[PAA-Discuss] Flashpoints to Be Canned on KPFT

[Randy Scott]

Some of my many girlfriends may not like hearing it, but this issue is exactly why it took so long
for women to get into tv news. Back in the 1950's & 60's tv networks were very hesitant to let
women report news on screen because of the stereotype that women would get hysterical about
disasters & scream out things like "Oh the humanity!" (a famous phrase from a male reporter)
instead of just stating the facts in a situation.
I think it was Barbara Walters who successfully proved them wrong by demonstrating that women can
report without crying, unfortunately contributing to the counter-stereotype of the woman who must
allegedly act like a man to succeed.

Back in the days of Sigmund Freud, "hysteria" was the favorite word to label a variety of
behaviors & emotional responses that most men don't grok and can't communicate with. Today
"hysteria" is the perfect word to describe Dennis Bernstien's on-air style.

We "feminists" are loath to admit it, but everything that most of us regard as a "professional
delivery" in news reporting is anathema to Bernstien's style. Flashpoints would be great if
Bernstien were limited to only gathering the news and someone less "hysterical" were allowed to
write the copy and read it.

Randy




--- Theresa Keefe <keefski at earthlink.net> wrote:

> I must agree with Randy on this. Bernstein is shrill and hysterical. 
> Surely Houston as a diverse major metropolitan area can come up with 
> something better.
> Something along the lines of another Arab Voices?
> Theresa
> 
> On Monday, August 7, 2006, at 11:37 AM, Randy Scott wrote:
> 
> > I'm not at all surprised that Flashpoints is being cut.
> >
> > While the news they present is still important, the sensationalistic, 
> > whiny, cry-baby,
> > sack-cloth-and-ashes, "Tammy Fay Baker" way that Bernstein "wails" it 
> > is an embarrassment to
> > anyone who calls themselves a journalist.
> >
> > Kick out Bernstein and replace him with a REAL news reporter and it 
> > will be 1000x better.
> >
> > Randy
> >
> >