General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAre the Sunday morning network interview shows an example of white and male privilege?
CBS: Bob Scheiffer's replacement, John Dickerson, seems the a capable journalist but yet another white male
NBC: Chuck Todd, preceded by many white males
ABC: George Stephanopolous and preceded by all white males except for Cokie Roberts "co-host" stints.
If you never pick a female or someone who isn't white, what are we to assume except that being a white male is one of the qualifying criteria?
delrem
(9,688 posts)The MSM type, it seems to be.
CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)I would not describe Bob Scheiffer that way. the others sure, but not Bob Scheiffer.
4lbs
(6,854 posts)Coincidence?
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)All of television and all of media, just a few exceptions, are examples of white and male privilege.
It's not a new thing, been around as long as television.
I don't watch those Sunday morning shows, they really suck.
Bonobo
(29,257 posts)olddots
(10,237 posts)for the engineers .
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)Dave Letterman, Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Myers, Craig Ferguson, James Corden, etc.
Comedy Central has named Trevor Noah to replace Stewart, so I guess that's a start on the road to diversity. But when was the last time a woman actually had a late night show? Joan Rivers, back in the 80s?
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)but other than her I can't think of anyone.
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)isn't exactly the major leagues. And I forgot to mention Larry Wilmore, who I like a lot - he took over after Colbert left. So, for those keeping score at home: two black guys, but still a TON of white guys.
I don't believe that there isn't a worthy woman out there.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts).....and accept it? I think the entire world would have rejoiced at news that Tina Fay or Amy Pohler would have taken Late Night or the Daily Show. Both of them don't want it, because its a gruling schedule, and a step down from the moves they are currently doing in Hollywood. Who else do you think was passed over here?
Late night TV is a dying Medium, at least in the letterman/leno and sadly even Conan model. Jimmy Fallon, who is kind of a twerp, is actually doing it right. Package the show as a bunch of youtube friendly 'events' that can be watched the next morning by folks drinking their coffee or studying for finals.
Jon Stewart was/is on a whole other level. I am not a fan of Trevor Noah, and would have loved if Jessica Williams had gotten the host chair. Why they went with Noah over here, I don't know, however I think it says a lot in that the two top contenders (at least in the publics mind) for the Stewart chair were PoC and one was a female. Sadly, in my opinion, only one of them is funny, and she didn't get the job.
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)Which is to say: practically no stature needed. None of those three guys were exactly burning up the place, and yet they all managed to land a gig. In the case of Noah and Wilmore, a pretty damn good gig. I think Williams would have been great, but she publicly stated that she wasn't ready for that big a step. That's her choice and I respect that. I think Samantha Bee has the chops too, and I don't know why she wasn't selected. I also think Wanda Sykes would be great.
I agree that Fey, Poehler, and a few other funny women such as Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig would not be interested in a late night show. But there is surely some woman as obscure as Noah and Corden who could have been given at least a shot at the job.
I hadn't thought about the late night format as a dying breed, but now that you bring it up I think you may be right. We've become dependent on quick, cute, youtube videos as a form of entertainment and the slower paced, celebrity interview-style show is not that relevant to how we live anymore.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)And it's not for the quality and quantity of their insight.
romanic
(2,841 posts)but honestly it wouldn't matter if the anchors were black and/or female if the MSM forces them to report and say things they allow them to say. TPTB control the message, regardless of what the messenger looks like. Superficial diversity isn't true diversity imo.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The residial racism, sexism, and whatnot in our culture has the effect that we listen better to white males in business suits, it's like doctor suit or a police or military uniform, it means you are serious.
To me it means you are an employee, but what do I know?
Orrex
(63,198 posts)Several forms of privilege at work there, I'd say.
Response to CreekDog (Original post)
Nye Bevan This message was self-deleted by its author.
el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)You could do a demographic analysis of his supporters.
Bryant
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)Public Policy Polling did a poll a couple weeks ago with some demographic data included:
Hillary had 63% overall in the primary and:
and support by demographic group:
Hispanic 58%
White 61%
African American 75%
Other 57%
Bernie had 13% overall in the primary and:
Hispanic 18%
White 15%
African American 4%
Other 14%
Hillary has much stronger support among African Americans, but Bernie's support doesn't appear to be the monolithic white support that Nye said it was (then deleted afterwards).
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2015/PPP_Release_National_51315.pdf
LWolf
(46,179 posts)I don't really know, since I don't watch interview shows on TV of any kind, and day of the week.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)knowing who the hosts are and have been doesn't require watching the shows.
LWolf
(46,179 posts)I'd be making sure I paid attention, and trying to be a guest, on all of them, since a vast majority of people seem to thrive on them.
They aren't for me. I should probably care more than I do what others think. I definitely care that the majority are willing to allow talking heads on the tv or radio control the national conversation. I don't know how to change that.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)The pundits pay attention somewhat but the ratings are low and have been falling.
Paladin
(28,246 posts)aikoaiko
(34,165 posts)But Christiane Amanpour, Melissa Harris-Perry, and Gwen Ifill have the gravitas to pull off some of those venerable shows.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)they're just not using it.
Calista241
(5,586 posts)I'm sure the networks would use them. Imo, it's not the racism of the networks on display, it's the racism of the viewers.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)That's not how it works or it would be acceptable for other businesses to hire white males instead of others because their customers are racist.
That doesn't fly. I'll say it one hundred times, that's wrong.
Calista241
(5,586 posts)Employee is. All they care about is revenue, and in this particular case, it's ad revenue.
For whatever reason, they believe the news anchors they have generate more revenue than anyone else in that position would.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)by the way.
and there are plenty of news anchors that are nonwhite, just not on those Sunday shows.
Calista241
(5,586 posts)CreekDog
(46,192 posts)in order to not offend white racists are you?
Calista241
(5,586 posts)Talk show, political news from white guys. Broadcasters are clearly wary of changing this dynamic.
I don't think there's anything racist about it. If some network thought some minority news person was the second coming of Walter Cronkite, and that person could have a better return for advertisers than who they're currently getting, I think they'd make the change in less that a heartbeat.
Use Lester Holt as an example. He's doing as good or better than Brian Williams ever did. So much so that I doubt Brian Williams will be back.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)JustAnotherGen
(31,798 posts)hunter
(38,309 posts)Not even my extremely political parents, both born during the Great Depression. My dad used to sit down, crack open a beer, and watch Walter Cronkite when he got home from work, but that was a long time ago.
Nowadays my parents would much rather muck about in their garden.
My wife and I don't watch television at all. Our television is a commercial free movie playing machine.
I think it's pretty much the same for our kids too, with the addition of their video games.
I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but the video games I most enjoy and obsessively play go back to the 'seventies and 'eighties.