A mantra for effective TV journalism might well be: Information-IdentificationFascination.
Information is the easy one because this is what journalists do: we inform. What is not always obvious, however, is how much information is necessary to inform.
How many facts? How many experts? How much analysis? And is information the only way to inform?
Identification means we produce for our target audience. We try to communicate with as many people as we can and this is what separates journalists from artists.
What is new, however, is that some forms of contemporary journalism make a priority of identification over information.
Fascination emphasizes engagement. By emotionally attaching the viewer to the story, information is easier to understand and more importantly, easier to remember.
Technically, this is achieved through the sensory experience of using sight, sound and motion. Journalistically, it is achieved through style, story structure and the role of the TV journalist.
It is fascination that is the subject of this book.