Bob CollinsThe details have been announced for next month’s Policy and a Pint session discussing the changing nature of news and the redefinition of the word journalism.
Here’s the release:
Event Fact Note
Policy and a Pint: The Line Between News and Opinion
December 15, 2010
Doors at 5:30. Program 6:00-7:00
Varsity Theater
According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, Americans are spending more time “with” the news. That means listening to radio, watching TV, reading blogs, opening newspapers and paging through magazines.
But the news sources listed in the research are surprising. It includes the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and network nighttime broadcasts, of course, but also Bill O’Reilly’s show, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show and Rush Limbaugh. Where is the line between opinion, news and comedy?
Steve Seel will talk with MPR News’ Chris Worthington and Bob Collins about Juan Williams, objectivity, opinion, Keith Olbermann and how different generations get and interpret their news. If Walter Cronkite felt he could venture into commentary, why can’t today’s anchors and journalists?
Policy and a Pint is presented by Citizens League and 89.3 The Current.
Guests:
Chris Worthington joined Minnesota Public Radio in July 2006 as program director for its Regional News & Information Service. He has more than 25 years of news experience, most recently with the Pioneer Press in St. Paul, where he served as managing editor and senior editor for business and technology from 1997 to 2006. From 1983 to 1996, he worked for the Dallas Morning News as its assistant business editor, assistant state editor and sports editor. He held other newspaper positions with Newsday, the Fort Lauderdale News and the Fort Myers News-Press. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a masters of business administration degree from the University of Dallas.
Bob Collins joined MPR in 1992. He served as broadcast editor and coordinated MPR’s political coverage until 1999, when he was asked to direct MPR’s foray into online journalism. He previously was vice president of programming for Berkshire Broadcasting Company in Massachusetts, and national desk editor at the RKO Radio Network in New York. He also was editor at WHDH in Boston, where he received the Edward R. Murrow Award for his investigation into the Boston mob scene. Bob is a private pilot and is building his own airplane.
Like just about every other public radio newsroom, we had a meeting after the Juan Williams “situation” to go over this question of how much of “us” we should reveal to people. It’s a difficult line to draw. Chris’ view is there should be a reasonableness to the expression of any opinion. No arguments there although I enjoyed debating the edges of the assertion with him. Someone in the room said, “you and Bob should debate on the radio.” Someone else in the room said, “Bob, you should shut up,” so we settled on a format that is halfway between the two.
It’ll be fun. You can make your reservations here. If you can’t make it, you can always scalp the ticket.
