Anchors, commentators, hosts and t.v. reporters. There seems to be a lot of confusion about these terms. Here is what I think they mean:
1. Anchor. Someone who presents hard news, often going to reporters at other sites for stories and usually using reports by other journalists on his staff as his source. Walter Cronkite was an anchor. Headline News is the only channel to use news anchors a lot, because it is usually nothing but a news channel.
2. Commentators. Someone who gives opinions about the news. Eric Sevareid pretty much invented this job. You always knew that when Eric talked, it was opinion and not hard news.
3. Hosts. Someone who brings in others to comment and give opinions on the news, but, generally in a question and answer format, not in straight commentary. Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olberman do many things, but they are mostly hosts. What they are involved in is Infotainment, not hard news.
4. Reporters. People who actually cover stories and rarely give opinions on them.
Most of the nightly shows on cable do not have anchors, they have hosts, commentators and, sometimes, reporters. Some morning shows, like Today, GMA and Fox and Fumbducks has a combination of all these critters.
I say this because I sometimes hear hosts like Hannity or Chris Matthews referred to as anchors, and neither is nor are they qualified to be.
Sorry, I have no idea what Glen Beck is. |
