Civility in the Media

In my forty years of broadcasting experience, I've fielded thousands of questions about my work; topics include covering news, anchoring programs, interviewing world leaders and celebrities, and yes, the glamor and excitement of it all. But I can't remember anyone-whether on a street, in a classroom, or at a dinner party-ever questioning how news people behaved, or whether that behavior reflects our society.

In my own earliest days behind a microphone, I worked at a little radio station while finishing high school. That's where I began learning the foundations of journalism-accuracy, truth and fairness. Those principles have always stayed with me, from serving as a news assistant for the legendary Walter Cronkite at CBS to the unique public responsibility of owning a group of radio stations.

From the moment that I walked into that newsroom at WKRO Radio in Boston, I knew I was in a different world-clearly, a strange place where all the stress of society found a house. As a kid from Nashua, New Hampshire, just out of college, I was about to get my first lesson in professional journalism. Newsrooms became my second home, and some of the characters inside them were priceless mentors to me.

TV News & Decreasing Standards of Civility

The newsrooms where I've worked, generally, did not fit common definitions of civility. They're generally loud, peppered with colorful language, and rarely well-organized; the majority are littered with used coffee cups, pizza boxes, and newspapers. It certainly is been a wonder if you ask me that somehow, this environment manages to result in creativity and responsibility in communicating with a mass audience.

Just what a rich heritage we have in broadcasting, from Edward R. Murrow and Peter Jennings to Walter Cronkite, once voted probably the most trusted man in America. Remember Chet Huntley and David Brinkley? It was nice to listen to them say, "goodnight, Chet," and "goodnight, David." These were our heroes, and we stand on their shoulders.

There have been also rules in the first days of broadcasting - unwritten generally - that reflected the kind of society we were, and the standards we respected. To me, history and tradition are marvelous teachers. I wish young people heading into our business would spend as much time studying the events and personalities of days gone by as they do on technology and social media marketing.

Why We Should BE CAUTIOUS On Air

Whenever we hit the air and go into millions of homes, it must be with respect for individuals who watch and listen. We should be careful not to offend in any way and always alert to the trust placed in us. At times, however, politeness bumps up against the demands of reporting and the urgency to find the facts ahead of everybody else.

We all have observed instances in which a reporter will stick a microphone when confronted with a person in anguish who has just lost a friend or relative, to ask questions that violate their privacy and make viewers squirm. How can we balance civility and privacy with the aggressiveness of a reporter and the immediacy of television?

Sometimes, Attempts to be Civil Do Not Work

And yet, periodically an attempt at civility fails at all on the air. Quite a few years ago, we began introducing reporters live at the scene of a story by saying, "good evening," plus they would reply exactly the same. It was a nice touch, a display of politeness between the anchor and reporter. Nevertheless, you can see right now how awkward that is when the story is really a fire, a murder, or any event that's anything *but *good.

Exactly the same standards of civility don't connect with every situation. While I believe positive stories should have a bigger presence on our screens and inside our lives, it's impossible to avoid tragic events altogether. Whenever we do have to report on a thing that has disastrous repercussions for other living, breathing human beings, we should practice sensitivity. We must assume a missing woman's family is hearing our every word, or our reports are being broadcast straight to the town affected by a natural disaster. When we cover a newsworthy event with many casualties, we should think less concerning the salacious details and much more concerning the victims, who deserve our respect and whose loved ones need us to be honest, not to sensationalize or speculate or glorify.

Historic Events that Shifted the Tide

On the air, Edward R. Murrow often referred to members of his reporting staff as "Mister Collingwood" or "Mister Severeid." This is civility with a touch of dignity. And there was more. For example, it had been unthinkable for a journalist to interrupt a president while speaking. In those days it had been considered rude, uncivil.

The media aside, other activities were different too. Men tipped their hats to women; kids obeyed their parents and cops on the road. For our purposes, it would be foolish to try and pinpoint a time when the country changed. Historians might say we lurched in one traumatic event to some other.

In television terms, it was the same as a sharp, jolting cut from the Kennedy presidency to the years of civil rights demonstrations, from the murders of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. to protests contrary to the Vietnam War.

As these stories of anger and bloodshed were brought into America's living rooms, lives were being turned ugly in the united states. The civility we once had-however minute-was lost as a generation embraced a new culture on the streets and campuses, reflecting the turbulence of the era.

About that same amount of time in broadcasting, the peacefulness of Sunday morning- usually reserved for religious broadcasts-slowly disappeared. Some may still remember "The Eternal Light", "Lamp Unto My Feet", along with other award-winning broadcasts. Now, needless to say, we have non-stop political shouting programs along with other talk shows on the networks and on cable. The programming has changed.

And through the years-through tough economic times, wars, national upheavals, and natural disasters-Americans have suffered, but we've always bounced back. So, because the pendulum of our lives went in one extreme to some other, so did our civility.

The State of Media Today

You can easily paint a poor picture of civil life at this time. Gridlock in Washington, guns on the streets, terrorism, unemployment, and foreclosures are simply a few of the challenges we face as a nation. And we've managed to keep some extent of civility, but we are able to do better.

In order to think about the overall picture of civility in today's media, it's inevitable that we'll need to spend a couple of minutes on reality shows, in addition to the unrelenting bombardment of instant information and entertainment from cable television and the Internet.

From the Kardashians to Jersey Shore, when we turn on the TV, our children are mesmerized by lifestyles that encourage drinking, bad behavior, unhealthy habits and a lack of respect for family values. And that is just in the morning. Evening programming, aimed at a more mature generation, brings us such "memorable" shows because the Real Housewives installments, Mob Wives, Dance Moms, Repo Men, and Bridezillas, which encourage conflict, drama, disrespect, and even crime. And then you can find channels devoted to just about any sort of hobby or strange occupation.

Then there's YouTube, an outlet for video from the sublime to the ridiculous. It certainly is on, and there are always people watching out of every area of the world. Unfortunately, I have to add, too many of the videos on YouTube also find their way onto news programs, just because of how bizarre-and usually uncivil-they are.

Well, like anything, there's good and bad. Cable and satellite technology do have a positive side. There are lots of quality channels which are educational and carry excellent, inspirational programs. We also have channels that provide community access and allow us to watch local government in action.

At home, we are taught young how exactly to behave in speech and in manners. But media and technology have changed our culture. The violence we see in movies has been carried out inside movie theaters too, hit music fills the air waves with demeaning lyrics, tabloid magazines and TV devote more time to celebrities' bizarre choices, and all of this contributes for some reason to a failure in society.

And today, another factor has become the main equation. A survey of just one 1,000 American adults, taken by the public relations firm Weber Shandwick, found the amount of civility has suffered further because of our country's ongoing financial troubles. 49% of these questioned consider American CEOs uncivil. Given the Madoff scandal and the reduced level of trust in Wall Street, they certainly have a point. At the same time, the survey showed 81% of Americans contain the news media responsible for improving just how we treat each other. Therefore, in these early years of the 21st century, we are faced with a significant challenge.

Civility & Truth

Now, a few words about the blogosphere and social media marketing. As anyone who has spent his life time in journalism, I strongly defend freedom of speech. But I really believe that civility and truth go hand in hand. So at this stage, I want to raise a red flag. When it comes to news, the key question is: what's your source? Who *told *you this information? If the reply is a common one-"I saw it online"-then beware. The Internet is not necessarily the best source for truth.

And with the incredible speed and universal access of social media marketing sites such as for example Twitter, news reporters must be more careful than ever before to sort out the truth, to get to the reality. More often nowadays, civility and truth disappear when the Internet can be used as a playground for rumor mongers, hateful bloggers, and cyber-bullies. We've all witnessed the dangers mounted on social media marketing, mainly the horror of teenagers committing suicide due to cyber-bullying that followed them home on their smartphones and laptops.

A survey conducted by Consumer Reports this past year showed that 1 million American children were harassed, threatened, or targeted by hurtful comments and rumors. Teenage girls were more likely than boys to suffer this unimaginable experience. Social media is relatively young and contains a job to play in society, but it shows that it must be watched carefully. Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker put it in this manner: "The best threat to civility is the pandering to ignorance, the elevation of nonsense and the distribution of false information."

Ernie and the Big Newz: the Book's Message

We must find ways to turn down the volume of our national discourse and stop rewarding bad behavior, especially that of celebrities who fail as role models for our children. Those folks in the media-especially in the news business-have an obligation to society to clear the air. Adults want that. Even kids look for it.

I regularly speak at local schools, even though the feedback and reaction is terrific, additionally it is eye-opening. Many young children tell me they feel the only way they are able to become part of a news broadcast would be to take action wrong, something bad.

It is really no surprise, because it's what they see if they watch the news. We mostly reward bad behavior. I believe that kind of thinking must stop. I am deeply concerned about the unfortunate news events we can not control and must report, which impacts everyone, especially children.

So in response to a huge selection of comments from adults and teenagers concerning the shortage of positive news stories, I wrote an upbeat children's book called Ernie and the Big Newz: the Adventures of a TV Reporter. The book is about making career choices and believing in yourself, and it's filled up with news stories that have positive endings.

My respected fellow colleagues and I understand it's a tough job covering an extremely fast moving and traumatic world. Today, my message is clear: not absolutely all news is negative, and living by the golden rule isn't old-fashioned.

When it comes to civility in society, and particularly in the media, I'm uneasy about the kind of world we shall leave our kids. Are we on the incorrect path when it comes to civility in the media? From what I've heard and seen, the solution is yes.

Well, then, can we turn things around and enhance the situation? Again, the solution is yes. So, what do we need to do?

Steps We Can Try Make a Difference

In this media-driven society, we must take the lead by producing more high-quality local programs. And we must exercise good editorial judgment in terms of news stories for our daily broadcasts.

How many times have you tuned into a broadcast that started immediately with crime? A child was shot, or perhaps a teenager's bright future was canceled by drugs, or an elderly person was mugged. The old tabloid saying goes, "if it bleeds, it leads." For me, that's the wrong approach. It exists only because there's a long-held belief inside our industry that it'll increase ratings-but most of us believe it doesn't work anymore.

After anchoring close to 15,000 newscasts, I've arrived at the final outcome - people want information that impacts *their *lives. Is my job in danger? Are food prices increasing? Are my children healthy? Will be the schools safe? The audience is changing because their world is changing, and we should change with it. That's something we are able to do.

Throughout my career, I've also played the role of a TV news anchor in a few Hollywood movies. So several words come in order about the big studios and production companies. With all the glitz and glamor of the big screen, we're still getting ultimately more than our share of films that may leave moviegoers with the wrong ideas.

From then on horrible mass-shooting in Aurora, Colorado, cinema, studio giant Harvey Weinstein of Miramax called for a summit meeting of producers to go over movie content. We thank him for that; I fully support this type of discussion, and hopefully, action.

On a grassroots level, I urge educators through the entire country to recognize the significance of this issue. For instance, schools could require students to have a course in media studies, to better understand our culture and choose wisely. They could include social media marketing etiquette and media exploitation within their studies of ethics and manners.

I don't want this to become one-person crusade. So I'm respectfully asking my colleagues in TV news, at local stations everywhere, to become listed on me. Together we can make this a national effort to improve the balance of positive stories on TV.

My personal efforts go one step further. I've recently created a new group of TV specials called "Positively Ernie." We feature refreshing segments on health, education, philanthropy, technology, media, and an array of subjects which are making our community, our country, and even the world, an improved place. The feedback has been great.

Finally, we must start at home by concentrating on family life. Communication is at the center, and we have to talk with our kids - and really listen to them in exchange. We also have to connect and strengthen ties with many reputable organizations to accomplish whatever we can to help parents guide children in their use of the web, social media, and TV. Kids are growing up in a much different culture than their parents did, and it's our responsibility to bring parents updated, so that they have some context in which to comprehend, relate, and make a difference.

But make no mistake. We've quite a distance to go. It will not be easy, and it won't happen overnight. However, I'm confident that by working together, we are able to successfully spread the message that civility is the foundation of our lives-and of our media as well.

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