Should there be more young people presenting the news?
Young people are constantly being told we are the future and need to seize every opportunity. This is true but we still need to learn from others on how to seize opportunities before we do so. So as a young journalist when I received the opportunity to attend a meeting with some of the biggest names in journalism including; Neil Dunwoodie the Editor of Digital news at Sky News and Jonathan Munro, head of BBC Newsgathering I was keen to learn from elders on how to get into the business.
One point raised at this panel was the lack of involvement from the younger generation and the big question of course was; how do news companies plan on trying to get more in touch with the younger generations? Many broadcasters admitted that regional and some national news is watched mostly by the elder generation. However, some would argue this is due to the presenters on the show. Many are elder presenter - especially males - or mid-30 women. Therefore, would the news be more watched by younger generations if they had someone to relate to.
For some getting a job presenting the news on prime time TV is something they dream of, it's not given to any old journalist or presenter who wants to be on telly. It's something many work years for and get experience doing rubbish jobs for. As a result, are people being too hard on industry professional as they are simply employing elder journalists as they have the credentials a younger person, whom has only been in the industry for a few years.
Although, as many young people turn to their mobile phones and tablets for the news rather than the television should we have different presenters for TV and online? As TV tends to attract an older generation, many of whom enjoy turning on to see a familiar face presenting the news. Whereas, younger generations turn to digital platforms to enjoy a briefer account of the news compared to a 30 minute broadcast.
For many the battle between young and old will be ongoing and something that young people will desire but industry will claim you need to earn the position. Many journalists do have a lot more power now than they used to of course. If you want to be a presenter there is nothing stopping a young person making their own online news channel. However, to become a prime time presenter you need to be prepared to work for it.
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