As news networks struggle to retain viewers as more and more outlets for news become available, Gary Goldhammer examines on his blog,
Below The Fold, whether the brand of good journalism is the result of reliable networks or reliable reporters. Or both. In an
earlier post, Goldhammer argued that “the same self-publishing and social networking tools that are empowering consumers today are also allowing reporters to break the surly bonds of their media masters … In this new model, reporters, not newspapers or networks, are the brands.”
In a related post
today, Goldhammer looks at the question further, wondering if journalists “need the structure and stability of an organization to be successful and credible.”
Take Anderson Cooper, for example:
“Sure, CNN gives Anderson Cooper the freedom to blog, but would he have as much of an audience or impact if he left CNN tomorrow and launched ‘AndersonCooper360.Blogspot.com’?"
Or Tucker Carlson and Nancy Grace:
First of all, people like Tucker Carlson and Nancy Grace are not journalists, they are personalities and "hosts"– they need the security of news organizations to do their shtick, otherwise they become nothing more than irate AM talk radio callers.
But then again, “some journalists have personal brands strong enough to make it work,” says Goldhammer, citing Moyers and Cronkite:
Bill Moyers became a stronger brand by leaving the world of corporate television news and focusing on public broadcasting and publishing. And let’s not forget one of the biggest “journalist brands” of all, Walter Cronkite.
What do you think?
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