And now for something completely different . . .
"With Mr. Lehrer reporting from Washington and Mr. MacNeil
from New York, the program sought to represent all sides of
a controversy by eliciting comments from rivals for public
attention. But the anchors deliberately drew no sweeping
conclusions of their own about disputed matters, allowing
viewers to decide for themselves what to believe.
The approach had its drawbacks. An extended presentation
of authoritative voices offering conflicting viewpoints left
some viewers dissatisfied, if not confused. Many found the
technique elitist and dull, and even some critics called it
boring — or, worse, a willful refusal by Mr. Lehrer and Mr.
MacNeil to make hard judgments about adversarial issues
affecting the public interest."
See also the previous two posts.