Television Presenters, Return to the Literature of Journalism

Text critiques emotional TV anchor excesses, urging a return to classic journalism's best practices.

Vinícius Sgarbe
5 min read

I am a viewer of a French channel, Franceinfo, which, for me, surpasses the BBC in visual terms, if not editorial. I pay attention to what they are doing (including having used the same soundtrack for a vignette that I used in my undergraduate project).

Here in Paraná, RPC innovated during the pandemic by showing all attempts to contact a source who didn't respond: something to be used as an international standard of quality. José Wille on Band is a relief. The Paraná Turismo channel is getting better and better at showcasing scenes from tourist spots in the countryside. What has been a bit off lately is the narrator saying "própia" instead of "própria".

But something that bothers me about local channels is the deficiency of the presenters — with rare and nameable exceptions. I reserve the right, however, to write that those who remain good at journalism belong to more "conservative" schools (lead, reasonable analysis, pertinent comments).

As a member of the journalistic community, far from my personal taste, I reaffirm the deficiency of the presenters.

It is crystal clear that languages change, and that it is necessary to speak the fluent idiom of each year. For these reasons, we started presenting the news standing up, we started saying "clica lá" instead of the correct "clique lá". And we also started begging to be accepted by the viewer.

A reporter mentioning what they "feel" about a subject should be a once-in-a-pope's-death occurrence. A natural event, a starving crowd, the state of alert after a bombing. But reporting that one has "sad news" for something inevitable, like a car accident, is an appeal detected by the audience, and one that shames the historical construction of journalism.

Where to go

I presume there are influences from multiple directions. One is the internet's way of creating new "celebrities". But, dear reporter, you already have the station's brand. And putting on the whole act of being a "nice guy" hasn't helped the brand, nor the audience's perception of journalism. Therefore, let's return to Ivor Yorke's recommendation.

For Yorke, the television journalist presenter has to "display a certain arrogance". The translation is a tragedy because the word "arrogance" has negative connotations. However, I risk this paraphrase: "the television journalist cannot ask the audience what they want to know. He is the one who must know what the audience needs to know".

I will spare the "journalists" of a certain channel from having a live dialogue transcribed in this post that proves by A + B that television — although it didn't need to — is leaving something to be desired in the matter of repertoire, intelligence, and behavior.

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Older Restaurant Managers 'More Risk Averse', Study Finds

UFSC study shows prolonged tenure leads managers to favour conservative actions.

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16/4/2025

A recent study published in the *Revista Turismo, Visão e Ação* (RTVA) reveals that older managers with longer tenures in restaurants tend to be more risk-averse in their corporate decisions.  The research, conducted by researchers at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), analyzed data from over 2,000 restaurants in Europe between 2014 and 2016.

The study, titled "Influence of Management Team Characteristics on Risk Decision-Making: Evidence from the Restaurant Sector," utilized the Amadeus database and employed the least squares method to analyze the relationship between manager characteristics – age, tenure, gender, and team size – and the companies' level of financial leverage, used as a risk-taking indicator.

The results showed a significant negative correlation between the age and tenure of managers and their propensity for risk. Older managers and those who had held the same position for a longer period demonstrated a preference for more conservative decisions, opting to maintain the status quo rather than adopting innovative or risky strategies.

Contrary to some expectations, the study found no significant relationship between the size of the management team or female participation and risk-taking. Although previous research has suggested a possible influence of these factors, the data analyzed did not confirm this hypothesis in the specific context of the restaurant industry.

The authors suggest that the risk aversion demonstrated by more experienced managers may be related to the prioritization of stability and the reputation built throughout their careers. Familiarity with the sector and a concern to preserve accumulated gains may lead them to avoid decisions that represent potential threats to the business.

Implications for the Sector

The study's findings have significant implications for restaurant management. The research suggests that the composition of the management team can directly influence the strategy and performance of companies. Restaurants with younger managers may be more willing to innovate and take risks, while those led by more experienced managers may prioritize stability and financial security.

Next Steps

The researchers highlight the need for further studies to deepen the understanding of the relationship between manager characteristics and decision-making in restaurants.  Investigating psychological factors, such as individual risk tolerance, and analyzing data from a longer period could enrich the discussion and provide more precise insights for the sector.

Journalism 'Suites' Linked to Falling Trust

Lack of updates and context erodes reader trust.

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A journalistic suite is the continuation of a news story in new articles that update previous ones.  Something like: "Two people were injured in an accident"; then, "Men injured in accident undergo surgery"; further, "Men injured in accident discharged from hospital"; and finally, "Company responsible for accident involving injuries fined." All these sensational headlines relate to the same original event.

Not every type of news warrants a continuation. Some events and accomplishments have the momentum for a single appearance.  However, to appear once or several times in the newspaper, the "thing" must truly be news, which basically means it's not advertising or propaganda – but that's a topic for another time.

In terms of format, a suite is no different from a new news story. After all, a continuation only exists when a new fact is revealed. But it's in style, from what I've observed, that the "marmita das suítes azedou" – meaning why they've lost momentum in recent years.  ("Marmita das suítes azedou" is an idiom meaning roughly that the suites have gone stale or lost their appeal).

Let's take a police investigation as an example.  Journalism of both good and poor quality is interested in criminal stories. However, in both types of quality, a flavor of vice remains, perhaps originating from the pleasure of "scooping" (when a journalist is the first to report something).  It's a haste that hinders more than it helps: not infrequently, versions are presented that collaborate with a story one wants to tell, which may have nothing to do with what actually happened.

Telling the Whole Story

In the case of Armed man threatens Black youth in São Paulo, and police officer refuses to act because she's 'off-duty'; watch video (sense-based translation), for example. This is a story that quickly captured the attention of journalists and the public because a video proves not only the omission of a police officer but also her aggression against a young man. Here, whether the police officer was right or wrong is not under discussion. At the same time, due to the lack of suites, the broader context of the three-minute video was missing.

A story told because of its intriguing nature can yield minutes of viewership and an increase in website visitors. However, without continuity, it's shooting oneself in the foot. In 2023, the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report identified that Brazilians' trust in journalism is 43%, a decrease of 19 percentage points since 2015. Statistically, the downward trend may reach 41% in 2024. In this scenario, all resources of intelligence and integrity are welcome to improve these numbers.

Suites are an opportunity to assure the public that editorial choices represent, even if against the majority view, the vehicle's commitment to a story told from beginning to end, with all its nuances. For this, the editorial line as a whole, and even more so the reporters and editors, must approach investigative activity with the detachment of recounting things as they are, and not as they should be.