Letters to the Editor
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Media Case Study
That segment on the NewsHour was a fascinating case study in modern media. An articulate, well-prepared and calm advocate for what might be called the "reality" position, Zakaria, was on against a founding neo-con, freely articulating his position. The contrast was stunning.
It was also sadly amusing to watch Judy Woodruff attempting to moderate. The non-stop tirade (raving?) of a Podhoretz doesn't conform well to the ever-so-polite 'we take turns' format of the NewsHour, which he uses to advantage. P. demonstrated a familiar right-wing tactic, continuing to talk after delivering an insane charge against his opponent, knowing that the moderator would prevent Zakaria from interrupting to respond immediately. Later, he repeatedly tried to launch into long readings, daring Woodruff to interrupt him, knowing that it would be against her instincts and the 'rules' of the NewsHour format.
Kudos to Zakaria for being prepared with a Mao quote just as crazy as the ones P. was throwing, so he could prove that we've survived loonies with nukes before. Zakaria did a fine job of remaining calm and slightly bemused, helping to gently set the frame as 'Podhoretz is a raving loon', which P. did his best to demonstrate to be true. I would have preferred Z. to spend a second laughing at the ways Iran is in no way like Germany in the 30s, which was a top world industrial, financial and scientific power, but one can't have everything.
Still, the 'objective' NewsHour format meant they ended the segment as equals. Arguments thrown, but no conclusion drawn, and in the end the calm, fact-based case and the wild, irrational one are given equal weight in the context of the program. (Though P. did make Woodruff stumble by throwing in one final raving during the 'quiet time' outro before the end of the segment. I don't think that helped his case.)