Critique of a Local Newscast - Research Paper Example

The anchors on the CBS2 broadcast that I watched were diverse in regards to ethni race and gender. They seemed to truly represent the diversity found in Los Angeles. My guess is that they ranged in age from their early 30’s to early 50’s. None of the anchors looked too young so as to convey a sense of inexperience. None of them were too old either because growing old in American culture seems to be something that indicates a sort of weakness. The very young and the very old are not a trustworthy as those solidly in the middle years of life.

That seems to be the message we are sent by the age distribution of the anchors at CBS2. Staying with the theme of appearance, all of the anchors are physically appealing individuals. While they come from diverse ethnicities, it seems obvious that CBS2 is trying to present us with the most attractive individuals they can that hold to a very narrow standard of appearance. Everyone could be described as wearing moderately formal business attire with very similar hair styling regardless of ethnicity.

Men had short hair, parted on the side and combed over. Women had hair of moderate length that was relaxed, framing their faces. Everything about the anchor’s physical appearance appears to downplay ethnicity and enhance uniformity and moderation. The news stories were primarily of local events. The lead story was about three individuals that were arrested in connection with a string of robberies. There was speculation that these robberies could be linked to a fourth robbery in which an individual working in the entertainment industry was murdered.

The anchor delivered a lead and then a reporter in the field was featured. In the background behind the reporter, obvious police activity was occurring. A shot of a police car with lights flashing and officers milling around, talking with one another and some individuals that appeared to be detectives or crime specialists, provided the backdrop for the reporter. It sounded as though the reporter was delivering a prepared statement that then led to a brief exchange with the anchor, where some questions were asked that clarified the situation and provided some more depth to the coverage.

The entire story took a bit over three minutes. The coverage of local and national news on CBS2 was very slick and professional. The appearance of the anchor, delivery of the news and the interaction between reporter and anchor was timed well and built credibility for the news organization. They seemed as though they really knew what they were talking about. This illusion seemed to fade a bit when the anchors interacted with other members of the news team that covered sports and weather. The banter between them seemed a bit stilted.

It actually began to feel as though these people really didn’t like each other very much but were trying hard to put on a good show. There was nothing wrong with the weather or the sports coverage. As a whole, these individuals were entertaining and competent. The interaction among the news team, however, was not.