Breaking the News Cycle | Diana Fairbanks | TEDxTraverseCity
Diana Fairbanks argues that the news industry is fundamentally compromised by ad-driven metrics that prioritize viewership over accurate reporting, necessitating a consumer shift toward deliberate information consumption to save journalism. She cites the system's vulnerability, noting that revenue dictates journalistic output, and stresses that the audience's consumption habits directly determine the industry's viability. Her primary call to action is for the public to become highly aware and deliberate consumers of media. ## Speakers & Context - Diana Fairbanks: Formerly a broadcast journalist for 17 years; presented at a conference. - Personal background: Initially sought to use journalism to keep the community informed for making better decisions. - Professional conflict: Realized she was part of a system that allowed hateful speech to be broadcast and enabled the depiction of violence (e.g., a politician making horrible things, and a "mad man" shooting first graders). - Current status: Left her career in journalism to work with a group of thinkers in higher education, describing this environment as one where members "all honestly believe that what they are doing is for the greater good." ## Theses & Positions - The traditional metric for judging news success (viewership numbers) is flawed because it treats news coverage like entertainment ratings. - News revenue is directly tied to advertising dollars; failure in ratings leads to layoffs, not because of poor community service. - Journalism cannot succeed if it serves two masters (the common good vs. ad dollars). - Journalism is a "common good" and "essential to an informed and engaged democracy." - The future of journalism depends on the public realizing the connection between consumption habits and ad revenue. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Common good:** Journalism's role is seen as providing information necessary for an informed democracy, not merely generating ratings. - **Information Age:** A period where more information is available than ever, making the challenge of "sorting through it" and verifying truth paramount. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **The Ad-Revenue Model:** Advertisers pay based on audience viewership; this dictates which stories are covered and how effectively the newsroom operates. - **The Dilemma of Leaving:** Weighing the stability of a lifelong, skilled career versus the moral obligation to protest systemic failures within the industry. - **Consumer Agency:** The act of being "aware," "deliberate," and conscious of every piece of media consumed, knowing that every choice "adds up." ## Numbers & Data - Years as broadcast journalist: **17**. - Industry downturn impact: Led to layoffs of **two-thirds** of newsroom staff during the Great Recession. ## Examples & Cases - **Comparison of metrics:** Comparing newscast success metrics to those used for *Wheel of Fortune*, *Law and Order*, and "every single Kardashian show." - **Market observation:** Experienced overnight ratings pressure in a "metered Market." - **Systemic Failure Examples:** Allowing a "crackpot politician to say horrible hateful things playing to the camera" and allowing coverage of a "mad man to become infamous for gunning down a room full of first graders." - **CBS observation:** Hearing CBS's head, Les Munz, describe the election cycle as a "circus" while money was "rolling in." ## Named Entities - **CBS:** Network mentioned by Les Munz. - **Les Munz:** Head of CBS who spoke about the election cycle. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **News Broadcast Media:** General industry infrastructure under critique. - **Digital/Print:** Mentioned as areas for news organizations to adapt to. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The news industry's tendency to portray itself as always serving the community. - The initial comfort of accepting that news *should* be free or greatly subsidized. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Journalism must transition to a sustainable business model that serves the common good, as the current ad-driven model is failing. - The power to change journalism resides directly with the consumer, demanding public awareness and deliberation. - A call for systemic change requires admitting the necessity of making the consumption of media a conscious act, comparing it to being aware of what is put in our mouths. ## Implications & Consequences - Failure to change the funding model will lead to continued downsizing of American journalism. - The consequences of inattention are direct: misinforming the public, enabling bad actors, and compromising democracy. ## Verbatim Moments - *"it was a role that I played"* - *"the metric that we use to judge our success is the number of people who watch"* - *"these ratings these are not bragging rights these ratings translate into real dollars"* - *"Am I part of the solution or am I part of the problem"* - *"look is this is this the hill you want to die on"* - *"I believe in journalism and I believe we need it now more than we ever have"* - *"I promise you it is not free and we are all paying for it dearly"* - *"it may be bad for America but it's damn good for CBS"* - *"Please be aware in this information age that the information you choose to consume impacts the future of Journalism and our world"* - *"Please be aware be deliberate"*