Koppel & the Media

Ted Koppel, longtime ABC Nightline anchor and staple of television news since 1980, is disappointed in his own industry.

He opened a speech Tuesday night to the International Radio & Television Society in New York by saying, “I don’t know what’s happened to our standards: I fear that we, in mass media, are creating…a market for mediocrity.” The speech was part of an awards ceremony where Koppel was being honored with the “Broadcaster of the Year” award. To a crowd of 500 Society members, the media veteran described today’s television news as “a constant race to be first with the obvious.”

But his criticism was not reserved for just the media: Koppel echoed popular criticisms of politicians for insincerity, business executives for shifting responsibility, foreign affairs policy makers for justifying the ends with the means, and the medical industry for favoring the wealthy.

Koppel had particularly harsh words for lawyers and the criminal justice syst...