Sunday, October 6, 2013
Socially Relevant Coverage in the 1960s
Why did the networks begin to lengthen their news coverage, broadcast presidential debates, and program more socially-relevant documentaries like Crisis during the 1960s? How did this material illuminate civil rights issues and inflect the way that people understood national politics?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The 1960s was a time of much political change in America. The Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, and the nation's economy was continually going through recessions. In Only Connect, it is said that the 1960s were a time with the rise of teenagers as a demographic as well. With so much going on in a time when TV's popularity was rising, television became a sure-fire way to keep Americans in the loop and raise awareness on these new political strides. With the rising demographic of these show being the future of the country (the teenagers) it was a perfect time to present politics and social issues on television. It was also a new and exciting way to inform the general population of what's happening in the world in a new way. It was shown, as we learned in class, that broadcasting the political debates, such as that between Kennedy and Nixon, can have an extreme effect on who people view the winner as. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing (basing your opinion based on the looks and way the candidate carries themselves as opposed to solely on their debate answers) is debatable (ha!) but it definitely was the start of something that still influences our political decisions today; judging candidates heavily on the way they look and the way they carry themselves.
ReplyDeleteShowing documentaries like Crisis was an excellent way to allow Americans to get involved and gain a deeper understanding of what was happening in society at the moment. Crisis gave a look into the office of President Kennedy, we actually saw him working with his team to make political decisions, which was something that wasn't often seen by your average American. Bringing people into this political process and introducing them to multiple perspectives on the issue (that of the President, of the African Americans suffering during the Civil Rights Movement, the politicians against the movement) and allowed them to gather these facts and develop their own opinions about the issues. They are able to think for themselves more than ever before, because they are given more information than they once received.
When Newton Minow delivered his "Vast Wasteland" speech and commented on the lack of "quality" programming on television, the networks went into a frenzy trying to deliver more programs that would be beneficial for the American public. One direction the networks went was to extend their news broadcasts and deliver more comprehensive updates that would educate audiences. In this sense, television became even more of a "window on the world" as we learned at the beginning of the semester. Television had always been an obvious extension of the news & journalism path, since it had the ability to connect so many people in an efficient manner. And with these extended broadcasts, more information could be relayed to the audience.
ReplyDeleteA huge advantage to these longer news broadcasts was the connection they gave the American public to politics. The first presidential debate to be televised was the debate between Kennedy and Nixon, which started to change the way that people judged political candidates and made their voting decisions. It really changed the face of politics- mostly because now Americans were paying more attention to the faces of politicians and taking their "stage" presence into account. Politicians now had to worry even more about how they presented themselves, rather than relying solely on preparing their answers well.
Documentaries like Crisis also gave the American public a behind the scenes look at politics. The struggles a president went through were made apparent, and civil rights issues became more personal. Reading about an event is one thing, seeing a news anchor discuss it another- and seeing the controversy of segregation in a fairly unbiased manner is yet another. Political issues became more real for Americans, educating them and helping them to make more informed decisions when it came time to vote.
With the inauguration of President Kennedy came the inauguration of tighter regulation and higher standards as expressed by FCC Chairman, Newton Minow. Through Minow’s address to the National Association of Broadcasters, what was qualified as a public service and of exceptional quality was redefined in an effort to save the programs that were criticized. The networks’ response was to extend news programs and to incorporate more political discourse on air to inform and educate all demographics.
ReplyDeleteCivil rights became personalized through television and documentaries such as Crisis, which gave all television set owners an opportunity to not only identify with President Kennedy during his difficult decision revolving around the black students attending the University of Alabama. It also depicted a more diverse representation of blacks in America with the incorporation of the two students’ testimonials and reasoning behind why attending this university was important to them.
The move away from the “Vast Wasteland” that was television allowed for politics and perception to be viewed from an inside perspective, it provided a new way for audiences to better inform themselves. This new political platform allowed citizens to become more involved and forced politicians to listen to the people that they were representing because they were center stage now more than ever.
In the early age of television, audiences often tuned into shows purely based around entertainment, such as crime shows, variety shows and Westerns. However, as the 1960s emerged, several political issues engulfed American society and networks felt that by including longer news specials, the legitimacy and relevancy of television to Americans would increase. Therefore, networks started to air more news coverage and documentaries to prove that television was not just a “vast wasteland” that offered nothing to society.
ReplyDeleteMore specifically, in terms of the civil rights movement, news programs allowed for visual representations of segregation and prejudice to reach the living rooms of Americans who would otherwise be sheltered from such images. News programs showed innocent African American children getting hosed down and chased by dogs, and peaceful protesters getting beat by ruthless white police. Additionally, these mews programs served to educate the public on the logistics and details of vital political issues. Crisis served to inform the public about the process revolving around the integration of the Alabama school system, by delving into the politics of the mission through documenting the actions of JFK. Through exposing the political process, audiences were becoming more informed about the nation, rather than watching a ‘thoughtless’ show like sitcoms. This coverage also created a more involved public who were now knowledgeable on the stance to take on issues.