The title of Chuck Raasch's USA Today column warned don't mistake journalism for entertainment. For evidence of what a danger this is, Raasch points to Chris Matthews' appearance on "The West Wing":
Anyone who tuned in for a few moments halfway through the Oct. 9 episode may have been momentarily duped into believing Hawkeye was running for the White House for real.
I love "The West Wing," so admittedly I would be well aware that Alan Alda's character, not the man himself, is running for president. And since I'm pulling for Jimmy Smits' character, I wouldn't really care.
But Raasch, though he does make a few valid points in his column, needs to give even non-fans a little more credit here.
NBC could have easily simulated Matthews' show "Hardball" with a fictitious name, anchorman and graphics. Then would viewers think there's a brand new news program, debuting with a story about Hawkeye Pierce snatching the GOP nomination?
Journalism turning into entertainment is a worthy concern. We should think about TV journalists taking on diva personas, relying on flashy graphics and making a reputation of yelling at their guests as an effective way to make their opinions - which shouldn't be there in the first place - known on air.
With those standards, I just might mistake "Hardball" for a network political drama like "The West Wing" - not the other way around.
Ryan McConnell @ October 18, 2005 - 11:37pm
Totally agree -- there's plenty to be concerned about regarding the state of journalism today, but Chris Mathews doing a cameo on The West Wing is not one of them. To assume that those that are watching the NBC drama don't know the difference between news and clearly marked scripted television is to believe that the viewing public is comprised of idiots and half-wits. Give the public credit, they're not that stupid.
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