Scott Cameron Pelley’s Speech of Acceptance

Student Name Professor Name Course Date Reaction Paper Scott Cameron Pelley is a famous American author and journalist, who has worked for CBS News for nearly thirty years. His new book Truth Worth Telling is expected to be released in May 2019. He has also been a correspondent for the CBS News magazine 60 Minutes. From 2011 to 2017, Scott Pelley worked as a managing editor and anchor of the CBS Evening News, a period in which the broadcast achieved the highest audience ratings in over a decade. In 2016, Scott Cameron Pelley was given the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism by Arizona State University for his great contributions to mass media. He received this award at a luncheon attended by over 1,000 business executives, media leaders, and students of the Cronkite School, and the award ceremony was held at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix hotel. Scott Cameron Pelley’s Speech of Acceptance During his acceptance speech, Scott Cameron Pelley discussed the importance of journalism and shared concerns regarding false and inaccurate information being spread through news aggregator sites and social media. Pelley talked about the presidential elections and highlighted how false reporting on every candidate caused problems for the entire society. Is terrorism the most significant threat to the country or a recession? During the speech, Scott Pelley asked this important question and then confidently answered it, saying that the quickest way to destroy democracy is to poison the information. He thinks that a large number of news aggregator sites are spreading false stories, and they intend to attract more and more people to generate revenues through AdSense. Unfortunately, those who manage such media outlets do not care about how people would react to false stories. Almost everyone is at stake, and there is a strong need to address the issue. Reaction to the Speech I believe that the CBS News anchor’s viewpoints are valid and accurate. These days, people have increased their dependence on news aggregator sites and social media platforms when it comes to knowing what is happening in the world. However, the way false information is spread is out of context. It is safe to say that the media plays an important role in a democratic society, and when the same news outlets that were once trusted for their non-fabricated stories begin spreading wrong information, then the audience stops trusting them, and this gives rise to a lot of social, economic and political issues. According to Scott Cameron Pelley, it takes a lot of time, energy, efforts, sincerity, honesty and dedication to become a great journalist. He gives the example of Syria’s citizen journalist Hadi Al Abdullah, who continued reporting even when he was severely injured in a bombing in Aleppo. I agree with his point that journalists have to take many risks and may lose their lives while covering some stories. They are challenged by their opponents and threatened in many ways. However, nothing can stop a responsible, sensible and hardworking journalist from doing his job. In his acceptance speech, Scott Cameron also touches the new value embodied by Walter Cronkite, claiming that Walter’s drive to get things right has made him the best in this world. Undoubtedly, the stakes are high, and every journalist needs both encouragement and protection from the rivals. It is a common observation that while covering a story, the journalists are injured, killed or given tough times. The best part of their job is that they keep working and this is what makes them famous the world over. In addition to the role of a journalist, Scott Cameron Pelley talks about the news aggregator sites and social networking platforms that are always into spreading fake stories or sharing wrong information. I agree that fake news (pseudo-news or junk news) has become a big threat to society. It is a type of propaganda or yellow journalism that consists of hoaxes spread through broadcast news media, social media, and print media. Scott Cameron Pelley’s point of view is correct that people take false storie...