A Dose of Reality TV for Congress

A DOSE OF REALITY TV FOR CONGRESS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] If Democratic leaders truly want to put some nip into the new Congress, they should finally free up television coverage of floor debates so citizens can see the unvarnished state of the people’s forum. Current TV restrictions allow only static head-on shots of whoever has the floor, lending chamber proceedings all the excitement of a postage stamp. The speaker’s office has been wary of allowing free-ranging cameras since coverage was permitted 28 years ago. Visitors to the chamber galleries can plainly see scenes denied to TV watchers -- sideline wheeling and dealing; the representative more interested in the newspaper than the debate; the senator nodding off, understandably perhaps; and the near-empty chamber surrounding the orator speaking for the stationary camera. That’s the reality of politics. Americans should be allowed to see it on TV.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/opinion/20wed4.html
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* Eyes on Congress
[Commentary] "Politicians should not be editing coverage of themselves. C-SPAN has proved itself to be an indefatigable and impeccably nonpartisan documentarian of our democracy in Washington. Its cameras and technicians should be doing this job."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/1...