ABSTRACT
In the formative days of TV news the presenters mostly came from a theatrical background and were often treated as just another tool for the creative brains who put the news together. They had well-modulated voices and regular faces that did not distract the viewer. It all changed in the 1980s, when experienced journalists like Sir Trevor McDonald, Jeremy Paxman, Anna Ford and Michael Buerk moved into the presenter chair. Michael Buerk once said it was a very easy job. It certainly looks like big money easily made. Of course, it is not an easy job at all. Michael Buerk made it look easy because of his professionalism and skill. In fact news presenters – who fully understand the news they present – are really paid to be able to cope when things go wrong. An American President, Harry Truman, immortalized the saying: The buck stops here.’ Conceivably, in his case, it was true. The widespread misconception about ‘the buck’ in television news is that it stops at the desk of the messenger seen to be delivering the message, good or bad, directly to the viewer. In short, the person known as the anchor, newscaster, newsreader or presenter.
