It was found that news viewing contributed to political knowledge, interest and information seeking . It is a safe assumption that if most of these 5-10 year old children were not watching the news on television, they would also not be reading about it in the papers. I do not share Postman s concern that news is not treated seriously enough on television. News programmes, including shows such as Newsnight and Question Time present a serious and challenging discourse. That viewers should tune into these programmes in order to receive visual stimulation and a spectacle of gratifying images is an absurd notion.
Visual footage is an integral part of a good news service.
It tells the viewer as much as the newsreader can with language alone and despite Postman s claim that photographs record the world without commenting upon it, contextualised pictures tell us a great deal. The smiling face of television is unalterable says Postman. But people simply do not watch the news with fun or entertainment in mind, and with these claims Postman undermines the importance of national and international news, which is a vital component of democracy. Certainly, there was not much laughter when television news covered the recent floods in Mozambique or the situation in Kosovo. National news is perhaps the greatest tool available that can, among other things, raise the requisite indignation, awe, horror and pity of the public that can prompt action from national governments.