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The NY Times reports that yet another British subject is a top consideration to head up a major American news organization. Please, say it isn’t so. The speculation come because Ben Sherwood is being named head of the entire ABC Television Group, stepping up from President of ABC News.

The standout candidate for that job is James Goldston, the senior vice president of ABC News who has been instrumental first in the revival of the late-night program “Nightline” and then in the rise of “Good Morning America”. €� If Mr. Goldston were selected it would undoubtedly kick off intriguing speculation about why two American network news divisions were being led by British news executives. Deborah Turness, who like Mr. Goldston is British, is president of NBC News.

Appointing another Brit to run an American news operation would do a disservice to America and would be yet another backhand insult to Americans and those who are in the news business hoping to move up. The biggest disservice would be this: if you are raised in a different country, you can’t really understand this one. The Brits have a limited, tight view of the world (one part of which is resentment and even contempt for Americans) and they can’t truly grasp the size, diversity and history of this country. They study the rule of kings, we study the rule of the people.

It is not that the British don’t have certain advantages, especially when it comes to being producers of television news programs. One reason that foreigners would be considered over Americans is this: American producers don’t get to produce news programs (other than newscasts, which are a different beast) because we don’t have news programs in this country. We don’t have documentaries on the major commercial channels any more. Most of the weekly “news magazines” are gone. Americans don’t get a chance to prove they can operate as producers. We don’t really have a farm team, other than the local televisions stations (which cut way back on anything but hard news programs) and the cable news channels, which aren’t exactly centers of excellence in programming.

We aren’t the BBC, in other words. They have multiple channels and a full slate of programs morning, noon and night. The documentaries and other programs on PBS and the national cable/satellite channels are produced by outsiders, by various known and unknown groups that come and go like the wind. You might make a wonderful program or series of programs, but unless you are Anthony Burdain or Ken Burns, no one knows who you are and no one cares. In other words, Americans don’t get a chance to make great programming and act as administrators of large organizations. So, the American nets look to England.

This has got to stop. We have important, earth shattering issues in this country and they aren’t going to be understood and covered well by people who grew up elsewhere. It isn’t going to work. Stop it, please.

Doug Terry,  3.24.14

To read the article in the Times, please click here. (no sub required)