From the Howard Kurtz piece that contains the David Gregory quote that pretty much launched this campaign (“People can fact-check ‘Meet the Press’ every week on their own terms.” ) – the preceding bit from Mr. Gregory is about the new Meet The Press set:
The look is ultramodern: floor-to-ceiling bookcases, a pair of huge video screens with a White House backdrop, a small, circular glass table as well as a larger, rectangular one.
David Gregory is excited about the “striking” new set for “Meet the Press,” which debuts May 2. “This is part of the evolution of the program,” he says. “For the Gregory era of the program, there’s a visual piece of that. It doesn’t limit me to one position. It allows me to use technology in various ways. I can even stand.”
Mr. Gregory’s statements show that he is obviously concerned with the “evolution” of the show and that he thinks of his time at the helm as “the Gregory era” – but what will define this era? Will it be a cosmetic era? What substance “pieces” are forthcoming?
Doesn’t it seem ironic to host a show surrounded by bookcases but not be committed to confirming that the information presented on that show is factual? It is just as inappropriate to allow unconfirmed on-air statements to stand as it would be to fill those bookcases with political autobiographies.
Is Mr. Gregory and NBC’s reluctance to implement fact checking because of production cost concerns? And if so how much has this new set cost?
Financial investment in the relevance and journalistic integrity of Meet The Press should not be limited to visual appeal. 5/2 will also mark the debut of the show in HD – something long overdue – but the audience should be able to see more than the pores of unverified statements.