Perks and perils of partisan talk on TV

TRYING to juice ratings in an election year, a major TV network in the US hired a pair of provocative commentators from the political establishment to inject some spiky opinion into its otherwise-staid campaign coverage.

The result – the Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Jr debates of 1968 – was a hit with viewers and an unexpected success for ABC News. It also inspired television news divisions to bring more partisan voices into their coverage, a trend that intensified at the dawn of the 24-hour cable news era in the early 1980s.

These days, the role of the “paid contributor” – a commentator on contract, to bloviate on demand – is fully baked into the TV news ecosystem. Typically, the role is occupied by a political veteran who can offer an insider perspective on the news of the day, drawing on experience as, say, an elected official, Beltway strategist or West Wing aide.