Politics for adults
October 10, 2006 1:03 AM Subscribe
18DoughtyStreet Talk TV - 'the home of anti-establishment TV' launches today (they do seem to have fallen a bit behind on their blog though). [trailer] The two main presenters are Tim Montgomerie and Iain Dale. Anti-establishment?
I guess people here might wonder why TV is needed in the equation. The approach seems to make sense when the content is primarily visual and the station gets its revenue from audience participation (at least if the legions of "Babes on phones" channels is anything to go by). Not so sure this works for political discussion however.
posted by rongorongo at 3:46 AM on October 10, 2006
posted by rongorongo at 3:46 AM on October 10, 2006
This happens in England because they have the Fairness Doctrine. So no open political opinions on TV - internet and pirate radio only. Remember when John Gibson (then of Fox News) was reprimanded by OFCOM for assailing the BBC over Hutton? That's Fairness Doctrine in action.
I think we should bring Fairness Doctrine back in the US, as it's really turned US TV and radio into a bunch of twatted little arses.
posted by parmanparman at 5:56 AM on October 10, 2006
I think we should bring Fairness Doctrine back in the US, as it's really turned US TV and radio into a bunch of twatted little arses.
posted by parmanparman at 5:56 AM on October 10, 2006
This happens in England because they have the Fairness Doctrine. So no open political opinions on TV - internet and pirate radio only.
Of course, guests are allowed to openly express their political opinions, and the rules were relaxed with the introduction of Channel 4 to allow that channel to make partisan programmes, as long as the channel itself was balanced over the long run -- and so a programme from the left would have to be balanced by a programme from the right. And we're only talking about news/current affairs here. The Conservatives have been whining on for years about how the BBC is a hornets nest of left wing ideologues, pumping it out via drama, etc. while Blair and his cronies believe exactly the same thing from the opposing side.
By and large though, our system works quite well. I'm completely baffled by the US system, in which print journalists feign some kind of pretence at objectivity while writing for a literate audience who should be able to assess the arguments on their merits and take the author's viewpoint into account, while your TV channels are allowed to pump all manner of pernicious nonsense into the homes and minds of the stupid and the semi-literate who, because of the tradition of objectivity in your press, then seem to swallow it all up as though it were holy writ.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:00 AM on October 10, 2006
Of course, guests are allowed to openly express their political opinions, and the rules were relaxed with the introduction of Channel 4 to allow that channel to make partisan programmes, as long as the channel itself was balanced over the long run -- and so a programme from the left would have to be balanced by a programme from the right. And we're only talking about news/current affairs here. The Conservatives have been whining on for years about how the BBC is a hornets nest of left wing ideologues, pumping it out via drama, etc. while Blair and his cronies believe exactly the same thing from the opposing side.
By and large though, our system works quite well. I'm completely baffled by the US system, in which print journalists feign some kind of pretence at objectivity while writing for a literate audience who should be able to assess the arguments on their merits and take the author's viewpoint into account, while your TV channels are allowed to pump all manner of pernicious nonsense into the homes and minds of the stupid and the semi-literate who, because of the tradition of objectivity in your press, then seem to swallow it all up as though it were holy writ.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:00 AM on October 10, 2006
The time difference caused me to not watch the first show so goodness knows what it was like. I'm surprised that they don't have podcasts available, especially as Iain 'Essex boy' Dale describes himself as an iPod addict.
posted by tellurian at 4:26 PM on October 10, 2006
posted by tellurian at 4:26 PM on October 10, 2006
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That seems to be a codeword for 'really rather right-wing'.
Whatever their politics, it looks like an interesting experiment, though: Comments left on the blogs will shape the content of the programmes. The daily votes will help determine which news stories headline every programme. Programme presenters will have access to the blogs during live programming, with the viewer seeing the blog next to the live streaming screen on their computers.
posted by jack_mo at 2:07 AM on October 10, 2006