Frank Sesno at SMU

CNN correspondent Frank Sesno spoke to SMU students about media ethics at the Sammons Media Ethics Lecture last Wednesday. After 25 years in the news business, Sesno provided some sound advise for future journalists. The journalism field is ever changing—that involves making informed and often difficult decisions.

One issue Sesno discussed really resonated with me. He pointed out that it’s easy to get caught up in a “media popularity contest” with other media outlets, where competition for ratings rule the industry. I’ve noticed a heightened competition between cable networks the past few years, and it only seems to be getting worse.

For example, Fox News Channel commentator Bill O’Rielly, of “The O’Rielly Factor,” opens every show with the mantra, “the most-watched program on cable news.” I realize that journalism, like anything else, is a business, but the competition between channels seems ridiculous. It’s having an impact on the quality of news as well.

Not only are all the channels blurring into one, but the news content has changed a lot. Just this weekend, I’ve seen so much about Anna Nicole Smith’s ex boyfriend’s alleged boyfriend, I thought I would lose it. It’s a slightly more adult version of tabloids, and I never want to hear about it again. Unfortunately, I know I most likely will hear about it again and again if I tune into any major news station (even local news!).

I want facts—I’m tired of pretty news correspondents and fluffy news. Yet, there seems to be a growing trend of news becoming just as superficial as the rest of the media.

This issue leads to the question that begs to be asked: Who’s setting the agenda? Can I naively hope it’s the peoples’ interests? Or, is it the media corporation’s who fight for higher ratings?

Sesno recognized another agenda setter with more subtle influences—political parties. He lost an interview with President Reagan because he refused to allow the administration to dictate what the kind of questions he asked.

So, while it’s hard to know exactly which group dictates the obvious shifts in mainstream news media, the only think I can do is stay strict and remain critical.