Seeing an effete Pierce Morgan struggling on CNN to moderate a two-woman debate on the Todd Akin instigated "legitimate rape" topic, I wondered if many people remember Crossfire, a faux debate programme that was a keystone of CNN programming for long starting in the nineteen eighties.
The format was very simple. Two loud, fast and ferocious debaters. One liberal the other conservative. One hot political topic of the day. No moderators. No hold barred.
Crossfire ran for over 23 years, with some minor changes, and boasted of a number of eminent hosts, who went on to play key roles in the American political space.
The most striking of these was Pat Buchanan, who later worked with Nixon, Reagan and Ford, as their policy wonk and speech writer.
Others notables were Geraldine Ferraro, the first female VP candidate for a major party and Lynn Cheney, a VP candidate aspirant in 2000 who, in another first, lost the spot to her husband Dick.
The death of a long distance runner
The 2004 presidential race and its coverage also spelt the death of the 23 year old Crossfire at the hands of comedian Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show.
Invited to the show as a guest, Stewart gently skewered and roasted the show and its hosts mercilessly. The demolition, a TV classic by now, and well worth a watch, can be seen here.
CNN was virtually left with no choice but to cancel the show. Today, American TV is still replete with loud, deeply partisan anchors and speakers, and saner voices are generally drowned.
The birth of Arnab Goswami
Meanwhile we have landed Arnab Goswami, Barkha Dutt et al who preside nightly over political and social discourse on TV. Louder than early Crossfire, only more shrill.
They are unable to express an informed opinion or take an intelligent stance. Nor are they able to control, far less moderate, their motley crew of often ill-informed, ill-prepared or inarticulate guests.
One wonders how and when they can be laughed out of existence. Also whether we might be better off getting on to a "two able and well-informed debaters with or without an equally competent moderator" format.
Snippet: Krishi Darshan, a DD programme aimed at the farmer marches on as the longest running TV show in India.
The format was very simple. Two loud, fast and ferocious debaters. One liberal the other conservative. One hot political topic of the day. No moderators. No hold barred.
Rather unlike Krishi Darshan
At that time an open debate in a mass medium between extreme schools of thought was unknown in DD land where everything was an extreme grey.Crossfire ran for over 23 years, with some minor changes, and boasted of a number of eminent hosts, who went on to play key roles in the American political space.
The most striking of these was Pat Buchanan, who later worked with Nixon, Reagan and Ford, as their policy wonk and speech writer.
Others notables were Geraldine Ferraro, the first female VP candidate for a major party and Lynn Cheney, a VP candidate aspirant in 2000 who, in another first, lost the spot to her husband Dick.
The death of a long distance runner
The 2004 presidential race and its coverage also spelt the death of the 23 year old Crossfire at the hands of comedian Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show.
Invited to the show as a guest, Stewart gently skewered and roasted the show and its hosts mercilessly. The demolition, a TV classic by now, and well worth a watch, can be seen here.
CNN was virtually left with no choice but to cancel the show. Today, American TV is still replete with loud, deeply partisan anchors and speakers, and saner voices are generally drowned.
The birth of Arnab Goswami
Meanwhile we have landed Arnab Goswami, Barkha Dutt et al who preside nightly over political and social discourse on TV. Louder than early Crossfire, only more shrill.
They are unable to express an informed opinion or take an intelligent stance. Nor are they able to control, far less moderate, their motley crew of often ill-informed, ill-prepared or inarticulate guests.
One wonders how and when they can be laughed out of existence. Also whether we might be better off getting on to a "two able and well-informed debaters with or without an equally competent moderator" format.
Good points Anil; it is not only the American media, but a large propotion of the educated elite in America also who cannot undertake an honest debate.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I got to watch the Jon Stewart episode thanks to you. (My son's picture appears several places in his book 'America', and so I had a chance to read that book).
I have had my fourteen seconds of Warholian fame on TV in several countries: US (I talked about the Soviet influence in India), Australia (I talked about whether there is a direct causal effect from the sun to melanoma) and in Mexico (where I usually talk about government policies - in particular - pension related issues). In every single case, before the show, the host never failed to mention that he or she is there to create controversy or get a laugh out of the audience. So, the message always is: Controversy, Funny or GTFO.
ReplyDeleteTapen
As for our TV debates are concerned, following statutory warning should be broadcast simultaneously in every TV frame of the programme, beginnig with the Arnab show :The programme you are watching is injurious to your mental health
ReplyDeleteYour comments are most pertinent and is universally shared. It equally applies to Rajdeep . Pity is all of them were with NdTV under Pranoy Roy but didn't learn anything from him. Apart from being ignorant and unclear about the topic under discussion they are rude and curt even to a few experts on the panel. Sheer arrogance. I don't watch these programs.
ReplyDelete