So, I'm watching the local newscast one spring evening, and there's a four-minute news report -
news report - on how not to get sunburned.
Put sunscreen on. Wear a hat. Don't stay in the sun too long.
Well, duh.
That was a few years ago, when I was a mere cub reporter living in the blissfully ignorant belief that my local newscast just kind of sucked. But after a few years on the other side of the editor's desk, I've learned that large segments of the media kind of suck, and it's not by accident. And now that I'm back in the realm of lowly columnists and reporters, I can expose what I consider the dirty little secret of the media, a little thing called "service journalism."
Follow me to the flip ...
Strangely, media people don't think service journalism is dirty, nor should it necessarily be a secret. Heck, they're even teaching it in journalism school. Print editors and television news directors push for it because they think it does good things for people. But they've been duped by their friends in the ad department, and so have their readers and viewers.
So what is this insidious plot, this service journalism? In simple terms, it's just what it sounds like - journalism that provides a service. It gives the reader or viewer some kind of advice, some information that could make the reader's or viewer's life better or easier.
Over the last 20 years or so, service journalism has been perfected to the point that media types have identified five must-cover topics:
Home. Glossy pictures prove that other people's houses are much nicer than yours.
Health. A new study says being fat is bad for you. So are smoking, running with scissors and poking yourself in the eye with a stick. A new study says so.
Food. The local morning anchor smiles as a local chef shows you how it only takes 15 minutes to whip up a low-fat herb-crusted salmon with hamster milk hollandaise sauce.
Entertainment. A chirpy reporter or recycled press release tells you to hit the comedy club this weekend to hear jokes about how men and women are different from that guy who kind of looks like that guy who was on HBO two years ago.
Money. A guy in a suit advises you to invest in a diversified portfolio, combining aggressive high-caps with steady blue-chips as part of a long-range strategy. Unless you're among the 80 percent of people whose investment strategy consists of checking a box on a 401(k) form once a year and buying a lottery ticket when the SuperCash jackpot hits $100 million. In which case, just wait until sports comes on.
I'm being glib and snarky about the content of these service pieces, but those five things - home, health, food, entertainment and money - are real. Real publishers and producers hammer at those things in editorial meetings, making sure all five are covered regularly and prominently promoted. Magazine consultants, for example, tell publishers to make sure all five are mentioned on a magazine's cover.
None of that is really bad, of course. Some of it is kind of useful; it's nice to be able to check the newspaper for what bands are playing this weekend or the local city magazine for the phone number of that new Thai restaurant. But by and large, service journalism doesn't provide much in the way of service. Nor is it really journalism.
What it is, though, is a sales tool. While the writers and reporters are working on making lives better by touting the benefits of a new drug, the ad sales people are busy selling the ad for the drug company which runs, coincidentally, right after the health segment.
It's not always that obvious or insidious, but watch next time - you'll see things like "On Your Health is brought to you by the Downtown Health Clinic" and "Money Minute is sponsored by Smith and Jones Accounting." You'll notice that the spring home and garden supplement is chock full of ads for nurseries, landscapers, garden supply stores. You'll see nothing but restaurant ads in the dining section.
Which makes sense, and is not, by itself, all that bad. Media outlets have to make a living, after all, so selling ads around special sections and special projects is relatively harmless.
But ... well, there are three buts.
First, it confuses people as to what journalism is, and who is a journalist and who isn't. Take perky morning personality Katie Couric, for example. Her chipper, flirtatious nature works well when she's talking about what shoes are hot this season, but then she puts glasses on and "interviews" Howard Dean, badly misinterpreting various facts.
Second, it's important that consumers of the media are aware of what's going on, which is why I'm writing this. Don't be fooled into thinking the publisher of the paper really wants you to have a nicely decorated home or a comfortable retirement. That publisher wants to sell ads to companies who can help you decorate your home and secure your retirement. Not that that's wrong; I just think you should know about it.
Third, and most important, that sales drive leads to five service segments in a 30-minute newscast, along with sports and weather. When is there time for real, in-depth coverage of the actual news? When staff writers and graphic designers get the assignment to put together the summer events guide, who's writing the analysis of the local school board race?
To sum up, the mainstream media are biased, but not toward the liberals or conservatives. They're biased toward themselves, toward their own bottom line.