Public broadcasting's nightly television news program, the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, is going through a transition that is happening in newsrooms across the country, as traditional forms of media adapt to new technologies, the Web and 24-hour-a-day access.
The program, which has been on the air for 35 years, is changing its name to the PBS NewsHour, and will continue to maintain the same journalism guidelines that have been integral to the program's success.
The first part of this video looks at the changes to the new show and in the second part of this video, NewsHour anchor Jim Lehrer discusses the principles that he believes are central to the integrity of the NewsHour as a news organization.
Quotes
MacNeil/Lehrer Journalism Guidelines:
* Do nothing I cannot defend.
* Cover, write and present every story with the care I would want if the story were about me.
* Assume there is at least one other side or version to every story.
* Assume the viewer is as smart and as caring and as good a person as I am.
* Assume the same about all people on whom I report.
* Assume personal lives are a private matter, until a legitimate turn in the story absolutely mandates otherwise.
* Carefully separate opinion and analysis from straight news stories, and clearly label everything.
* Do not use anonymous sources or blind quotes, except on rare and monumental occasions.
* No one should ever be allowed to attack another anonymously.
Warm Up Questions
1. What is journalism?
2. How do you get your news?
3. What is the difference between journalism and entertainment?
Discussion Questions
1. What kinds of problems are news organizations facing in the 21st century? What are some solutions to those problems?
2. How has the internet changed the way people get news? In what ways has it changed things for the better or the worse?
3. What does journalism mean to you? What do you think makes good journalism?
4. What do you think of "MacNeil-Lehrer journalism" as described by Jim Lehrer at the end of the video? Do you agree or disagree with any of his points?
5. What is the difference between public and commercial media? What are the pressures on news programs that rely on commercial advertisers?
6. Jim Lehrer's final point is that he is "not in the entertainment business." What do you think he means? What do you think about this statement? Why do some news organizations believe that news is part of the entertainment business?
Additional Resources
