Word: viewpoints
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...been dissuaded from an attempt at an Ivy League accent, which turns him into a male chauvinist prig. But let the blame fall where it truly belongs: on a scenario by William Hanley that is without persuasive incident or dialogue, direction by Fielder Cook that is without texture or viewpoint. The aim here was obviously to do something elegant and up-market for television. The result is a bloodless bore on a screen of any size. -By Richard Schickel
...Viewpoint has been notable for its mingling of adroit self-defense by correspondents with an occasional apology or admission of error. The self-questioning tone fits ABC'S goals, which include public relations as well as journalistic innovation. Indeed, confession has been good not just for the soul but for the ratings; the sporadic 90-minute show, which starts in the late-night slot of ABC News' Nightline, has attracted somewhat more viewers than Nightline does...
...fourth episode of Viewpoint was broadcast last week from the University of Chicago, where 850 people watched Anchor Ted Koppel in the flesh and half a dozen of his colleagues on monitors. The subject: coverage of foreign affairs. Correspondent John Laurence opened on a skeptical note, calling network correspondents "jet-age ambulance chasers." Koppel closed with a warning that globe-girdling TV technology has given Americans "the illusion that we are familiar with distant places and cultures...
...segments between, however, Viewpoint lost some of its humility. When challenged about the facts in a report on alleged Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians living in the West Bank, Correspondent Tom Jarriel failed to answer specific charges; rather, he aggressively interrupted his questioner, Howard Squadron of the American-Jewish Committee, until Koppel rebuked him. Said Koppel: "I think it'll be most useful to everyone if Mr. Squadron is given an opportunity to make his points, Tom." London-based Anchor Peter Jennings answered a question about the Falkland Islands dispute with a lame joke that the unmentioned "pawns...
Laurence's opening report condemned what may be TV's biggest weakness, one discussed on every episode of Viewpoint to date: obsession with the "visually sensational." Seconded Jennings: "The producers in New York say, 'You have got to have bang-bang [pictures of violence].' That is a sad rule." Yet Viewpoint introduced its Middle East segment with shot after shot of bang-bang, some of it several years old. And Laurence, who works in London, reported the unremarkable results of a poll of American viewers' attitudes toward foreign reporting while he stood in front...