“Training a camera on a live event, and just letting it
play out, is technology, not journalism; journalism requires editing and
context. I recognize that presidential utterances occupy a unique category.
Within that category, however, President Trump has created a special
compartment all his own.
“The question, clearly, is whether his status as president
of the United States obliges us to broadcast his every briefing live. No. No
more so than you at The Times should be obliged to provide your readers with a
daily, verbatim account.”
—Ted Koppel, veteran TV newsman, in Michael J. Grynbaum, “Trump’s
Briefings Are a Ratings Hit. Should Networks Cover Them Live?” New York
Times, March 25, 2020.
(Thanks to alert WORDster Tom Ferrell)
• Editorial Comment: Stenography ≠
journalism.
Watch Dog
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