Some jarring music from somewhere was keeping me awake last night. I switched on the TV news to find out if Nation Still Wants to Know Something Tonight.
Critical decision now: jarring music or this?
‘This’ won hands down on decibel score.
So here I was, catching up with the permanent Breaking News banner. I had not seen it since last year.
One Anchor-in-Chief. Two Experts. Nine panellist windows. Nineteen Correspondents.
The only person missing was a REFEREE.
The two experts who knew the subject remained silent. Perhaps they had been told not to disturb the debate.
Three were smiling, as they were on the Anchor’s side. Four were very angry. The remaining two were wondering if they were still on air.
And enough red graphics to suggest that the country was on fire.
I couldn’t figure out the topic, though I think they were speaking only in English.
A couple of correspondents too got a chance for a quick performance. They spoke with such zest as if a new continent had been discovered.
Meanwhile, one angry panellist was saying something with the urgency of a nuclear launch.
Another was stealing the show by speaking non-stop. He didn’t seem to realise that his microphone had been off for twenty minutes
Anchor-in-Chief was the only one asking and answering questions.
Suddenly, a furious man lost his cool. The attack had apparently become personal. He demanded an apology and threatened to take the woman to court. She responded with allegations of misogyny and sexism. Others jumped in.
The debate had changed its topic. Nobody noticed.
The Breaking News banner was still there.
OTR Footnotes:
Does anyone know if panellists get paid for humiliation on TV?
Is Anchor-in-Chief himself not a solid topic for a great debate?
Shouldn’t correspondents invent a new title for themselves?
Last Sip:
Invention of the century: Snooze Button
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