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Connections: Did the film Broadcast News predict the future of the news industry?

When the iconic film Broadcast News was released in 1987, director James L. Brooks gave audiences a well-researched and honest look at how network news was changing. Some say it served as a warning of how an increasing emphasis on attractive anchors and entertainment-driven ideas were growing at the expense of quality journalism. Did the film predict the future of the news industry?

In a recent interview published in The Ringer, Brooks said he doesn't think his film created a lens for the future in the same way as did a film like Network. Instead, he said, with Broadcast News "the future was beginning to happen." Our guests discuss the film 30 years after its release, and if and how it rings true today. In studio:

  • Adam Chodak, anchor and managing editor for WROC-TV
  • Elissa Orlando, senior vice president of television and news for WXXI
  • Rebecca Leclair, owner of Leclair Communications, and former television news anchor and reporter

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
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