From the Newsroom to the Television screen: the blurred line between news and entertainment

Randy Minkoff

September 26, 2019

https://www.digitalethics.org/essays/newsroom-television-screen-blurred-line-between-news-and-entertainment

First Impression:

News is becoming like entertainment nowadays: it's all becoming more of a joke, whether because of "fake news" or some good journalists and reporters now showing up in sitcoms and movies. One thing comes to mind: what is the world coming to?

Quote: 

"Is it naive to think that, by signing on to read fake news reports about rampaging aliens threatening a fictional city, these reporters have subsumed those noble goals in order to promote their own personal brands?"

In today's era, news and entertainment has becoming a whole lot similar, due to the fact of the spreading of "fake news" like wildfire, which is becoming somewhat of a joke, good and bad, or as I found out via the article, journalists appearing in movies, mini-series, drama and sitcoms, and playing as themselves in a way.

As shown in the article in question, one wonders if such a thing compromises their images, as somewhat people believe that journalists and reporters like that are sell-outs or something similar, like for instance: one day people would see a reporter on TV asking questions and grilling out a city official due to his or her controversial issues related to corruption, and then the next day people would see that same reporter in a movie pressing a superhero or doing a report on something crazy happening in the city like a monster attack.

The way I see it though, people are probably being judgmental on that sort of thing: technically, and I agree with the author of the article, it's not an ethical dilemma if a journalist or someone else like a doctor or a network analyst wants to earn extra money by showing up in movies or TV, but it becomes a dilemma depending on the situation that mostly speaks "unethical" like showing up in a porn video or something like that. In other words, make sure to keep your principles in check and also make sure that what you are doing is beneficial but not in a stupid way that makes you look like a chump or a sell-out or might create trouble for you in the future.

5 Things Learned From Article: 

1. I learned that some reporters and journalists on TV have appeared in movies, mini-series, dramas and sitcoms.

2. I learned about people being somewhat judgmental about this sort of thing, and it affects the reporters and journalists in question.

3. I learned about the fact that such a thing like being hired to work on a film that is produced by a famous producer known for some controversies becomes a credibility issue.

4. I learned that journalists are somehow stereotyped as "unscrupulous and egotistical, striving for the “scoop” at any cost" or portrayed as someone shouting inane questions or failing to get an answer.

5. I learned that society depicts reporters and journalists on TV appearing in movies, mini-series, dramas and sitcoms as sell-outs.

5 Integrative Questions:

1. What are the reasons of journalists and reporters showing up in movies, mini-series, drama and sitcoms?

2. Do the reporters and journalists hesitate when it comes to doing such things like playing as themselves in a movie or a TV show?

3. Do  reporters and journalists gloss over that "credibility" issue sometimes or not?

4. How do famous reporters and journalists react to the well-known stereotypes that society inflicts upon them?

5. Why do society depict reporters and journalists on TV appearing in movies, mini-series, dramas and sitcoms as sell-outs even though it's not a dilemma?