60 Minutes
Continuing the absurdity of mainstream media that has spawned successful parodies such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, last night Mike Wallace interviewed Iranian President Ahmednijad on CBS's popular news show 60 Minutes.
Wallace conducted the interview in a manner as to portray himself as a proxy for the United States (people and government), a technique which I felt diminished the effectiveness of the dialogue between the two. It was clear that Ahmednijad (rightly so, and regardless of your personal views of his policy) realized that Wallace was simply trying to bait him into making inflammatory statements and that Wallace appeared to be an extension of the United States rather then an honest broker. Of course it is impossible to completely separate ones own beliefs as a journalist, although it is reasonable to expect a journalist, and I use that term very lightly, to make at least an effort. Further, Wallace's tone during the interview was one of feigned surprise, moral indignation, and disingenuous flattery. Finally, the piece instilled in me a feeling that it had been edited to exacerbate the obvious feelings Mike Wallace had towards Iran, and highlight (not so subtlety) Wallace's pandering to the American public's opinions of the Iranian President and his country.
C-Span plans to air the entire unedited version of the interview tonight. In a jab (well deserved) at mainstream media, C- Span said: "This is also a unique opportunity for viewers to see for themselves the editorial process at a major network news organization, and find out which portions of an extended interview actually make it on air."
Wallace conducted the interview in a manner as to portray himself as a proxy for the United States (people and government), a technique which I felt diminished the effectiveness of the dialogue between the two. It was clear that Ahmednijad (rightly so, and regardless of your personal views of his policy) realized that Wallace was simply trying to bait him into making inflammatory statements and that Wallace appeared to be an extension of the United States rather then an honest broker. Of course it is impossible to completely separate ones own beliefs as a journalist, although it is reasonable to expect a journalist, and I use that term very lightly, to make at least an effort. Further, Wallace's tone during the interview was one of feigned surprise, moral indignation, and disingenuous flattery. Finally, the piece instilled in me a feeling that it had been edited to exacerbate the obvious feelings Mike Wallace had towards Iran, and highlight (not so subtlety) Wallace's pandering to the American public's opinions of the Iranian President and his country.
C-Span plans to air the entire unedited version of the interview tonight. In a jab (well deserved) at mainstream media, C- Span said: "This is also a unique opportunity for viewers to see for themselves the editorial process at a major network news organization, and find out which portions of an extended interview actually make it on air."
posted by Anon. at 4:05 PM
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