Nightline “Unfocused, Adrift & At Times Beset With An Obsession For The Trivial”

Check out Paul Farhi‘s one-year-post-Koppel measurement of Nightline in the upcoming edition of American Journalism Review:

“One year after [Ted] Koppel stepped aside as its ever-present anchor, Nightline looks and sounds only vaguely like its former self. An overhaul by a new management team has created a faster, hipper and zippier show, complete with restyled graphics, a more contemporary set and three younger anchors (McFadden, Bashir and Terry Moran). The sober and substantive newsmagazine that used to make the day’s big story the subject of a 30-minute takeout is pretty much a memory.”

Farhi says the new show “can still produce journalism that’s solid and serious” — but “more often than not, the new Nightline seems to be unfocused, adrift and at times beset with an obsession for the trivial.” More…