LATimes: Pros and Cons of sending star 'Anchors' to Egypt.

[jannyk]

...

While the happenings in Egypt are an incredible story and worthy of lots of coverage by the broadcast and cable networks, a debate could be had about how much is gained by dispatching high-profile reporters who usually spend the bulk of their time behind a desk to hot zones. No one questions their courage, of course, but is this the best way for TV news divisions to utilize their resources?

By sending Couric and Brian Williams, the anchor of NBC's "Nightly News" who is also in the region, the networks are sending a signal to their viewers that what's happening in Egypt is important. It is their belief that unless a star anchor is there a story won't be noticed. There may be some truth to that, but perhaps the answer is to do more foreign reporting and less fluff rather than shipping a big name overseas every time a major story surfaces.
...

However, so far it is Christiane Amanpour of ABC News who snagged the first interview with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. While Amanpour is a big name in her own right, that came from years of reporting from trouble spots around the globe not from sitting behind a desk. ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer stayed in New York.

The arrival of big names can also detract from the story itself. Not only do they become potential targets by protesters, their mere presence can shift the tone of coverage from what the events in Egypt mean to Egyptians and the rest of the world to how is the media responding to the violence or how is the unrest impacting the coverage.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/02/the-pros-and-cons-of-sending-big-name-anchors-to-egypt.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+newsandbuzz+%28News+%26+Buzz%29&utm_content=Google+UK

[DURHAM D]

1. Couric seems to be in studio in U.S.

When was she in Egypt?

[jannyk]

2. Apparently she and Williams have just left Egypt.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x342142

[DURHAM D]

3. She could not have just left - she is in studio.