Video History Project

People

Barbara Osborn

Barbara Osborn is currently communications director at Liberty Hill Foundation, one of the country's leading social change foundations. Before passing over to "the dark side" (public relations), she spent 15 years freelancing as a print reporter, and radio and TV documentary producer, usually covering the media. She has conducted several studies of the local L.A. news media in conjunction with Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting.

In them, she revealed that our most cynical suspicions about the local tv news are true: If it bleeds it leads; surfing dogs do get more airtime than public officials; and network-affiliate local newscasts sell far more ad time to political campaigns than they ever devote to political coverage. Shortly after its debut in spring 1997, her radio program about news and news culture, Deadline LA, was hailed by New Times as L.A.'s "best new radio program." She's currently working on a book about daytime and late-night talk shows and the 2000 presidential campaign.

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"Barbara Osborn." Video History Project, Experimental Television Center, 2011. https://www.videohistoryproject.org/barbara-osborn.

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Summary

Barbara Osborn is communications director at Liberty Hill Foundation and previously spent 15 years freelancing as a print reporter and radio and TV documentary producer, usually covering the media. She conducted several studies of local L.A. news media in conjunction with Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting; her findings included that local TV news favored sensational stories, gave more airtime to surfing dogs than to public officials, and sold more ad time to political campaigns than it devoted to political coverage. Her radio program Deadline LA debuted in spring 1997 and was hailed by New Times as L.A.'s best new radio program; she is working on a book about daytime and late-night talk shows and the 2000 presidential campaign.

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Last modified 18 June 2011

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