Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 8, 2001 - Television news scholar and critic Matthew Kerbel will speak at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Oct. 16. His lecture, "If It Bleeds It Leads: Unmasking Television News," will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Nebraska Union, 1400 R St.
Through humorous real-life news clips spiced with stand-up monologue and audience participation, Kerbel, an associate professor of political science at Villanova University, will raise the question, "How can we make sense of our world when it is filtered through the lens of entertainment, not journalism?"
The answer, Kerbel says, lies in understanding what he calls the fundamental rule of television news: far from being a serious enterprise, television is a pretend medium and news reports are television first, journalism second. He says that after experiencing some of the tricks of the trade - how news people "pretend" things are happening when they're really not - the audience will never look at television news the same way again.
This presentation is free and open to the public. Kerbel's appearance
is sponsored by the University Program Council.
For questions regarding these releases, contact:
tsimons1@unl.edu
(402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825