CCTV news facelift does little for journalism
- Source: Global Times
- [02:27 August 07 2009]
- Comments
By Lin Meilian
A senior media expert says the good-looking yet inexperienced anchors at China Central Television are too “soft” to handle hard news.
CCTV launched its newly packaged live news program Morning News on July 27, when anchorwoman Hu Die, 26, replaced a CCTV’s former veteran news anchor to host the program, which airs every weekday from 6 to 8:30 am.
However, the glamorous anchorwoman soon found herself amid controversy over her past plastic surgery.
Her alleged pre-plastic surgery photos were posted online, setting off heated discussion.
Yu Guoming, vice dean of the School of Journalism at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times yesterday that CCTV should give the seat to a professional anchor with a strong journalism background.
“CCTV has a history of hiring beautiful anchorwomen, with no experience, in order to put a better face on the news,” Yu said. “But to improve the overall quality of the program, it has to choose someone with experience and who has the ability to do the story justice.”
The average age of American anchors is 43, he said.
“Every change at CCTV attracts attention. Granted, audiences applaud the new look. However, it is not just the anchor’s appearance that’s key. It is his or her journalistic ability that builds trust with audiences,” Yu said.
Yu suggested that the youthful Hu could host programs targeting young viewers, leaving the news to those with more experiences.
However, Zhang Yuqiang, a professor at Communication University of China, disagreed.
“We cannot jump to the conclusion that the young and attractive are not suited for news programs. We should see if they can do it first,” Zhang told the Global Times.
He added that the days when Chinese anchors delivered reports in an unwavering monotonous and serious tone are gone. Audiences nowadays are more open to different personalities and reporting styles.
CCTV announced its makeover in July.
The makeover, which covers all CCTV channels, will end by November 18. As many as one third of the news programs at some channels will be canceled.
