences with:
It's no use. No, it's no good doing it. What's the use of...
It is worth while...
Well, I could do that, I suppose...
Yes, I think it's advisable to do that...
10) Prepare the topic Tabloid journalism for retelling.
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