One of the finest compliments I ever received was from Dan Cates, who was then my assistant news director at the ABC affiliate in Birmingham.
“I wish I had a whole newsroom full of Ike Pigotts.”
It was weeks before I could walk through a doorway without my big head getting in the way.
I knew what he was talking about, but even then, I knew how bad that would be. Every reporter brings a different perspective and approach to their stories, and some approaches work better for certain needs. That’s because at that time, there was still an art to storytelling in television news. The artist who works in oils might be a horrible sculptor, or might not paint well high on scaffolding. If you believe in bringing the right tools for the job at hand, then part of a news manager’s job was to match up the right personnel with the story that needed telling.
Three Kinds of Jobs
Back then, “reporters” really had three jobs depending on the assignment.
“Reporter” was the most base-level function. You report the facts. When you were sent out the door at 4:15 to do a 5pm live-shot at the police standoff, there was little time for any of the niceties of storytelling. It could be done, but not at the expense of all the other mechanics required for fact-gathering and vetting.
“Journalist” was the next level up – engaging the mental level of analogy and context instead of the brute physical level of Reporting. When you had time to dig and compare, and research the history of what you were dealt, you could engage in real Journalism. It’s an exercise in making personal and discriminatory judgments about what to include and what to omit, because you have the luxury of time.
“Storyteller” was the highest calling of the three jobs. When the planets aligned, you’d end up with an assignment that was compelling on its face, but was fueled by a strong narrative borne by an individual’s experience. You literally helped your subject tell their story, with a beginning-middle-end. You had conflict, and surprise, and resolution. In longer pieces, you had acts and denouements. (Note: Storytelling is not those lame features done by the goofball fill-in weather guy. It might be within the lead story when you have the compelling subject and the time to properly tell it.)
Notice the analog to the paradigm of Physical-Mental-Spiritual.
On any given day, your job would be to fill at least one of those roles. Fate often prevented you from being the Storyteller, so you enjoyed those opportunities when they presented themselves, and you made the most of them. Sometimes you’d get an assignment that had the potential to make you a Storyteller, but you got it at 3:30 for a 5pm newscast.
Of the three, Storytelling was the most akin to an “art” as opposed to “craft.” It’s been said that artists begin creating before knowing what the finished product will be, whereas a craft has a predetermined outcome.
Over time, Storytelling became endangered. In many local TV markets it is extinct, because there is not enough staff or budget to allocate the time required. You could make the case that Journalism isn’t happening much either, because being proactive and providing context also takes time that just isn’t there.
The Simple Can Be Replaced
Which leaves us with Reporting. Just the facts, ma’am. Must fill the time, get it on the air, Pretty is a luxury, ugly is now an option. Repeat the news? Why not? People aren’t watching, so we might as well squeeze the most out of those extra-long pieces, that are extra long solely because they eat minutes out of the broadcast.
On a basic level, “get the facts” can be reduced to an algorithm. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Now assemble. Reshuffle, rephrase, and it’s now rewritten for another broadcast. Follow the formula and you can churn out television news copy with ease.
And if there is a formula to follow, exactly how secure is your job again?
Storytelling disappeared because budgetary decisions made them expendable. It’s expensive to pay for Artisans where you’re not sure what you’re going to get.
Journalism is disappearing too, because the budgets aren’t supporting the Craftsmen – those with the experience to bring the conclusions and reference to bear in an efficient manner. Those staff positions are in high demand, and the people with the experience can’t afford to stay there.
Which leaves us with an awful lot of Reporting – intentionally rephrased as a lot of awful reporting. At some point, we’ll have the algorithms to do with the facts what’s been done to camera shots and graphics and sets. They will be virtualized. Who needs a human to do something a machine can do?
Well, we do.
We’re just not willing to pay for it.
So the real question is this: Are you bringing the qualities of Art or Craft to what you do? If not, aren’t you just fodder for eventual replacement?
Corporate downsizing has had it’s effects felt from the board rooms all the way down to the boiler room. They seem to think they can do more with less or do better with fewer. It’s become a sad standard since the economy bit us all in the ass. Most of the ones I know in print shops across the state are seeing pretty much the same thing. Management wanting to do more with less. Less well-trained staff. Less time to try to do the job right. Just get it as best as you can and get it out. Fast.I fear the ‘corporate machine’ will only come to a grinding halt one day if this precedent continues. Just as with your reporting vs journalism or story telling…..if we don’t take the time to do it right, what will this say about us later in the future when teachers or professors talk about what went wrong back then? That we refused to take the time to do something right?I’d much prefer the story from an experienced journalist.