There has been a furore about the BBC and others deceiving the public over video editing and fixing telephone competitions. As a result, according to the Guardian recently, people do not trust the BBC nearly as much as they used to.
Trust and respect are critical values in the world of media and in the smaller, less noticeable world of research. But trust and respect have to be earned and to be maintained.
And they operate as a two-way process: you do not generally trust or respect someone who does not trust or respect you.
So when high profile programmes such as Children in Need, Blue Peter, Richard and Judy etc are exposed, how deep within the media organisations does this go? And when did those in the media start treating those not in the media with such contempt?
For some time now, we have sensed a steady lowering of levels of trust between the media and the public, having witnessed the way some media people relate to the public. (Not everyone, not even the majority, lest we fall into the trap of generalising or sensationalising, here.)
There was the fashion editor of the glossy magazine watching people arrive at the research studio from the dark side of the mirror: “She doesn’t read our magazine, look at her shoes!”
There is the way the current affairs programme show ‘a focus group’, panning around the faces of respondents who deliver their one-liner on the politician, or maybe give him or her marks out of ten.
Who do they think we are?
The journalist and the researcher operate on a similar patch. Both find things out, often from the public, then interpret and report on this. But it is an uneasy relationship (think glamorous, worldly, older brother and sensitive, nerdy kid sister?). Maybe our priorities are different, if our raw material and our skills are similar.
The journalist will sacrifice the facts for the story. The researcher will sacrifice the story for the facts.
Previously on this blog, we have been trying to frame our ‘higher purpose’. This is not meant to be a grand gesture, just meant to give us more focus. Two thoughts we’ve come up with so far are:
People being heard
Spreading respect
Of course, people are finding out more for themselves. The internet means that we no longer have to rely on a smart presenter in wellies reporting live from the scene of the latest devastating flood disaster. A recent article suggests that the current spate of ‘behind the scenes at the TV studio/fashion magazine’ programmes is a result of the public’s more knowing attitude towards the media.
If the public know more about the media, how about those in the media knowing more about the public?
Michael Grade has identified the training of those coming into television as being a critical issue. What are they learning about standards and respect for the public?
Maybe you cannot trust everything you see on TV.
But you can still trust a man with a lot of experience and knowledge in his field.
And a cigar.
Comments