“In times like these,” said Trevor Noah at the beginning of a segment (video above) of The Daily Show, “clear, insightful news reporting is something we all need.” Obviously, panel discussions on news channels don’t belong to that category.
Comedian and actress Desi Lydic, who’s a correspondent on the talk show, thus examined the beautiful art of panels. Or, as the video description describes them, “chaotic and incoherent shout-fests”.
In her satirical segmented called Journalism-ing, Lydic explained how panels are “groups of experts brought together to debate today’s biggest issues” and why “there’s no channel than can panel” like CNN – though, honestly, some Indians news channels could give them a run for their money.
But Lydic also offered invaluable advice on how you can run the ideal panel by today’s standards, such as “If the panelists can hear each other talk, you’ve already failed.” She also bounced off a reminder that a good panel doesn’t waste time trying to solve a crisis or educate the viewer – “Their priority is producing a sh*tshow that will get them millions of clicks on their YouTube page.”
There was also key advice for moderators which can be summed up in just a few of Lydic’s words: “Let the chaos unfold.”
Fortunately, it looks like most news panels in India have already perfected the art.
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