What Professionals Support TV Journalists?
Roles of Producers, News Coordinator, and News Correspondents
Sep 30, 2009
When individuals think of television journalists, many names come to mind – from Barbara Walters and Walter Cronkite to Matt Lauer and Nancy Grace. However, behind these famous faces and hundreds of thousands of other television journalists who are not quite so famous, are the individuals that support them. Here’s a look at who those people are.
Role of News Coordinators
These people work very closely with the famous faces, keeping them informed of breaking news and details of the stories that are being covered. They often coordinate on location shoots and must be keen for details. The most important part of this job is determining what is news and what is not – and being able to keep pace with the hectic demands of the job.
Role of Producers
Producers have a never-ending list of work to do. They are responsible for ensuring that the television channel receives the program, and that everything is completed on time. They live by the deadline, and make a massive amount of decisions on a daily basis – such as how many cameras are to be used, how much time is to be used on each story, what should be included and what should be cut out, how much of the budget should be spent on each little thing, and so much more. This is another hectic job, but rewarding for those who can handle it.
Role of News Correspondents
While it’s true that each of the above jobs are vital to the television journalism industry, it’s also true that without correspondents, there would be no news. These are the individuals who find the stories. They are often out on location, scooping out the answers and details to the stories. They must find every side to the story so that it can be reported in a fair and balanced way, and they must try to get the news first – before other channels can get it. Most importantly, they must get the story correct and ensure that their facts are checked.
News correspondents often have sources that they will protect with everything they have, because those sources are the path to the breaking news. Correspondents often have to answer questions of the anchor during a live broadcast, so the public often sees them on location giving out as much information as they have gathered. This job demands a lot of time from the correspondents, and they often spend nights and weekends hunting down the details of stories.
Additional Resources
Is Television Journalism the Perfect Career?
Is Television Journalism Worth Pursuing?
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