November 3, 2023 • 16 mins
In this compelling podcast episode, we welcome back Erica Mandy, the acclaimed broadcast journalist behind The Newsworthy podcast. From leaving CBS to launching her daily news podcast in 2017, Erica shares insights into her journey, marked by millions of monthly downloads and accolades from Harper's Bazaar and Podchaser. Recognized as one of the top 25 women in podcasting, Erica's commitment to speed, fairness, and objectivity in news reporting shines through.
You'll gain valuable lessons as Erica discusses the challenges of maintaining neutrality, avoiding sensationalism, and balancing ratings with content integrity...especially in news. She provides actionable advice for aspiring journalists, emphasizing continuous improvement and resilience in the face of criticism.
This episode is a concise guide for radio stations and individuals looking to enhance their news reporting, offering a glimpse into the mind of one of the industry's influential figures.
Some Key Takeaways you won't want to miss:
(01:58) Understanding Multiple Perspectives
(03:00) Thorough Research and Context:
(03:57) Controlling Sensational, Positive and Negative language
(05:51) Recognizing Personal Biases
(10:00) Dealing with Pressure
Special Episode celebrating International Podcast Day:
Hear the Origin of The Newsworthy podcast here
Read ONE-MINUTE MARTINZING by Dave Martin
Please help us thank these supporters who help keep BRANDWIDTH ON DEMAND free!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Erica (00:00):
I think I always like to first differentiate between pundits on
cable channels who very clearly havea slant and an agenda and they're
really just giving out their opinionsversus these journalists who are really
doing their best to be objective.
Welcome to BRANDwidth On Demand,your guide to rebooting radio.
Always look to improve and also don'toverstress because I think sometimes
(00:25):
we end up hating the news if we'reletting it get to us too much.
So just do your best and keep going.
BRANDwidth On Demand.
Rebooting radio with a differenttake on all radio can be.
Now, your guides through the mediamorphosis, David Martin, and author
of the book, BRANDwidth, mediabranding coach, Kipper McGee.
(00:45):
Our
Dave (00:46):
guest is an award winning broadcast journalist who left her job
at CBS in Los Angeles to launch a dailynews podcast called The Newsworthy.
Each morning, she provides a 10minute rundown of the most important
headlines as well as weekend longform interviews with newsmakers.
Her casual and concise stylehelps listeners save time and
(01:06):
energy for what matters most.
She's passionate about providing anunbiased and informative way to stay up
to date on news while providing multipleperspectives so her audience gets more
understanding and fewer eye rolls.
Since its launch in 2017, theNewsworthy has been downloaded
millions of times per month.
Has been featured in publicationslike Harper's Bazaar, Fast Company,
(01:30):
People Magazine, many others.
She's also a frequent speaker atjournalism conferences and events,
a strong advocate for diversityand inclusion in the news industry.
Since she's last with us, she's beennamed one of the top 25 women in
podcasting by Podchaser, awarded thebest podcast by Harper's Bazaar magazine.
(01:51):
Wow.
And featured as a can'tmiss podcast by Stitcher.
BRANDwidth On Demand is proud towelcome back one of the very few
objective news anchors in media today.
Here's Erica Mandy.
Hey, Erica.
Erica (02:05):
Hey, Erica.
Welcome.
Thank you so much for having me on.
Kipper (02:07):
Well, we are glad to have you back and always appreciate
your making time for us.
Of course.
So one thing that continues to impressme day after day with your news is
just your sense of objectivity witheverything going on from politics,
presidential race, unthinkable thingsin the Middle East, Ukraine here.
(02:28):
So in keeping with your mantraof fast, fair, and fun...
what do you see as the mostimportant things to keep in mind
when trying to be objective whethercovering or anchoring a news
Erica (02:40):
story?
So I think regardless of what'shappening, we really try to understand all
perspectives through a variety of sources.
So that might be differenttypes of experts.
We're talking to other news outlets.
We're reviewing and citing potentiallywhat various reporters on the
ground are saying, and then alsoeven looking at what's getting a
lot of attention on social mediaso that we know what our listeners
(03:01):
might be saying or seeing online.
And we can address any ofthat if needed as well.
So to be clear, that doesn't mean that.
We're necessarily including everythingthat we see in our show, but doing
all of that research across multipleplatforms, multiple sources, it gives us
all the information to then decide whatperspectives do we already have and need
(03:22):
to include what is still missing, orperhaps is not verified enough to include
and or what other context might need tobe added if we include certain things.
And we also often ask ourselves.
If a person who supports one side hearsthis story, how are they going to feel?
Did we represent them fairlyin at least part of it?
(03:45):
And then we ask that question for all thedifferent perspectives while also keeping
in mind that we are going to be factual.
And if there's something thatwe can't verify, or if there's
any claims that warrant it, wewill provide necessary context.
So ultimately, as I'm sure otherjournalists are familiar with.
Even a one minute, two minute storyin our podcast means that we've
spent a lot more time researching inorder to be as thorough and objective
(04:10):
as we can be with our format.
And obviously, this is more complexand time consuming for stories
like the Israel Hamas War and muchmore straightforward and much more
simple for other types of stories.
Dave (04:21):
Good point.
You know, one of the many thingsthat set your newscast apart is your
positivity and your use of extremelyneutral language and keeping your
news stories as brief as possible.
What tips do you have for an anchorwho wants to stick to the facts
and let the reader or viewer?
Draw their own conclusions.
Erica (04:38):
Yeah, I think the positivity piece comes from like the variety of
stories that we do and trying to avoidbeing overly Sensational and I think
it really does not take much for theaudience to Notice something that makes
them feel that we're being biased.
So we really try to avoid words likeshocking and bombshell and amazing
(04:59):
because I think In a lot of ways,these are opinions and they make it
sound sensational and it shows a slant.
So I think in general, unless it's really,really called for, we try to avoid that.
I think the other key thing isto just, yeah, think about every
word and what it represents.
So that's being reallymindful of things like titles.
(05:19):
So one example might be a certainFlorida bill that everyone was
talking about for a while that'sknown as the don't say gay bill.
But I think it's our responsibilityto make sure our audience knows that.
That's actually a nickname fromcritics, and we present it in a
way, no matter how we feel aboutit, we present it in a way that is
clear that critics are calling this.
This is why critics call it thatand what supporters of the bill
(05:41):
who passed it are saying aboutit and what they call it as well.
And I think for anchors specifically.
It also really matterswhat our tone of voice is.
I want to be really mindful abouthow I present with my tone, each
perspective and what my tone mightbe communicating to the audience in
addition to the words that I'm saying.
Kipper (06:06):
For somebody who's just starting out in the business today and wants to
be as good as they can be at being anobjective journalist, what suggestions
would you have for them to make sure theykeep their own personal biases in check
and not let those biases influence the waya story is written, read, or delivered?
Erica (06:28):
First, explicitly and actively asking yourself.
If every perspective was fairlyrepresented in your story, so
it's taking the time and beingmindful of it is the first step.
And then I also try to recognize inmyself if I'm feeling overly validated
or overly upset about a particular storythat we're writing or that I'm reading,
(06:49):
then there's probably a problem, right?
So it tells me that I might betoo extreme one way or the other.
And so I try to feel that I'm notfeeling any certain way about a story.
So I think it's those two things.
I also think, in general, it's goodto have more than one pair of eyes
on every story whenever possible.
If you can have someone read itover and say, Hey, is this coming
(07:12):
across fair, objective to you or anyother questions you have about it?
It's always good to get asecond perspective if you
can, if you have the time.
I know the resources aren't alwaysavailable, but we do try to at
least have two pairs of eyes onevery story before we air it.
Kipper (07:26):
But listening to your newscast, I got to say, I really
have no idea what Your leanings mightbe, no, or do I really want to know?
But the question is really howoften is it that you get a visceral
reaction to something and realizethat you better look at it from a more
objective angle before you record,
Erica (07:48):
I think.
Potentially daily, definitely weeklywhere it's not visceral per se, but I
think there's something that you know,something's not sitting right here and
I'll talk with my executive producerabout it and say, Do we feel like
we're representing this perspective?
I'm going to do a little more research.
I'm going to look for if there is abetter argument out there for that
perspective that I can find whensomething just doesn't sit right.
(08:10):
That's usually when I'll take a second.
Look, I'll do some moreresearch and see if we can't.
Thank you.
Tweak it so that it feels that we'rejust being a little bit more fair,
or if I, or I feel like, wow, thisis really validating my feelings.
So I'm going to take a second look andlet's even out how this is coming across.
So it happens quite often
Dave (08:32):
looking at all the different channels that are out there,
putting the news together andputting it up for an offering.
Different things like slants onstories or quoting people who
agree with the point of view of ajournalist or even errors of omission.
What are some of the common pitfalls,Erika, that you see journalists
falling into when they're tryingto be objective, and how do you
Erica (08:53):
overcome them?
Yeah, I think I always like to firstdifferentiate between pundits on
cable channels who very clearly havea slant and an agenda, and they're
really just giving out their opinionsversus these journalists who are really
doing their best to be objective.
And I do think for journalists, Ithink one of the pitfalls could be
that you could start saying whateveryone else is saying because a
(09:16):
story becomes known as something.
And so you refer to something acertain way instead of really taking
a step back and asking yourself ifthere's anything missing or there's
any additional context that you couldoffer, any more transparency that you can
offer instead of just going with what.
All the different media are saying,right, or what you're hearing often
(09:36):
or how you talk about it with others.
And so that even reminds me of goingback to the example I brought up earlier
of don't say the don't say gay billthat's often referred to in that way.
It becomes this go to way to describethe bill and that's how people.
Know about it.
And so I think it's easy to fallinto just referring to it that way,
instead of saying, okay, maybe we needto offer more context here to make
(09:58):
sure the audience has the full story.
Right.
Kipper (10:01):
So shifting gears just a little bit.
I think I know what your answerwould be because you've left and
you're doing it now, but for somebodywho's still working for others, how
would you suggest they deal with.
Say a manager, boss, salesperson,somebody who really wants them to use
a certain skew or slant say like in alocal market where they don't want to
(10:26):
talk about this car dealer, who's beenjacking prices because he's also the
mayor, you know, that kind of stuff.
First of all, have you ever hadsomething like that happen to you?
And what recommendation might you offerfor those who still have to deal with it?
Erica (10:43):
Yeah, it's a good question.
I have not had anyone explicitlytell me they want to be biased or
slanted or not cover something atall because it's an advertiser.
I have had a boss say, Okay,well, that's an advertiser.
So I need to know in advance ifwe're going to run that story because
I need to give them a heads up.
So I feel like it's fair and Ithink that there's been, it's been
(11:05):
reasonable, but I think regardless,any type of pressure, whether explicit
or not, can be hard to deal with.
And, and the thing that I would sayin general is to just think about
it in any way that, or any time thatyou're dealing with a manager or boss,
you have to try to understand theirgoal and also explain your why of.
(11:27):
How you want to do it and try to comeup with something that you think, and
maybe present your why in a way that's,that also addresses what they're looking
for, which is usually, at least inmy experience, is not so much about
being biased or having an agenda as itis about getting ratings and yeah, to
your point, making advertisers happy.
So if I were to think of an example ofhow to deal with something, let's say
(11:49):
there's a lead line in there that feelsreally sensational and biased to me.
Maybe I offer.
Okay, let's leave the lead line in therebecause it really draws in attention.
But could we add more context after that?
I really think it's importantto add a couple extra lines
that provide this context.
And oh, and maybe we can evenlink to the document that we're
referring to at our website.
(12:10):
It'll draw more people to the website.
We can pitch them to go to our website.
And it'll offer some transparencyand help people understand where
this information is coming from.
Right?
So you're trying to think of the ratingspiece, which just being real is what
drives the news business, but alsotrying to say from a news perspective,
this, I think this context and thistransparency is really important as well.
(12:31):
And usually, at least in my experience,news directors have a news mind
as well as the business mind.
And so they're going to be open to.
Wanting to do the best news possible,I think, especially in local markets
while also trying to keep in the ratingsand getting attention part of it.
Dave (12:50):
Our guest is Erica Mandy with the Newsworthy Podcast.
Someone you'd love to hear from.
We'd love to hear from you.
Email your suggestions to show.
At BRANDwidth On Demand.
com or reach out to us on socialbrand with plus on Insta and Facebook.
That's BRANDwidth PL U S brand with plus.
Kipper (13:12):
Hey, if you're new to the podcast, we'd love to say welcome
and please be sure to hit the followbutton wherever you get in this.
Dave (13:20):
Coming up, Erica shares her advice on being objective
Spot (13:25):
Musicmaster, less stress, more yes.
One of the challenges is you want softwarethat can do anything and everything.
So that means a morecomplicated interface.
Hi, this is Dave from Musicmasterwith the world's leading authority
on music scheduling, Keith Hill.
But the folks at Musicmaster wellthey've created a cleaner, less
(13:46):
complicated interface and still makeit easy to get done what you need.
One example is like thecopy clock grid function.
Can copy just an entire grid of168 clocks with three clicks.
Then I can make modificationsto that clone set of clocks.
Music master gives me higherNielsen ratings and I know it
(14:06):
without heavy lifting music masteris an essential tool for me.
Learn more at musicmaster.
com.
I use music master everywhere.
I consult.
Musicmaster.
Music scheduling the way it should be.
It was nice to talk to a fellow 80's kid.
Yeah!
Shout out to the staff and everybody thereand I love, uh, this Throwback Nation.
(14:28):
Hear the power of real human connectionevery night on Throwback Nation Radio.
Get a free sample at throwbacknationradio.
com
Listen today.
Lead tomorrow.
Branded On Demand.
Dave (14:40):
Our guest is Erica Mandy.
She's the creator andhost of The Newsworthy.
Erika, when it comes toobjectivity in news, what's the
best advice you've ever gotten?
Erica (14:52):
I think it's that we will never make everyone happy and that's okay, as
long as you're doing your best to beobjective and really, always looking to
improve, you know, you will likely getsome complaints and let's be open to them.
And still be able to shake themoff to do better next time or
to keep going with your mission.
Dave (15:10):
And what's the one piece of advice you'd like to share to
those who aspire to be you someday?
Erica (15:18):
I think that it's rare for one thing in one News story in
one show to make or break you.
So remember that we aren't savinglives here, but we are doing an
important job of telling the news.
So just do your best.
Always look to improve and alsodon't overstress because I think
sometimes, we end up hating the news.
(15:38):
If we're letting it get to us too much.
So just do your best and keep going.
Dave (15:41):
Great advice.
Our thanks to Erica Mandy, creatorand host of the Newsworthy podcast.
We have links to Erica's podcast,plus her special episode on
objectivity in the media.
All of it in the show notes,just scroll down on your phone.
Kipper (15:59):
As always.
We want to thank Cindy Huber, ourexecutive producer, who puts this
all together, and Hannah B., ourassociate producer, for booking.
And, coming up on thenext BRANDwidth on Demand,
Fred (16:14):
it's me, Fred Jacobs, talking with Kipper and Dave about, well, this, that,
and everything else as it involves radio,past, present, and of course, future.
We'll be talking about innovation,what's going on with AI.
How the air personality role haschanged and anything else about radio
that hopefully we think is relevant.
(16:35):
So join me on the next episodeof BRANDwidth on Demand.
Dave (16:40):
That's a wrap Kipper.
It's all about company, beinggood company, a good companion.
It's a really a secret to success inthe show notes at brandwithondemand.
com.
I'm Dave Martin.
Kipper (16:53):
And I'm Kipper McGee.
May all your BRANDwidth be WIDE!
I think I always like to first differentiate between pundits on
cable channels who very clearly havea slant and an agenda and they're
really just giving out their opinionsversus these journalists who are really
doing their best to be objective.
Welcome to BRANDwidth On Demand,your guide to rebooting radio.
Always look to improve and also don'toverstress because I think sometimes
(00:25):
we end up hating the news if we'reletting it get to us too much.
So just do your best and keep going.
BRANDwidth On Demand.
Rebooting radio with a differenttake on all radio can be.
Now, your guides through the mediamorphosis, David Martin, and author
of the book, BRANDwidth, mediabranding coach, Kipper McGee.
(00:45):
Our
Dave (00:46):
guest is an award winning broadcast journalist who left her job
at CBS in Los Angeles to launch a dailynews podcast called The Newsworthy.
Each morning, she provides a 10minute rundown of the most important
headlines as well as weekend longform interviews with newsmakers.
Her casual and concise stylehelps listeners save time and
(01:06):
energy for what matters most.
She's passionate about providing anunbiased and informative way to stay up
to date on news while providing multipleperspectives so her audience gets more
understanding and fewer eye rolls.
Since its launch in 2017, theNewsworthy has been downloaded
millions of times per month.
Has been featured in publicationslike Harper's Bazaar, Fast Company,
(01:30):
People Magazine, many others.
She's also a frequent speaker atjournalism conferences and events,
a strong advocate for diversityand inclusion in the news industry.
Since she's last with us, she's beennamed one of the top 25 women in
podcasting by Podchaser, awarded thebest podcast by Harper's Bazaar magazine.
(01:51):
Wow.
And featured as a can'tmiss podcast by Stitcher.
BRANDwidth On Demand is proud towelcome back one of the very few
objective news anchors in media today.
Here's Erica Mandy.
Hey, Erica.
Erica (02:05):
Hey, Erica.
Welcome.
Thank you so much for having me on.
Kipper (02:07):
Well, we are glad to have you back and always appreciate
your making time for us.
Of course.
So one thing that continues to impressme day after day with your news is
just your sense of objectivity witheverything going on from politics,
presidential race, unthinkable thingsin the Middle East, Ukraine here.
(02:28):
So in keeping with your mantraof fast, fair, and fun...
what do you see as the mostimportant things to keep in mind
when trying to be objective whethercovering or anchoring a news
Erica (02:40):
story?
So I think regardless of what'shappening, we really try to understand all
perspectives through a variety of sources.
So that might be differenttypes of experts.
We're talking to other news outlets.
We're reviewing and citing potentiallywhat various reporters on the
ground are saying, and then alsoeven looking at what's getting a
lot of attention on social mediaso that we know what our listeners
(03:01):
might be saying or seeing online.
And we can address any ofthat if needed as well.
So to be clear, that doesn't mean that.
We're necessarily including everythingthat we see in our show, but doing
all of that research across multipleplatforms, multiple sources, it gives us
all the information to then decide whatperspectives do we already have and need
(03:22):
to include what is still missing, orperhaps is not verified enough to include
and or what other context might need tobe added if we include certain things.
And we also often ask ourselves.
If a person who supports one side hearsthis story, how are they going to feel?
Did we represent them fairlyin at least part of it?
(03:45):
And then we ask that question for all thedifferent perspectives while also keeping
in mind that we are going to be factual.
And if there's something thatwe can't verify, or if there's
any claims that warrant it, wewill provide necessary context.
So ultimately, as I'm sure otherjournalists are familiar with.
Even a one minute, two minute storyin our podcast means that we've
spent a lot more time researching inorder to be as thorough and objective
(04:10):
as we can be with our format.
And obviously, this is more complexand time consuming for stories
like the Israel Hamas War and muchmore straightforward and much more
simple for other types of stories.
Dave (04:21):
Good point.
You know, one of the many thingsthat set your newscast apart is your
positivity and your use of extremelyneutral language and keeping your
news stories as brief as possible.
What tips do you have for an anchorwho wants to stick to the facts
and let the reader or viewer?
Draw their own conclusions.
Erica (04:38):
Yeah, I think the positivity piece comes from like the variety of
stories that we do and trying to avoidbeing overly Sensational and I think
it really does not take much for theaudience to Notice something that makes
them feel that we're being biased.
So we really try to avoid words likeshocking and bombshell and amazing
(04:59):
because I think In a lot of ways,these are opinions and they make it
sound sensational and it shows a slant.
So I think in general, unless it's really,really called for, we try to avoid that.
I think the other key thing isto just, yeah, think about every
word and what it represents.
So that's being reallymindful of things like titles.
(05:19):
So one example might be a certainFlorida bill that everyone was
talking about for a while that'sknown as the don't say gay bill.
But I think it's our responsibilityto make sure our audience knows that.
That's actually a nickname fromcritics, and we present it in a
way, no matter how we feel aboutit, we present it in a way that is
clear that critics are calling this.
This is why critics call it thatand what supporters of the bill
(05:41):
who passed it are saying aboutit and what they call it as well.
And I think for anchors specifically.
It also really matterswhat our tone of voice is.
I want to be really mindful abouthow I present with my tone, each
perspective and what my tone mightbe communicating to the audience in
addition to the words that I'm saying.
Kipper (06:06):
For somebody who's just starting out in the business today and wants to
be as good as they can be at being anobjective journalist, what suggestions
would you have for them to make sure theykeep their own personal biases in check
and not let those biases influence the waya story is written, read, or delivered?
Erica (06:28):
First, explicitly and actively asking yourself.
If every perspective was fairlyrepresented in your story, so
it's taking the time and beingmindful of it is the first step.
And then I also try to recognize inmyself if I'm feeling overly validated
or overly upset about a particular storythat we're writing or that I'm reading,
(06:49):
then there's probably a problem, right?
So it tells me that I might betoo extreme one way or the other.
And so I try to feel that I'm notfeeling any certain way about a story.
So I think it's those two things.
I also think, in general, it's goodto have more than one pair of eyes
on every story whenever possible.
If you can have someone read itover and say, Hey, is this coming
(07:12):
across fair, objective to you or anyother questions you have about it?
It's always good to get asecond perspective if you
can, if you have the time.
I know the resources aren't alwaysavailable, but we do try to at
least have two pairs of eyes onevery story before we air it.
Kipper (07:26):
But listening to your newscast, I got to say, I really
have no idea what Your leanings mightbe, no, or do I really want to know?
But the question is really howoften is it that you get a visceral
reaction to something and realizethat you better look at it from a more
objective angle before you record,
Erica (07:48):
I think.
Potentially daily, definitely weeklywhere it's not visceral per se, but I
think there's something that you know,something's not sitting right here and
I'll talk with my executive producerabout it and say, Do we feel like
we're representing this perspective?
I'm going to do a little more research.
I'm going to look for if there is abetter argument out there for that
perspective that I can find whensomething just doesn't sit right.
(08:10):
That's usually when I'll take a second.
Look, I'll do some moreresearch and see if we can't.
Thank you.
Tweak it so that it feels that we'rejust being a little bit more fair,
or if I, or I feel like, wow, thisis really validating my feelings.
So I'm going to take a second look andlet's even out how this is coming across.
So it happens quite often
Dave (08:32):
looking at all the different channels that are out there,
putting the news together andputting it up for an offering.
Different things like slants onstories or quoting people who
agree with the point of view of ajournalist or even errors of omission.
What are some of the common pitfalls,Erika, that you see journalists
falling into when they're tryingto be objective, and how do you
Erica (08:53):
overcome them?
Yeah, I think I always like to firstdifferentiate between pundits on
cable channels who very clearly havea slant and an agenda, and they're
really just giving out their opinionsversus these journalists who are really
doing their best to be objective.
And I do think for journalists, Ithink one of the pitfalls could be
that you could start saying whateveryone else is saying because a
(09:16):
story becomes known as something.
And so you refer to something acertain way instead of really taking
a step back and asking yourself ifthere's anything missing or there's
any additional context that you couldoffer, any more transparency that you can
offer instead of just going with what.
All the different media are saying,right, or what you're hearing often
(09:36):
or how you talk about it with others.
And so that even reminds me of goingback to the example I brought up earlier
of don't say the don't say gay billthat's often referred to in that way.
It becomes this go to way to describethe bill and that's how people.
Know about it.
And so I think it's easy to fallinto just referring to it that way,
instead of saying, okay, maybe we needto offer more context here to make
(09:58):
sure the audience has the full story.
Right.
Kipper (10:01):
So shifting gears just a little bit.
I think I know what your answerwould be because you've left and
you're doing it now, but for somebodywho's still working for others, how
would you suggest they deal with.
Say a manager, boss, salesperson,somebody who really wants them to use
a certain skew or slant say like in alocal market where they don't want to
(10:26):
talk about this car dealer, who's beenjacking prices because he's also the
mayor, you know, that kind of stuff.
First of all, have you ever hadsomething like that happen to you?
And what recommendation might you offerfor those who still have to deal with it?
Erica (10:43):
Yeah, it's a good question.
I have not had anyone explicitlytell me they want to be biased or
slanted or not cover something atall because it's an advertiser.
I have had a boss say, Okay,well, that's an advertiser.
So I need to know in advance ifwe're going to run that story because
I need to give them a heads up.
So I feel like it's fair and Ithink that there's been, it's been
(11:05):
reasonable, but I think regardless,any type of pressure, whether explicit
or not, can be hard to deal with.
And, and the thing that I would sayin general is to just think about
it in any way that, or any time thatyou're dealing with a manager or boss,
you have to try to understand theirgoal and also explain your why of.
(11:27):
How you want to do it and try to comeup with something that you think, and
maybe present your why in a way that's,that also addresses what they're looking
for, which is usually, at least inmy experience, is not so much about
being biased or having an agenda as itis about getting ratings and yeah, to
your point, making advertisers happy.
So if I were to think of an example ofhow to deal with something, let's say
(11:49):
there's a lead line in there that feelsreally sensational and biased to me.
Maybe I offer.
Okay, let's leave the lead line in therebecause it really draws in attention.
But could we add more context after that?
I really think it's importantto add a couple extra lines
that provide this context.
And oh, and maybe we can evenlink to the document that we're
referring to at our website.
(12:10):
It'll draw more people to the website.
We can pitch them to go to our website.
And it'll offer some transparencyand help people understand where
this information is coming from.
Right?
So you're trying to think of the ratingspiece, which just being real is what
drives the news business, but alsotrying to say from a news perspective,
this, I think this context and thistransparency is really important as well.
(12:31):
And usually, at least in my experience,news directors have a news mind
as well as the business mind.
And so they're going to be open to.
Wanting to do the best news possible,I think, especially in local markets
while also trying to keep in the ratingsand getting attention part of it.
Dave (12:50):
Our guest is Erica Mandy with the Newsworthy Podcast.
Someone you'd love to hear from.
We'd love to hear from you.
Email your suggestions to show.
At BRANDwidth On Demand.
com or reach out to us on socialbrand with plus on Insta and Facebook.
That's BRANDwidth PL U S brand with plus.
Kipper (13:12):
Hey, if you're new to the podcast, we'd love to say welcome
and please be sure to hit the followbutton wherever you get in this.
Dave (13:20):
Coming up, Erica shares her advice on being objective
Spot (13:25):
Musicmaster, less stress, more yes.
One of the challenges is you want softwarethat can do anything and everything.
So that means a morecomplicated interface.
Hi, this is Dave from Musicmasterwith the world's leading authority
on music scheduling, Keith Hill.
But the folks at Musicmaster wellthey've created a cleaner, less
(13:46):
complicated interface and still makeit easy to get done what you need.
One example is like thecopy clock grid function.
Can copy just an entire grid of168 clocks with three clicks.
Then I can make modificationsto that clone set of clocks.
Music master gives me higherNielsen ratings and I know it
(14:06):
without heavy lifting music masteris an essential tool for me.
Learn more at musicmaster.
com.
I use music master everywhere.
I consult.
Musicmaster.
Music scheduling the way it should be.
It was nice to talk to a fellow 80's kid.
Yeah!
Shout out to the staff and everybody thereand I love, uh, this Throwback Nation.
(14:28):
Hear the power of real human connectionevery night on Throwback Nation Radio.
Get a free sample at throwbacknationradio.
com
Listen today.
Lead tomorrow.
Branded On Demand.
Dave (14:40):
Our guest is Erica Mandy.
She's the creator andhost of The Newsworthy.
Erika, when it comes toobjectivity in news, what's the
best advice you've ever gotten?
Erica (14:52):
I think it's that we will never make everyone happy and that's okay, as
long as you're doing your best to beobjective and really, always looking to
improve, you know, you will likely getsome complaints and let's be open to them.
And still be able to shake themoff to do better next time or
to keep going with your mission.
Dave (15:10):
And what's the one piece of advice you'd like to share to
those who aspire to be you someday?
Erica (15:18):
I think that it's rare for one thing in one News story in
one show to make or break you.
So remember that we aren't savinglives here, but we are doing an
important job of telling the news.
So just do your best.
Always look to improve and alsodon't overstress because I think
sometimes, we end up hating the news.
(15:38):
If we're letting it get to us too much.
So just do your best and keep going.
Dave (15:41):
Great advice.
Our thanks to Erica Mandy, creatorand host of the Newsworthy podcast.
We have links to Erica's podcast,plus her special episode on
objectivity in the media.
All of it in the show notes,just scroll down on your phone.
Kipper (15:59):
As always.
We want to thank Cindy Huber, ourexecutive producer, who puts this
all together, and Hannah B., ourassociate producer, for booking.
And, coming up on thenext BRANDwidth on Demand,
Fred (16:14):
it's me, Fred Jacobs, talking with Kipper and Dave about, well, this, that,
and everything else as it involves radio,past, present, and of course, future.
We'll be talking about innovation,what's going on with AI.
How the air personality role haschanged and anything else about radio
that hopefully we think is relevant.
(16:35):
So join me on the next episodeof BRANDwidth on Demand.
Dave (16:40):
That's a wrap Kipper.
It's all about company, beinggood company, a good companion.
It's a really a secret to success inthe show notes at brandwithondemand.
com.
I'm Dave Martin.
Kipper (16:53):
And I'm Kipper McGee.
May all your BRANDwidth be WIDE!
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.