Bruce Bartlett v. homeless person?

File this under debates I wish I had seen:

By seeking out a few incompetents or cranks just to have "balance" and create sparks, news shows may be unintentionally misleading viewers by implying that isolated views that are well outside the mainstream actually have validity...

This is a pet peeve of my own and a reason why I avoid these sorts of programs. One thing that annoyed me particularly was that the producers would often put me up against some total nobody who had no clue about what he was talking about. In one case--I kid you not--I debated the minimum wage with an honest-to-God, fresh-off-the-streets homeless person. I refused to ever appear on that channel ever again and it eventually went off the air...

I want to see a transcript...

PS This is the same "balance" problem that plagues news reporting. When you present two opposing views as equally valid, viewers have no way to parse the evidence and reach an informed judgment about who's right.

Update 8/9 4:27 PM: Via email, Bartlett shares his recollections:

It was some years ago--at least 10. I don't remember the name of the cable channel. It was like America's Talking or something like that. I knew the guy was homeless because he said so on air. He also admitted to some extraordinary number of children by an equally large number of women. It was pretty clear why this guy was homeless. Where the producers found him, I have no idea. Like I said, I was so insulted I never appeared on that channel ever again despite repeated requests.

Amazing. I'm sad that video isn't available.

For more, see the America's Talking page on Wikipedia, which makes it pretty obvious why the channel failed. My favorite show concept is definitely "Bugged! - A comedic look at what bugs people, hosted by Brian O'Connor."

Comments

[brent]

One wonders whether the "may be" modifies "misleading" or "unintentionally".

[chris]

It's appalling that a news program would be so rude as to stoop to making someone appear with Bartlett. Where's their basic decency?

[Noumenon]

I definitely understand how Bartlett feels, however, notice how the lower your class, the less you exist on American TV?