NYT/Reuters: Couric Hopes to End "Pretentious Era" in News

[DeepModem Mom]

Couric Hopes to End "Pretentious Era" in News
By REUTERS
Published: June 2, 2006

LAS VEGAS (Hollywood Reporter) - Katie Couric hopes to bring a "humanistic, more accessible" approach to her job when she takes over as anchor and managing editor at "CBS Evening News" in September, she said Thursday.

Addressing the annual convention of CBS affiliates, Couric predicted that the pretentious era" of the evening-news anchor is going to be a thing of the past.

"The audience is more sophisticated than we give them credit for -- they don't want a mechanical Ted Baxter," said Couric, whose last day as co-anchor of NBC's "Today" was Wednesday. "I'm a serious, caring, compassionate person. I hope that comes out....Couric, who was speaking during a Q&A session with "60 Minutes'' correspondent Lesley Stahl, added that she "resents'' being asked how difficult it will be to make the transition from the "lightness'' of morning news to the more "sober'' evening news...."I've done more hard-hitting interviews than any evening news anchor," she said.

Asked by Stahl why many viewers may have lost their trust in the media, Couric said she thinks that the media are "held captive by spin,'' choosing to repeat "two separate spins'' rather than search for the facts in a story. She also said the news has become somewhat inaccessible, seemingly being programmed for inside-the-Beltway policymakers and other reporters rather than for at-home viewers....

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-couric.html

[nickinSTL]

1. The "pretentious era"?

Why does this sound to me like she's saying she'll be offering "infotainment"?

[tanyev]

2. And thus begins the short-skirted leg-swinging, gum-popping era.

[BlooInBloo]

21. gigglegigglegiggle

[babylonsister]

3. Whatever happened to just reporting the news, w/o having to

add spin or personality? I want Huntley and Brinkley, Cronkite, etc., back! :cry:

[Bigmack]

11. Cronkite DID show personality....

After listening to all the bullshit about the Vietnam war, he came to the conclusion that it was unwinnable. And told us.

A lot of those old guys were believable because of who they were. Professional journalists.

I like Couric personally, but compared to Uncle Walter and some of the others, she's a lightweight. In a day of lightweights telling us the good news/party line/talking points, she fits right in.

[babylonsister]

15. You know what I meant; perhaps believability and truth are the

words I should have used. For Couric to think she's going to change the face of evening news is pretentious to begin with. I think she'll lower the bar, not raise it, but that's my own opinion.

[cantstandbush]

4. Katie, how about just telling the people the truth? That might work. n/t

[Lost4words]

5. How about just reporting the TRUTH!!

I never knew how upsetting it is to be lied to constantly.

[annabanana]

6. Does that mean they're going to stop even

PRETENDING that they're giving us "facts"? That might be just as well, actually.

"You want NEWS? What'rya lookin' here for?"

[WI_DEM]

7. is she implying that Rather and Cronkite were "pretentious" and

"Ted Baxter" like? I have very grave doubts about Katie Couric as a news anchor.

[papau]

8. Go Katie - drop on the other hand reporting and chase FACTS - what

a great idea!

:-)

[Dudley_DUright]

9. This statement at least hold some promise for hope

if she follows through:

Asked by Stahl why many viewers may have lost their trust in the media, Couric said she thinks that the media are "held captive by spin,'' choosing to repeat "two separate spins'' rather than search for the facts in a story. She also said the news has become somewhat inaccessible, seemingly being programmed for inside-the-Beltway policymakers and other reporters rather than for at-home viewers.

Of course her vision of the truth may be the same as Karl Rove's for all I know.

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. Oh, God, Please. I have always been a CBS fan - but I'm

changing over to ABC.

[npincus]

12. I was hoping for a "Substantive Era" myself

[FreeStateDemocrat]

13. Speaking of pretentious will she wearing her "I'm serious glasses?"

[MadHound]

14. Talk about pretentious!

"I've done more hard-hitting interviews than any evening news anchor,"

I think that Cronkite, Rather and Wallace, among many, many others would disagree with your perky little ass Katie.

I've been willing to suspend judgement on how Couric does until she's actually been doing it for awhile, but if she keeps making these sorts of patently absurd statements to puff herself up, that willingness is going to become mighty difficult to sustain.

[karlrschneider]

16. Yah, the Perky Era will be ever so much better...

:eyes:

[frylock]

17. NAVY SEALS ROCK!!!

[earth mom]

18. Coming from the Queen of Pretense-what a laugh and what a joke!

:rofl:

:eyes:

:puke:

[Yollam]

20. B-b-but she's, she's PERKY!

I know it's true because the corporate media has told me so over and over again since 1993!


Now if someone could just tell me how perkiness is an asset in a news anchor...

[Yollam]

19. Katie, professionalism is not "pretentiousness".

And Katie, you're not fooling anyone with your nipped and tucked mug. I guess the only 'pretense' that bothers her is when people act like sober adults...

[lpbk2713]

22. Sounds to me like she wants to put mor "fluff" in the news.

Instead of the CBS "Eye" her new logo will be a smiley face.


:shrug:

[Marr]

23. And she's kicking off the effort with a FOUR HOUR EXTRAVAGANZA

about her promotion!!!!

What a fucking clown.

[PA Democrat]

24. Oh good! Is Katie going to do the evening news in her Marilyn Monroe

Halloween costume? She wouldn't want to appear "pretentious" and wear a stuffy suit.

[Golden Raisin]

25. Yeah! Now we'll jump from "pretentious" to terminally PERKY.

[Vidar]

26. "Naked News" has more credibility that Katie Couric.