Up to the Minute at UM

By Danny Bobbe
J-School Web Reporter

In the world of television news a beast has emerged. It is the 24-hour cable news network, and it is always hungry and always awake. Viewers should watch it critically and be mindful of its agenda, sources and credibility to avoid being misled and misinformed, said J-School alum and anchor for CBS News' "Up to the Minute" Meg Oliver.

"We live in a fast-food world. I think cable channels take advantage of that," Oliver said at the Dean Stone Night Lecture on April 26.

Television news used to be dominated by the big three: CBS, NBC and ABC. Their nightly reports were generally based on thorough and factual reporting, she said. "You get it right, then you go on the air," is the motto these stations still live by, Oliver said.

But things changed after the arrival of cable news networks, which must always air something. They jump on emerging stories, with video and picture, and the resulting coverage often fails to tell the entire story. Sometimes it’s simply not accurate, Oliver said.

To illustrate her point, Oliver enlisted the help of Bob Schieffer, a journalist with some 50 years of experience who is the anchor and moderator of CBS News' "Face The Nation."

In a recorded interview played to an audience of roughly 60, Oliver asked Schieffer about the main impact of 24-hour news coverage.

Scheiffer said it was the speed in which stories moved that often resulted in error.  After 9/11, he said, CBS News was forced to spend time correcting false reports from other news sources. This uncommon practice was necessary to stop rumors before they became commonly believed untruths.

Schieffer also passed on some advice to graduating UM journalism students.

"I think journalism is the best way you can spend your life," Schieffer said. "The great thing about news is it’s always different."

Passion should be the primary focus of students, he said, rather than money.

photo by Will Moss
J-School alum and anchor for CBS News' "Up to the Minute" Meg Oliver tells the audience at the Dean Stone Night Lecture to weigh the credibility of the sources they rely on for news.

Another issue that has grown with the arrival of the cable news beast is sensitivity.  Media outlets were criticized after last month’s Virginia Tech massacre for repeatedly airing pictures and video the killer made before the rampage. The material was perfect fodder for the cable news networks but some also perceived it as glorifying the actions of the killer.

At "Up to the Minute," Oliver explained, staff members deliberated carefully over the decision to air the footage, and to what extent. They determined it was necessary to air parts of the video, audio clips specifically, but not to air them repeatedly.

Oliver was a graduate from the J-School’s broadcast class of 1993. She has worked as a professional journalist all over the country from Fresno, Calif. to Detroit to Hartford, Conn.

Oliver also passed on one important lesson she’s learned in her 14-year career.

"To succeed in this business you have to be able to work well with other people," she said. "Never ever burn a bridge... It's a very small business and everything comes back to haunt you."

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