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Monday, December 12, 2005 12:00 AM

Maureen Dowd takes on the networks

The Times columnist lashes out at the network news on gender grounds.

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  • Monday, December 12, 2005 09:54 PM

    We place too much importance on anchors

    The BBC has the right idea: the person who reads the news on the air is called, naturally enough, a "newsreader". The job calls for good diction and the ability to read smoothly from a teleprompter, and not having the kind of voice, style, or presentation that annoys the audience. It is not assumed that the best reporter will make the best presenter, and no one is looking for the reincarnation of Edward R. Murrow.

    To the extent that network news executives worry about whether a candidate has sufficient "gravitas", they are only deluding themselves. For the fluffy product being put out today, the chief attribute the presenter needs is a lack of shame.

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