Some are, but the vast majority are not. There have been, in American history, some high-profile reporters and news anchors who are still remembered: in hard news, Edward R. M
…urrow comes to mind, as does Walter Cronkite; in celebrity journalism, many people think of Barbara Walters. Of course, there are others, including some who are locally popular and not well-known nationally (in Boston, Jack Williams has been a popular TV news anchor for nearly four decades). But my point is that while a few journalists have changed the society in some way (going as far back as John Peter Zenger in colonial times), most journalists do their job and do not expect to become famous. Today, there is pressure on journalists to get the story first (before it's on the internet somewhere) and pressure on anchors to get good ratings, but the majority of journalists don't do this work for the fame, nor do many of them expect to get rich. The most devoted journalists believe their role is to report the news accurately and fairly, and that is what they focus on doing. If they become well-known in the process, that's fine, but it is not the main reason most people enter the profession. (MORE)