Spoils, Ethics And The Washington Way Of Life

In the wake of such successful panel programs as Ethics in America and Hard Drugs, Hard Choices, both bearing the Fred Friendly imprimatur, Congressional Quarterly adds its own "panel discussion" to the fold, featuring no less of a moderator than Friendly himself. The panel, composed of Representative Tom Lantos, CNN reporter Brooks Jackson, and various other lawyers, government officials, and institutional directors, are offered an interesting scenario: recent findings have determined that the production process at a battery plant is harming the unborn children of women employees, eventually resulting in birth defects. Ostensibly, a meaty ethical subject, but two problems mar this panel presentation. One is Fred Friendly who is brilliant, articulate, clever, quick, and outspoken. In a good panel discussion, a moderator should guide, but here Friendly dominates. Over and over he interrupts the panelists before half a sentence is completed. Consequently, he is the most forceful person in the program--not exactly what a moderator should be. The second problem with the program is its "local" flavor. While the earlier mentioned panel programs were meticulously produced, featuring excellent production values and dynamic speakers, the CQ production seems to be shot on the hoof, with obvious background sound and occasionally poorly lit shots accompanying a discussion that too often veers into local chit chat. Political enthusiasts would find this interesting, but the program is not laid out well enough to be of interest to the general public. Not a necessary purchase. (Available from: Congressional Quarterly, Inc. 1414 22nd St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037.)