News and views

Two-way wrong way?

BBC row spurs call for reform | csmonitor.com

There are many issues raised in this piece, but the one I found to be the most interesting was the subject of the "two-way." This has become a staple of broadcast journalism in the US. Here's what is said about it in this article:

Instead, the corporation is likely to look at the format known as the "two way," in which a news anchor interviews another journalist in a conversation that can occasionally lead to exaggeration.

"One thing they should look at is the peculiar practice of journalists interviewing journalists," says Allen. "They are not scripted and the journalists are talking off the top of their heads. It's an odd way of doing things."

One BBC correspondent said the "two way" doesn't need to be risky as long as broadcasters are careful. But he said he expected new guidelines as a result of the Gilligan affair.