[Izzy Dunne]

But his view is that journalists "should be telling their viewers what is important, not the other way around. "

And journalists go to importance school so they can know more about what's important than the rest of us, right?

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Right now, the main agenda is to give people what they want. It is not partisanship but profitability that shapes what you see."

Nope Teddy, you still don't get it.

The NYT is driving an agenda which puppets like John Kerry quickly imbibe.

[martin_fierro]

If the network news divisions cannot be convinced that their future depends on attracting all demographic groups, then perhaps, at least, they can be persuaded to aim for the largest single demographic with the most disposable income — one that may actually have an appetite for serious news.

Hi, Ted. Welcome to the party.

[ConservativeGreek]

it is the journalists who should be telling their viewers what is important, not the other way around.

This is why they are in decline TED!
Just tell us what happened and we can figure out the rest on our own!!!!!!!!!!

[putupjob]

All this from one of the worst partisan hack jobbers of all time. Reminds of the Aaron Brown stew of muck.

These anchors are dinosaurs and they are now starting to figure that out. It only took 10 years of the internet before they realized it.

[Drango]

The accusation that television news has a political agenda misses the point.

Koppel, you pompous windbag, your failure to acknowledge the agenda is the point.

[Prost1]

He clearly is someone who has mastered the leftist school of propaganda from the 1950's.

He is being artful when he writes that the news to playing to the audience rather than "educating" them.

He does not define "educate", but I believe it encompasses his leftist slant.

He does not take up the idea that news orgs are critical only of those who oppose their viewpoint. They are not critical of those who share their viewpoint ignoring the idea that they should test their viewpoints as well.
An example is that "Democracy is Good" and "Democracry can vote of Sociopaths", ie; Hitler and Hamas.

Another example is "republicans are the culture of corruption" when the democrats who hold no power yet receive enormous funds from the National Education Association, Lawyer Lobbiest and other major leftist groups none of which represent a majority of America (and they know it!).

[Hildy]

Soor loser.

[Common Tator]

Koppel is an elite fool.

To Koppel this should be a nation of the journalists, by the journalists and for the journalists.

Ted needs to get a clue. It matters not if one is trying to provide a service or a product. If the provider does not give the consumers what the consumer wants the provider goes under.

It is called freedom of the people. Ted Koppel like most elitists opposes freedom.. He is for journalistic dictatorship.

Dictators usually end up being killed or committing suicide. Koppel needs to ask Hitler and Mussolini how that works.

[abb]

Dinosaur media extinction alert....

[Cicero]

What did one of Shakespeare's characters say was the solution to society's problems? "First kill all the lawyers."

Well, that's not quite the problem here.

How about "First fire all the publishers, close down the journalism schools, raffle off the newspapers and radio stations to the highest bidders, and get rid of 90% of the reporters."

There will be no objective news worth reading or listening to until we get rid of the ideological interests bent on distorting the news for their own purposes, the Pinch Sulzbergers and Donald Grahams of the world.

[Mr. Brightside]

journalists "should be telling their viewers what is important, not the other way around. "

Network newscasters have been doing that for years.

Gay teen not allowed to bring lesbian friend to prom. - IMPORTANT

Christian boy has Bible taken away during his private, lunchtime prayers. - NOT IMPORTANT

[DmBarch]

I tried to read the NYT piece but I'm not going to give them $$ for Times Select. Seems the no-brainer is that Ted and his ilk want to be the only judge of what is supposed to be important enough to be presented. The demographic thing is a convinient excuse...

[mtbopfuyn]

OTOH, perhaps the audience might appreciate hearing just the facts.

[F16Fighter]

The goal for the traditional broadcast networks now "is to identify those segments of the audience considered most desirable by the advertising community and then to cater to them," Koppel writes.

If Koppel is advocating ratings, then he'd be all for the same nude broadcasting the Russians have been engaging in.

True journalistic "news" has nothing to do with his philosophy.

[Lancey Howard]

"....in news, however, it is the journalists who should be telling their viewers what is important, not the other way around."

What's "important" is how the Republicans are mean-spirited and corrupt and how they are destroying the country and how the Democrats will save us, right Ted?

[InvisibleChurch]

Ted Koppel wouldn't be who and where he is today if not for Jimmy Carter's bungling of the Iranian hostage fiasco.

[DustyMoment]

"The accusation that television news has a political agenda misses the point. Right now, the main agenda is to give people what they want. It is not partisanship but profitability that shapes what you see."

It sounds to me as though it is Koppel who has missed the point. TV AND print news has an agenda and, if profitability were the primary concern, people by the trainload wouldn't be turning their TVs off. Someone needs to show Koppel the latest spreadsheet on television profits.

[dighton]

Ping for NY Times in scare quotes.

[Colonel_Flagg]

"I cannot help but see that the industry in which I have spent my entire adult life is in decline and in distress."

Such petulance as described in this column presupposes the notion that Koppel is actually an adult.