Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Non-Profit News Outlets Will Help NBC-Owned TV Stations to Dig Deeper and Smarter

Anchorage--

Brian Lamb said three years ago that I was a sign of a trend, and news from yesterday makes the C-SPAN founder look even more prescient.

The Los Angeles Times reported that local TV stations around the country are teaming up with non-profit news organizations to increase the stations' investigative, enterprise, and analytical journalism.   The 10 local stations involved are owned and operated by the NBC network.  

The collaborations between the commercial TV stations and the non-commercial outfits like public broadcasting stations and the on-line investigative operation ProPublica are aimed at getting at more serious and complicated stories.   Examples of what ProPublica calls "deep dives" could include examinations of the quality and finances of public schools and conflicts of interest involving doctors and drug companies.

Brian Lamb's reference to me as a harbinger for the media came shortly after my stay in Washington, D.C. covering the Ted Stevens trial for five weeks in the fall of 2008.   I was lucky enough to be able to stay with friends who had just rented an apartment about a mile from the courthouse, and they were kind enough to have a dinner waiting for me when I got back each night.   I posted my coverage of the trial on this blog, and I made just as much money covering that trial as I have from modeling and stand-up comedy combined.
 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have enjoyed reading your blog, it's topically compelling and well-written. If you get a chance check is out at www.thefairbanksfour.com - wordpress blog focusing on a very troubling trial out of Fairbanks.