Word: gannett
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...gamely defend such trips on journalistic grounds, but they are primarily promotional gimmicks meant to showcase the network's resident Bigfoot. "We're almost defining news in such a way as to say something's not important unless an anchor is there," says Everette Dennis, executive director of the Gannett Center for Media Studies. "That's regrettable. Sometimes the specialists on a particular subject ought to be the ones dominating the coverage, not the anchors, who are by definition generalists...
Known as mainstreaming, the Gannett policy urges editors and reporters to include minorities in stories in which their race, sex or ethnic background are unrelated. For example, quoting a black professor in a story about Black History Month does not qualify, but citing a black economist in a story about the budget deficit does. "Mainstreaming," explains Overby, "is affirmative action in the news columns...
...Gannett editors are encouraged to include photographs of minorities and women on their front pages, and several Gannett papers have compiled handouts for reporters listing minority sources. Each year reporters are evaluated on their performance in a number of different categories, including "news of minorities." The company offers an annual All-American award to the paper that has done the best job of weaving minorities into its pages...
...Most Gannett reporters give their bosses high marks for sensitivity, but some are worried that such high-pressure incentives can lead to the worst type of tokenism. "To put a black face on the front page because you haven't had a black face on the front page for three weeks, that's insulting," says USA Today reporter Mike McQueen. Others say the push to represent minorities in mainstream stories too often replaces solid minority coverage. "Mainstreaming won't persuade minorities to buy the paper if we don't cover them and their issues," says one reporter...
...Gannett editors stress that mainstreaming should never conflict with sound news judgment. "You don't have to compromise to follow this policy," says USA Today editor Peter Prichard. "It's just a question of trying to broaden your vision." With a smaller percentage of white male readers in its future, Gannett has clearly seen the light...