EDITORIAL - The worst a talk show host can do

The worst thing a TV talk show host can do is curtail a guest from fully ventilating his views, arguing that it is his show and therefore only his own views can prevail. One would have thought such boorish behavior only happened in Philippine congressional investigations.

In Philippine congressional hearings, whether by the House of Representatives or the Senate, it has become the norm for legislators to scold, harangue and humiliate the very resource persons they themselves invite to shed light on any issue under investigation.

But a similar thing happened in a talk show hosted by Piers Morgan on CNN, ironically one of the world’s most respected news networks. Morgan told off one of his guests it was his show so only he can ask the questions, not the guest.

The incident happened during a heated exchange on the subject of gay marriage, which was precipitated by the announcement of US President Barrack Obama that he was now in full support of unions between same-sex couples.

Morgan kept cutting one of his guests in mid-discourse to express his own views, and when the guest, an official of a Roman Catholic organization in the US, started to pose hypothetical questions to shore up his arguments, the host told him he cannot do that because it was his show.

The guest was not trying to deny Morgan his ownership of his show. He was merely trying to buttress his views, for which Morgan invited him in the first place. It is bad manners for Morgan to argue with his guests and cut them in mid-speech when their views contradicted his own.

Morgan must constantly remember that the reason he invites guests is precisely to solicit their views on whatever issue he has lined up for his show. He is way out of line if he invites people only to shut them up so he can have his way with his own thoughts.

If that is the way he imagines his show to be, then why the heck does he have to invite guests if he only ends up arguing with them. Wouldn’t it be a lot better if he just assumes all the talking by himself? That way people do not waste their time only to get plugged.