Professors on Television

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 SAMPLE:

The reading and the lecture are both about the value of television appearances by university professors.  The author of the reading argues that it is very worthwhile for academics to make such appearances.  The lecturer casts doubt on the claims made in the article.  He believes that these appearances are not particularly useful.

First of all, the author claims that by appearing on television, university professors can broaden their audience and will be viewed as experts in their subjects by more people than ever before.  He believes that this can increase their importance as academic professionals.  This point is challenged by the lecturer.  He says that professors who go on television are viewed by their peers as entertainers rather than as true academics. The lecturer claims that because of this problem, being a celebrity could even affect their ability to get funding for their research.

Secondly, the author states that television appearances can be beneficial for the universities themselves.  He argues that the prestige of the university is increased when one of their faculty makes a high profile media appearance.  The lecturer rebuts this argument.  He suggests that universities can suffer because celebrity professors do not have much time for their research and students.  He argues that rather than carrying out their duties, they spend a lot of time rehearsing, traveling and getting made-up for their appearances.

Finally, the author mentions that there is a net benefit to the public when a professor appears in media.  He suggests that television is usually quite shallow and that professors can provide a very useful remedy to this problem.  The lecturer, on the other hand, feels that television networks do not want to present meaningful content.  He says that the abbreviated presentations that professors give on television are no more useful than what a regular reporter could deliver.