Feedback November 2002 (Vol 43 No 4)

CLASSROOMCOMBINING RESEARCH AND TEACHINGFOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATESTUDENTSThomas Nelson, Elon Universityjzecnelson@cs.comAssignment editing in a local television newsroom is not the kind of job people bragabout at a college reunion. The most likely response to such a boast would be noresponse since so few people know about local TV news assignment editing. Amongthose who do know, even fewer care. This needs to change. There needs to be a newemphasis on university trained TV news assignment editors especially after 9/11. Theneed for well-read, well-educated people behind the local assignment desk is greatertoday than ever before simply because much of local news is no longer local. A newsophistication is required of TV news assignment editors in the post 9/11 world. Thereis no such thing as being born to the manor in this regard. Sophisticated TV newsassignment editing is learned not natural. It is the responsibility of university broadcastnews instructors to teach it. TV news assignment editors have often been thought of asclerks and dispatchers. This must change. September 11 demands the change. Localnews is no longer local. World events have reached into our neighborhoods.Universities offering broadcast news courses must respond to this new reality.The place to begin is simple. Broadcast news educators must draw more attention tothe position of television news assignment editor. Broadcast news instructors spendcountless hours teaching the fundamentals of anchoring, reporting and producing.Relatively few hours, perhaps minutes, are spent on TV news assignment editing. Thequestion is why? Television news assignment editing is, after all, a worthy professiondemanding a quick mind. Yet, students do not hear the career call to TV news assignmentediting. It falls to broadcast instructors to amplify that call so it is heard abovethe din of other newsroom noise. TV news assignment editing was never anything toshout about before 9/11. times have changed though. It’s now time to holler about it.Television news assignment editing is a hard sell from teacher to student. Be certainany visit to a TV news assignment editor’s wreck of a desk, glowing computer, ball andchain of a telephone and overstuffed future file will kill a deal. The outward trappingsof TV assignment editing are not glamorous. No rhetoric will make TV news assignmentediting what it is not and what it is not, is glamorous.It is, however, creative. Say it and say it again. Broadcast news instructors mustexplain how the day-to-day bread and butter stories; the press releases, the follow ups,the beat calls have an energy of their own. These seemingly ordinary things glow redwith life in the warmth of a creative mind.Another selling point is influence. Students need to be told that TV news assignmentBEA—Educating tomorrow’s electronic media professionals 63