Italian Politics and TV

As we near the 2008 presidential election in America we are constantly inundated with updates, commercials and media blasts regarding our candidates. It occurs every four years that we experience the overwhelming task of deciphering the good, the bad and the ugly. However, this is not the case in other countries, especially Italy. In Italy, it is a regular occurrence for politicians to maintain a steady position in the media no matter what time of the year. Attendance on talk shows and newscasts is common and expected. The big difference is that the political oppositions rarely, if ever, appear together to debate with one another. Thus, the viewing public get a skewed version of the truth. The politicians are never countered or attacked by an opposing view and they can avoid questions about topics that would be embarrassing or incriminating. This type of non-confrontational approach to politics would never hold up in the U.S. Our media systems are reliant on the truth and being able to question what has been said or done. This video explains just how different the way politics is played out in American and Italian media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n6wxVZ4G40