Anchorwoman (Hot)

The story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram today deals with the problems when reality TV mixes with TV news (no, there is no difference, but I'm not there yet).

I'm sure the producers at Fox TV are mainly interested in the problems arising when a woman working the 5 p.m. anchor desk in Tyler, Texas, looks like this:

Stolen from Lauren Jones' web site.

I heard the original idea of the show was to film at a New York newspaper, which worked until the producers realized how newspaper people can reach amazing heights of ugly. (I'm speaking mostly of the men, who generally could turn a hot dog rancid just by looking at it. The women in most newsrooms can hold their own, tho you usually have one or two medusas.)

Anyway, the decision was made to move the show to TV, and of course, it had to be in Texas. The existence of Anchorwoman has caused much umbrage -- from journalism scholars (Ha!) to the people who work at the station, to the townspeople of Tyler, who worry they'll be depicted as bumpkins.

Three reasons why I think this thing is a bit of harmless piffle*:

Is it really that serious to have a guest worker with no experience in a news business?

No, it isn't. TV newscasts and newspapers have such people come and work for them all the time, only they're called "interns." In the past, interns and their exploits have served to humor only news professionals**. Now, the entertainment value is being brought to a grateful nation. Besides, Jones claims that she really really wants to be an anchorwoman, like "Ryan Seacrest," in my favorite quote from the story.

But what about our integrity? Our honor?

I once saw a newscast led with a story about how Sonic was serving a drink called "The Orgasm" (Outrage!), only the drink was called something else on the menu. It's just that the 16 year old girl working the counter knew what you were asking for when you asked for an orgasm (giggle). That got two minutes on the air.

Personally, I've long felt that the face we present to the public regarding our integrity and honor sets the wrong tone. Anytime something about ethics pops up, we find a couple of scolds to prattle on like a preacher out of the Scarlet Letter. The fact of the matter is that if we didn't take ourselves so honkin' seriously, we'd have some of that trust we keep talking about losing.

Honesty: "Yes, having a model on the air is publicity stunt. Yes, some things are going to go over the top, but no, we're not going to lie to you." I think that pretty much sums it up. Instead, we have people from the Society of Professional Journalists going on about how Jones doesn't have a fourth level Anchor certification and is -2 on her ability to detect falsehoods.

Tyler is the center of a proud East Texas protoculture and must not be humiliated.

I realize that, two hours from Manhattan, you can find people dancing with rattlesnakes and screaming for Gaw-Duh to keep them from getting bitten. But, no one on the East or West coast is willing to think of themselves this way, so they go to Texas.

"Texas" is just too easy a billboard to start with, and so what? The fact of the matter is we have a lot of trailer parks, a lot of people who say "I seen," and a lot of people who are still having flashbacks to the battle of Shiloh. Embrace it (the good parts, anyway).

The same Texans going on and on about how we're seen as a bunch of jackhole stereotypes by northeasterners are the also the first to say that they don't like Northeastern culture and don't want it here. So let'em think what they want. We still produce a huge number of artists, thinkers and business people who always end up on the top of their game.

*I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever written the word "piffle." Hooray.

** There's still a story going around Texas about the intern who told her city editor she'd do "anything" for better story assignments. It's not true, by the way.