Debate on TV: Channel 4 dispatches
I managed to watch a fair bit of the debate on Channel 4's dispatches last night. Rather than adding to that debate ( on Muslims and free speech ) let me say something about the format.
The debate and cross examining of witnesses worked in a way that normal current affairs programs just don't.
There should be more of these debates - the format is far more informative than say the BBC's Question Time.
Well done Channel 4 and Dispatches. Only quibble is I'm fairly sure the audience wasn't balanced to reflect British society rather to represent it. You can tell that from the outcome of the vote at the end. But I'm not going to go on about that but to say again what a great format for current affair issues ! (In many ways the vote is irrelevant - what matters is what you think and how you have responded to what you've heard.)
If you have NTL or Telewest you can now use Channel 4 on Demand (4oD) to watch again ! ( I was over to 18 Doughty Street for Vox Politix - Slugger O'Toole did especially well there I thought. )
3 comments:
Man in a Shed,
I assume you are joking? I sat transfixed through the whole thing - simply rooted to the spot through disbelief.
I have summed up - and gutted - Imran Khan's arguments here.
Snow's closing line ought to get him fired.
PG
I saw this too and agree wtih your point.
Typical of C4 to select a biased audience; but I guess its a start.
I too watched it - or at least the first part of it. I thought the first vote by the audience after argument and submission from the protagonists was quite interesting. The audience voted in favour of viewing the Danish cartoons - by around 2 to 1- then Snow whipped out his bit of paper from Channel 4, Hand Wringing Division....
"Channel 4 couldn't show the drawings because it was aware that they were of a sensitive nature and Channel 4 wasn't in the business of causing unnecessary offence".......
It was then that I thought 'what's the point?' - switched off and went to the pub......
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