cover image Talking Heads: Political Talk Shows and Their Star Pundits

Talking Heads: Political Talk Shows and Their Star Pundits

Alan Hirsch. St. Martin's Press, $17.95 (249pp) ISBN 978-0-312-05521-9

TV has been developing its own op-ed ``page'' ever since William F. Buckley began Firing Line in 1966 (though the origins may actually lie in Edward R. Murrow's See It Now ). Yet according to Maryland lawyer Hirsch, such programs as The McLaughlin Group , Capital Gang , Crossfire and Nightline give the appearance--but not the essence--of political debate. While journalists who appear regularly on these shows often become celebrities, Hirsch objects to the narrow political spectrum of the programs, with the far right and the far left rarely, if ever, represented. This argument in favor of more thoughtful and wide-ranging on-air analysis is a model of its kind. (Feb.)