“The News” Does More Destruction than Good (Reflections after Touring a News Station)
Disclaimer: Everything below is a mix of what I observed and heard during the event. The goal isn’t to pinpoint "who exactly said what," but to share (usually) an outsider's view and overall perspective on these industries. I’m not here to act as a definitive firsthand source—readers should do their own research. I hope this inspires you to attend events, explore new industries, and hear what leaders are presenting. These notes combine my observations with thoughts on how things could run smoother and how ideas connect (IMO). I’m not an expert, you know? Just hanging out in the room with them. Enjoy.
This was a pretty random but “on brand” event for me to attend!!! I saw a post online that said you could go tour the news station. While it was advertised for students in high school… I decided, hm. Lemme try and get on the list and just see if I can blend in.
Why Attend: the news is the mainstream media!! I want to see more of how it works, how they get their info, everything I can learn to better understand how messages are exchanged. Duh I’m a communication studies major - gotta keep learning :) “the more you learn, the more you earn” right? hahhaha maybe.
Photo Collage + Commentary:
Notes from the Event:
huge crowd. Wow. Says the lady hosting. I’m stunned they’re letting me in hahaha. Amazing. Maybe they think I’m a mom. Idk.
Okay this is the mederoiligist and she is also a teacher at the university. Amazing hahaha. She’s been the meteorologist for ten years.
also so stupid these “made it in life” people need multiple jobs - can’t afford their life jsut doing one job? or idk maybe she just enjoys sharing the world of weather with the world.
I wonder what she thinks about nvidia’s weather predicting. How they can predict 200 years into the future with 99% accuracy of weather.
Greys anatomy used the building for the helicopter landing
We all need to sign a release saying phone will be off and we will be quiet. Then we can watch ten at a time. Damn I wish I’d brought paper. Lemme see if I have it.
I do have paper. Hardly. But no pen. I’ll borrow one. I have two small pieces of paper.
They said photos and videos are not allowed during the newscast but she will explain more.
Now we’re all going to go into a special elevator. The freight elevator. We all fit in it and there’s plenty more space.
We will go on the tour. About 45 min of a tour. Go see the studio. Behind the scenes with the producers and editors and the weather center. The old radio area. Downtown Seattle has about 40% unused space it’s empty here but it’s just the way it is. Remote working right now.
Parents can stay back to make sure no kids stay behind. And make sure students get the best view
One girl says it smells like okra.
This elevator had so much room. She said they used to do a big Halloween party and make it haunted in the elevator. Some of the big severs and computers are huge. This is how they bring them up.
reminds me of the ellen degeners show how they’d scare employees for fun.
Welcome. On the fourth floor. Most work here. The fifth floor is the studio. Phones on silent and as silent as you can be. The news is happening. We will do a big looop. Weather sports and editing lunch room. Let’s begin.
One guy told us that the news happens in the editing booths not upstairs.
lol so f*cking true.
When the news is crazy and busy, we have good here and snacks. Her kids would bring sleeping bags and watch movies and stay here. When a breaking news story is so big
One flamboyant man yells out to us asking if we are aspiring journalists. He taps his fingers together like an evil villain hahah.
He had a raised standing desk. Wow, everyone has so many screens. They have so many screens on this floor but most are upstairs. The anchors and reports are here. Apparently ots of famous anchors all at their station. Yet there are hardly any employees in this huge room at all these desks
Now she introduces the tour group to the employees. This is Seattle teens and such. Explaining who we are.
Now they’re working on their website. Cause social media is bigger.
Two people working on social media yet there are like 12 desks in this section.
Everything pumps into social media. So they’re getting help with their website and writing social media. Different facets of news production.
Anyone interested in journalism or writing she asks? A few raise their hands.
I’m thinking to myself, “yeah, i’m journaling all of this right now hahah”
They’re writing a story now about the Spokane wild fires. Putting that together so it looks. Great on the website.
They said they feel like animals in the zoo in their natural habitat.
anytime anyone says this i think of that twilight zone episode.
One guy is making a social media post and YouTube thumbnails.
They decide the top stories and each show is a little different. Writers help them write stories.
And the guy in charge of this has the “this is fine” meme dog stuffed animal on his table.
This kinda blows me away. how they know things are bullsh*t yet do the job anyway.
Any questions she asks? But no one asks questions. They’ve got the tv show going on. Nonstop all over
i honestly have a lot of questions, but i dont want to stick out too much on this tour.
plus its more existential questions
They figure out the schedule and priorities. One screen had a mosquito and says “they are smarter than we think” about mosquitos.
makes me think about the idea that a lot of the news preps you for the future. so they plant stuff in your mind then months later plant more things and they kinda persuade you step by step into disclosures.
Omg. This is nuts.
Some people are busy finding stories, finding contacts for interviews
Scanners and emergencies are going off nonstop. Police and fire scanners. They keep their ears pierced for emergencies. Like the bit of Seattle scanner
They must go home and dream in scanner cause theyy listen to it all day long.
Do you need permission to listen? No. Some people make a habit of it. Sometimes that’s our competition. Regular citizen journalists getting the news out faster than the newsroom.
They turned their radio studio into a podcast studio. Maybe they interview the chief if police and can ask a lot of really in-depth questions for a half hour or one hour special.
Social media really affects news. Most of 1/3 or 1/2 of her students want to go into weather news. She focuses on media meteorology and broadcasting. Social media got into her land and the national weather service used to be mysterious and government bulletins. Now it’s all over social media.
All the old people retired, young people got on, and made social media their thing. Seattle has the top social media channel of the whole nation. Young people took over. They put out funny videos, graphics, playlists.
They’re the completion all the sudden. A national weather service. But we’re all in t he same business: communicating information so people can make decisions about their lives.
The news used to be only once a day or a few times a day but now it’s nonstop on social media.
A lot of desks are empty. We don’t need as many people anymore. And most of reporters and photographers are out on stories. So lots of people are out gathering the news. Out in the community.
It’s kind of like working in an emergency room. When a big story hits everyone works hard.
In 2020 they went up to start the news. And suddenly there was a shooting downtown. It went into breaking news mode. Skipped the weather it was al focused on this. At 5:30 we came downstairs and the whole room was packed with people. It goes from a fun place to work to a serious story. That’s the fun of the news. News is always different. We’re out taking to people asking questions. It’s dynamic and interesting. Like an emergency room where every day is different.
Now we will go upstairs and watch part of the news cast
No we walk up a flight of stairs to go up to the 5th floor
The guy in charge gave me a friendly hello but I just said hi and then walked away from him hahahha. Let’s focus on on this event. Don’t pay attention to me.
Now they will take in 8-10 people at a time. Then later you can take a pic.
- So we got to be quiet. Silent as quiet as possible.
It sounds like parents won’t be invited in? Since I’m more of a parent than a student probably I won’t be taking this tour? Let’s see. Of course I’d like to hahaha.
I’m surprised everyone is talking out here in the lobby though. They told us to be quiet. Geeze.
One lady talks about how this is so cool. She grew up watching them. Knows all these names. This is her favorite news channel. It’s so cool.
When you give the weather it’s an impromptu speech. You just gotta be a good off the cuff speaker. You know what’s you’re talking about I talk to students in the morning and present in the afternoon.
She does a minimum of 6 shows a day. Talking so much and doing voice and making videos for social media.
Normally anchors are totally alone. Because of robotic cameras.
seriously?
Disclosure days. The movie? It’s an alien movie that they tap into a weather person. And she belongs to Facebook weather groups and everyone was making fun of it. It shows Emily blunt they’re doing her makeup and giving her scripts and all these camera people around. Cause that’s not how it is. No one does our makeup. No camera people.
No one is doing your makeup. Running cameras. Telling you what to say. No.
Breaking news, there’s no script. It takes a pro to take over and give a story off the cuff
Now they take the remaining students on the tour. Then will take the last group on the tour.
The news is super stupid. In that small bit I saw it was three stories on murder mixed with fires. Why do people need to hear this?? At 11am??? This is poison. Can you imagine the whole half hour? Or multiple hours of this per day. It’s energy harvesting.
She was completely alone in there. The news anchor. Evertyhting is autmated. F*ck.
This is nuts though why do people need to jsut hear bad stuff all of the time. Wouldn’t the news be so empowering if it was positive?
Uugh I want to leave this tour hahaha. Ahhhhhhhh.
The news is a production. Like a play. It’s like a live theater show.
Commonly, people who love weather are that way. They get into it as kids.
Debate helps all of us. Learning to speak, project talk. If you’re in theater and know how to get up there and perform. It can be stage fright. It’s normal. You get used to it. You do it every day. Prepare for public speaking.
Now we will go to the weather center.
Dude I want to leave this talk hahah. It’s cold here. I’m hungry. And I’m grumpy with the news. It’s so counterproductive. It’s like a fear-mongering thing.
They arrive at 3am for the 11am show. They work hard. Tonight the guide will finish at 1am. It’s like the emergency room.
The leader ended up taking to me. I told him I teach kids entrepreneurship and financial literacy and he said they have programs coming up I can help with in the future.
One lady says how do they stay beautiful all the time? In front of the camera. lol. Geeze. Idk I’m so over this in some ways. It’s cool but just like brainwashing on so many levels. I can’t quite articulate it.
Now I’m thinking soon they wont even have humans delivering the news. Just AI humanoids or projections. Probably already do. For some things.
In this company, we are really close. Good vibes. We were family owned and now owned by a company on the east coast that owns hundreds of tv stations. We are all still very good friends. Socialize and celebrate together.
They have to wear an ear piece like the fbi. It’s made perfectly for her hair. She will put the microphone and the ear pieces hidden throughout her outfits.
All of her equipment is hiding in her clothes/. The mics and everything.
They turned an empty studio into a pickleball court.
She recommends you work in a place where you can make friends.
This isi group think. Compliance. You gotta be careful with this.
They learned people watch longer when you wear bright clothes. And they used to control how you can have your hair. They’ve loosened up on their outfits.
Yeah I want to leave this tour. I know there’s a lot more to learn but it’s pissing me off a bit hahaha just on a systemic level. Yeah, I snuck off. Illl tour again another time. I wanna go eat and get ready for the rest of my day. Saw more than enough.
Until next time, I wish you the motivation and success to search for opportunities around your area. Search and explore: Who is out there giving talks? There are new things happening all of the time.
Find relatable or interesting topics you like and check them out! Maybe even something hosted at a cool venue, if there’s no other reason to go. Let’s see what you can learn and discover not too far from home. 😊
