Evolution of Personalities in News
It is common knowledge that social media plays a critical role in our daily society, however it is important to notice how this impacts news personalities as well. Social media is not only used for updating your status and informing relatives globally of your well-being, many broadcasters use it to promote their social status and create a brand for themselves. This can be dangerous because if they are linked to a partisan network the more dedicated they are to their fanbase it can often lead to the spread of misinformation or reinforcing biases in society. It can also jeopardize the career of the broadcaster if they overshare or fall in too deep by spreading partisan views.
I’m reticent to call them journalists but, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingram and Rachel Maddow are television personalities that are notorious for their political controversy. Due to the attention they receive because of their controversial remarks they are some of the most highly paid personalities in the news industry.
NBC News covered the topic of why Twitter can land high-caliber Journalists in dangerous situations, such as insinuating partisanship, when they decide to engage their followers in political debates leading to the demise of a couple careers.
The traditional role of the news broadcaster has changed significantly since its initial inception. It is no longer about getting on air and reporting the news, while that is primarily the job description, it is also engaging the audience on Facebook, Instagram stories, Twitter updates, or any means necessary. Any reporter or Anchor could tell you that a newsroom has an area dedicated purely to each individual’s online engagement.
There are frequent newsroom conversations on how to increase the amount of viewer engagement and often people in charge of running the newsroom’s social media to make more interesting/interactive content.
Most reputable companies try and do this without clickbait links however some networks are not afraid to stray down that path to get higher traffic to their sights or more views for their channels. You probably saw the Fox 46 Morning Meteorologist from Charolette just go viral for his dance video on instagram. Two weeks ago, nobody knew who Nick Kosir was and now he has over 360,000 followers on Instagram (including me, the guy has drip I won’t lie).
This is because Gen-Z and Millennials are changing the game. They are not interested in sitting down and watching the news like their parents did — the monotonous voices in pinstripe suits or women with big hair. If they even tune in to the news, they are interested in personable anchors that can deliver timely stories in a way they understand with flair that appeals to them.
The danger to this is that with that they need to find the balance of bringing with them the level of objectivity the learn in J-School otherwise it will perpetuate a cycle of misinformation.
