Surveys tell us that many Americans now rely on television for their news, but in the early days of my career, TV was little or no competition. Anchors, or ''golden throats,'' as we called them, unashamedly read the news right out of the paper, picking up mistakes and all. Demographics in newsrooms have also changed. Women, except those doing ''society,'' were rare, and minorities almost non- existent. The technology has changed even more than the people, and regardless of what the technocrats say, it's far from perfect.
Newsrooms now have computers, carpets on the floor and a smoke-free environment.
Online, Web site, e-mail, voice mail, fax and the like are today's nomenclature. Gone, too, are paste pots and pneumatic tubes, which shot copy to the composing room. Now, a push of a computer button sends the story to the presses. Admittedly, I've had a tough time adjusting to it all. But times change, and some of us whose formative years were in the World War II era probably haven't worked hard enough at accepting change.