Debate overshadowing…
The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul J. Gough writes about how what gets said at the debates tends to get overshadowed by how the debates come off…
“For almost all of these things, the postdebate stories have been dominated by sidebars,” says Tobe Berkowitz, dean of Boston University’s College of Communication.
CNN wanted to talk about its record ratings for its Democratic debate November 15 in Las Vegas and its YouTube debate Wednesday. But it was hard to crow when it spent so much time on the defensive.
Berkowitz says he hasn’t been impressed with CNN’s debate telecasts, starting with bringing the candidates onstage like what he calls a game-show format.
“It’s been show business. It’s been a disservice — how many gimmicks we can pile into what should be the serious business of democracy,” he says.
Berkowitz is right. CNN tries to show these off debates like they are entertainment, instead of serious discussions as they should be. I believe that’s because it is so motivated to increase its audience, which has been so paltry for the last seven years. Well, it’s no fun when you are just No. 2 all the time.
Comment by RGL — December 3, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
CNN got caught again.What’s new?
Comment by Shane — December 3, 2007 @ 1:00 pm