Journalism & Society: Journalists Provide A Public Forum For Debate, No?

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Journalists Provide A Public Forum For Debate, No?

Thoughts?

Was the anchor bullied? Was this the proper forum for her response?

How would you have handled this situation?

21 comments:

Logan Krum said...: The person who sent her the email was wrong for doing so. I think we all can agree on that. And I do think the anchor handled it the correct way. Had the email not gathered the public attention it did, the best possible option would have been to ignore it. However, I suppose due to the attention-grabbing controversy around it and the anchor's (a prominent person) involvement, it can be considered news. The anchor turned the situation into a very inspiring and positive learning experience, and she handled it with grace and maturity. You go girl.; October 2, 2012 at 10:22 PM
Jamie Pappas said...: I do not think this was the proper response to this email. The message was well thought out and it is an issue that deserves much attention, but not in this manner. The email was inappropriate and rude. Using the internet for anonymity is a serious issue as is bullying, but I do not find this to be an appropriate subject to transition into addressing both of these issues. The email did not deserve as much attention as it received. The topic could have been discussed without specifically announcing the email. That part makes me think it was part of a pull for more personal attention.; October 2, 2012 at 11:11 PM
Sunil Chopade said...: Though she managed to tie the story into a broader subject (anti-bullying), the actual news broadcast wasn't the most appropriate place for a personal defense. The letter was unnecessarily haughty and warranted a response, yes, but to use airtime -even on a morning news show- to call out the detractor could potentially appear petty in the opinion of viewers. This was a battle best left to be hashed out on Twitter or a personal blog.; October 3, 2012 at 12:38 AM
Tonii Mackie said...: I agree with Logan Krum, in his saying that as a prominent person, the issue after becoming public interest was news. However, I also agree with Sunil Chopade, in that the broadcast was not an appropriate platform to address the email. If it had not reached such internet buzz I feel that she would have responded on a more personal media outlet in place of the broadcast. Jennifer was bullied. She also gives a valid argument that further condemns the rude comment. She says "I am overweight... And yes, even obese on a doctors chart... do you think I don't know that?" The stating of the obvious elevates the crudity and unencessity of the email. Our society has socially constructed ideal molds for us as individuals to conform to. I am not saying that her being overweight is something that should be praised or emulated, but in the instance that most of us are "obese on a doctors chart" such cruel commentary is that of an ignorant man. Whether it weight, physical or facial features, articulation or lack thereof, we are judged in the slightest, due to socially constructed standard. Bullying is learned. And though the decision to merge her personal experience into the news' purposed topic, bullying, was a questionable tactic, the overall message was heard loud and clear.; October 3, 2012 at 4:14 AM
James Orlay said...: To me, this type of response ruins the integrity of the news broadcast and the anchor herself. While the comments that the person made were harsh, they were (I believe) private and the email was sent only to her. By making this public knowledge and then using her job as way to tell everyone her personal feelings, Jennifer Livingston made the news a talk show; something I am extremely against. This should have been delt with privately.; October 3, 2012 at 2:13 PM
Zoë Dean said...: I think if this was left to the social media world, it would have gone on forever. This way, the anchor ended the conversation. (At least, as far as she is concerned, hopefully her supporters take note.) The email was a form of bullying, the man who wrote it may have had the health-of-the-young-and-impressionable as his motivation, but what was he hoping to achieve exactly? I would love to know if he sends off the same emails to public figures who are super skinny. (I'm also inclined to think young people are WAY more influenced, and are comparing themselves to the abundance of size 0's in the media.) Online bullying is out of control, it was refreshing to see someone get called out. When it comes to the example the anchor is setting (health wise)that man, and none of us has the slightest idea what her health issues may be. It's easy to pass judgment on others, and so boring in my opinion.; October 3, 2012 at 11:29 PM
Jeseamy Muentes said...: The anchor was most definitely bullied, there's no doubt about that, but as to whether or not this was the proper place for her response is a little muddier. I think it was slightly immature because it made the news far too personal. Although it had garnered so much public attention, therefore making it news, I think using airtime to address it may have been taking it too far, from a journalistic standpoint. From an anti-bullying standpoint, it was inspirational! Had it been me in the situation, I probably would've done the same thing though. She handled the harsh email extremely well. Snaps for her!; October 3, 2012 at 11:56 PM
Erin Edinger-Turoff said...: Just because a news anchor is overweight doesn't mean that everyone viewing the news broadcast will automatically think that being overweight is a good lifestyle. I don't think that the email she received was necessary, and it certainly could have been mean in her eyes. It could have been worded a lot more harshly, however, and I think if she was going to make a legitimate news story about anti-bullying month, she could have chosen an example that did more to reveal just how cruel some people can be when they choose to bully. She certainly has the right to respond to the email personally, I just wonder as to whether it was really necessary to defend herself so publicly in the name of a much more major cause. It made the anti-bullying point seem almost contrite because she had spent so much time describing her own situation. Of course she can use her personal example to champion the cause, but I think as a news anchor she should be more neutral. And she could lose weight, she said so herself. Maybe she should have at least ended with something inspiring for other people who may be dissatisfied with their weight by announcing her efforts to work towards better physical health, since she advocated personal confidence.; October 4, 2012 at 12:46 AM
Janki said...: Even though I commend her response to such a sensitive issue towards not only herself, but like she said bullying in general, I agree with many people that commented saying this wasn't the time and place for it. As journalists, like you said we have to forget who we are essentially. Like that lecture we had, where you made us define ourselves and then told us that we were not allowed to be any of those things while we were a journalist. It's a bit upsetting that since it was a personal issue, she is questioned about airing it, because it wouldn't have had this much controversy if this type of hate mail was sent to a citizen. I believe that we should have a separation of personal and news. It just blurs too many lines of what is and is not acceptable to broadcast.; October 4, 2012 at 1:33 AM
Yung-Hsin Tsou said...: I agree with what someone said previously that she shouldn't use the morning news time as a forum to discuss the personal attack. The news time is not her private space like a blog or twitter. Besides, I think her defense didn't have much effect in teaching people a lesson about anti-bullying, because what she did was not an apropriate way to convey her idea.; October 5, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Meredith Thomas said...: I think that this woman handled the matter in a very mature and professional manner. With the nasty letter that was sent to her, addressing the situation on public television was also a way for her to raise awareness of bullying. At first when watching this, I thought that the person who actually wrote the letter would not even see this, since they did say that it was unusual that they see the morning show. Just today, I saw an article in the Huffington Post about this, saying that the woman is Ron Livingston's sister and quoted him on how proud he was of her for sticking up for herself. After reading this, I was glad to see that most likely now, the person who wrote the letter would hear Jennifer's response and hopefully feel humiliated by acting in such a childish and immature way.; October 6, 2012 at 8:22 PM
Colleen McGuigan said...: I believe that this woman was definatly bullied. I heard about this story via the radio on my way to school the other morning. I think that because this became a topic of disscussion on many different media outlets, she felt the need to handle this problem on her newscast. Would I have handled the situation in this manner? No, but that's because that is just my personality. I do believe she was extremely well spoken and handled the situation in a professional manner. As someone else said, I think it was good that she tied in that October is anti-bullying month and that nobody should be bullied.; October 7, 2012 at 1:27 PM
Eric Newby said...: I agree with James Orlay.
Public figures, as the woman stated, receive criticism on a daily basis, some good and some bad. I totally agree with her ultimate point, "Bullying is Bad." However, she seemed unprofessional and a bit immature at certain points in the broadcast. A much better way to handle it would have been to speak briefly about her personal issue, and then translate it into the bigger issue of global bullying. I personally believe that she spent too much time, speaking on her own behalf.; October 7, 2012 at 3:50 PM
Andrew Sifari said...: The anchor was severely bullied, and she handled it in the exact proper way. "News media is and should be a forum for debate." Journalists have a responsibility to remain independent, and report what is newsworthy. This story fits this bill several times over, and is totally relevant. Since the anchor was called out for her on-air appearance, it is only fitting that she address the problem on-air, especially since her situation was made public. I would like to think I would do the same thing if I was in this situation, because the anchor was totally professional about the situation, and stayed clear of any real agendas while stressing the importance of being kind towards others.; October 8, 2012 at 5:11 PM
Rebecca Grimm said...: I think that she handled this beautifully. There are so many people every day that get bullied because of their weight. I think the email was hurtful and uncalled for. As the anchor said, he didn't know anything about her. I feel as if they would have left the email go, then it would've sent a negative message to the younger generation, that bullying is okay. The anchor also showed how beautiful she was with her confidence. I know I wouldn't be able to be on television and call myself fat and end with a smile on my face.; October 10, 2012 at 2:27 PM
Zahara Hill said...: While I don't believe the anchor was supposed to allot that time for other current events, I think she did make good use of her soapbox. Her story did satisfy some newsworthiness criteria such as human interest, proximity, and prominent people. Although I am sure many local celebrities have received cruel messages, and the event is not very unusual, she did at least use the negative event to communicate a message to those that have been targeted for their appearance. While she was insulted, I don't think she was necessarily bullied as bullying takes the form of repeated events.; October 12, 2012 at 9:28 PM
Zahara Hill said...: *do believe; October 12, 2012 at 9:31 PM
Moumita Ghosh said...: I think that the anchor was bullied. The person who sent her the email was wrong because the email obviously hurt the anchor's feelings and she was offended by it. I am glad the anchor brought up the broader subject of 'bullying' because bullying is a huge issue in this country that many many children and others face all the time and just like the anchor said, these children cannot always brush off the cruel things that are said to them or done to them like the anchor could! So bullying is an unfortunate thing that they have to deal with. The person who sent this email to the anchor does not even watch this news ever, but this one time he watched the news for a few minutes, and he had to sent a rude email! I think the email was really rude, but the anchor handled it in a very mature way.
However, I do not think that anchor should have addressed this matter during the actual news broadcast because it was a more private matter, the email was sent only to her in a private way,so she should have handled it in a more personal and private manner rather than taking time during the news broadcast to address this.; October 13, 2012 at 12:57 PM
Melissa Ly said...: I believe the anchor was bullied. Bullying is when someone is targeted, and attacked verbally or physically. She was bullied in that email by that man. Her forum for response i think was very surprising. I didn't think news anchor could get so much air time on a issue. I think it went a little too far taking up that much time, but i do believe it was right for the show to address the issue publicly. Bullying is such a problem and putting attention towards fight back bullying is not a bad thing for the show to discuss. If i were in this situation, i might do the same ,but not use up that airtime. It was a bit too long.; October 17, 2012 at 10:40 PM
Mark Valeriano said...: This was a very good response I think she handled the situation with a lot of professionalism and courage!!; October 18, 2012 at 9:26 AM
Kevin Soboloski said...: I found this video truly inspiring. I would say that the anchor was bullied through the new trend of cyber-bullying. I think that her response wasn't what you would consider "proper," but that doesn't make it bad. I think the fact that it wasn't proper made it more personal and relatable, which is what made it such a widely viewed video. She did end up spreading awareness and reached out to protect others through it.; October 25, 2012 at 9:59 AM