Ever since Vijay TV conducted the debate on "Doctors " most doctors from Tamil Nadu started fuming and fretting over the way the show was moderated by Gopinath, because they felt they were not given a chance to present their view .Some people even claimed some portions of what the doctors said were edited .The viewers of the program can not comment on this ,as they were not part of the actual debate and do not know what was really debated at the shoot .
It is the prerogative of the channel to edit a program. But editing the views of a particular side to sensationalize another point of view is wrong . All doctors need not be very articulate to participate in a debate . He may be good in his profession ,but need not be good in debate or argue his points against another .For instance most doctors in the program knew an ultrasound scan of a pregnant lady would not make the baby bald. But when this point was raised by a laywoman repeatedly ,none of the doctors confronted her and said emphatically what she said was wrong . I really don't know what prevented them from saying that .Or was it edited ?
But what exasperated most doctors were the way Gopinath moderated the show . Acting smart, Gopinath asked the doctors, how many of them know about what Union Health minister said in a recent press report .This was surely in bad taste . Similarly if some one asks a group of media persons , what the president of Myanmar said in the 2014 International Media conference,I am sure most of them would blink . The moderator should never try to show to the participants that he is one jump ahead of the participants .That is not the intention of the debate.
Undoubtedly Gopinath is one of the best Tamil anchors . Unfortunately he has a tendency to react to points made by the participants . He forgets his role ,that he is a moderator . He has to facilitate a debate between two different view points and ensure the debate does not go out of control . This doesn't mean he should thrust his views on the participants . Gopinath has a tendency to thrust his views down the throat of an unrelenting participant . He does this often .This is absolutely wrong . A counter argument to a point raised by one group should come from the other group and not from the moderator . Among English TV channels ,I have noticed this tendency in Arnab Goswami .He is more vocal and he goes to the extent of shouting down the panelist .
Every profession and avocation has good and bad people . Let the participants make a point in support or against the majority view .Viewers are better judges .The very idea of a debate is to present different view points .Each side has their own justifications . The viewers can easily pick out the right views put forth without any bias or prejudice .They are sagacious .
I agree the moderator has to do some research and make some advance preparations about the topic being debated .This is only to keep him abreast of what is being discussed and not to exhibit his knowledge about the subject . Most of the time Gopinath does this mistake . This preparation is necessary to make the debate lively and absorbing .The moderator should always remember the debate is not about him,he should not be the star of the debate . He should shut thoughts about him in a box and toss it away .If he wants to be a star ,then he should become one of the participants in the debate .Unfortunately this is what is happening in "Neeya Naana" debates. The title of the program " You or Me ?" denotes the two groups to the debate . But unfortunately most of the time the debate turns between the participants and the moderator . The "Me" becomes the moderator. The moderator should not try to impress the audience with his brilliance . His roles is confined to make the speakers connect with the audience .Gopinath's problem is most of the time, he plays dual roles .Sometimes he acts as a moderator and sometimes unwittingly he talks like a participant His job is to run the show and not air his views .
The quality of debates are mostly good .Always there are some handpicked knowledgeable persons in each debate . But I feel Gopinath should learn to restrict his role only to that of a moderator and refrain from airing his private views in debates . He can very well do that as a participant and not as a moderator . Otherwise he is a good anchor,fluent in Tamil and has a command and personality to be an effective moderator .He has the knack to engage the audience in a conversation . One thing that Gopinath does very well ,is when the debate strays or digresses ,he brings it back to the debate. He should just guide the conversation . Thank God ,all debates we see in our TV are edited versions. You can imagine what sort of a mess it would be if there were live debates ! .All said and done moderating a debate is a skill . It comes naturally to some people and others have to develop it. ..
Perfectly agree with you. I havent watched the debate you are referring to in this post. But the way leading English channels conduct debates, sometimes the participants to debate hardly get to talk. The moderator is too loud and busy silencing or criticizing the guest. Debate moderator needs great amount of skill to handle.
ReplyDeleteI entirely agree with you .Gopinath sometimes raises his voice to subdue the views of participants .This is bad .A moderator is not supposed to do this .Every one is entitled to have his personal views .If one can not speak out his views in a public debate ,why should you invite him for a debate ? It is not a question of whether his or her views are right or wrong . It is his or her perception and every participant has a right to hold on to his personal views ,even in the face of opposition from most others . In a democracy we have this freedom of expression . In a debate why should the moderator raise his voice and try to subdue other view points different from his own ? .This defeats the essential spirit of a debate . Most of the time in 'Neeya Naana ' it is a debate between the participants and the moderator . It should be the other way .It should be a debate between two participant groups . Because of his celebrity status Gopinath believes he can subjugate the participants. I feel before he becomes unpopular ,he should mend himself .
ReplyDeleteVery well written post. Good analysis .
ReplyDeleteYesterday I watched Neeya Naana .(31/08/2014 -episode)The quality of the debate was excellent .Again the major contribution to the debate was from few knowledgeable participants . I don't know when this episode was shot. .But .I noticed a welcome change in Gopinath's moderation style or was it edited to make Gopi silent, for most part of the debate, after the recent media outcry against his intervention in the debates .This time it was a lively and meaningful debate among participants . This is how it should be conducted .
ReplyDelete