Cheche on ANC: at last, a quality, intelligent, viewer-friendly show

I had just come from giving a talk about blogging and the new "new media" when I switched on the TV and saw Cheche Lazaro on ANC in a show titled Media in Focus.

In this particular episode, Cheche was dissecting a controversial article by respected columnist Isagani Cruz. Cruz's column titled Don we now our gay apparel used colorful language that indicated disdain for homosexuals ("Is our population getting to be predominantly pansy?").

Although Cruz clarified at the start of his article that he did not mean to rail against all homosexuals, his words jolted many and started a debate.

Manolo Quezon, another Inquirer columnist, intensified the issue when he replied to Cruz ("I will not embrace him, not for that, much less shake his hand or offer him the opportunity for civilized disagreement.").

I will not put my opinion about this matter. Instead, I would like to celebrate the fact that Cheche Lazaro's show Media in Focus is what we sorely need right now. Cheche's show turns an eye back on media, examining its uses and abuses.

I used to work for Cheche at The Probe Team where I saw firsthand how she could foster intelligent discourse, without sounding lofty and egotistical (as is the case with most of our "intelligent" hosts).

Cheche has a disarming personality that she employs when interviewing. She can put you on the spot while looking and sounding nice about it.

Cheche put this skill to play in the episode I watched. She brought out differing opinions in a very fair manner. She was not afraid to probe deep into what the guests thought.

For example, on whether Justice Isagani Cruz crossed the line in using offensive language, Cheche turned the tables on Manolo Quezon and asked her whether Manolo has not also crossed the line in the past. Manolo -- in fairness -- admitted he had but not in a way as to offend. That, of couse, is very subjective so I will leave it at that.

The point of this article, again, is that Cheche's skill at moderating highlighted what our reporters and hosts sorely lack: smartness and finesse.

Just think: how would these hosts have handled the discourse -- Korinna Sanchez, Mike Enriquez, or (heaven forbid) Kris Aquino?

Korinna would have probably kept injecting her own pet peeves, Mike would have kept interrupting the guests and Kris would have kept asking leading questions and blatantly pushing what she thought about the matter.

In contrast, Cheche represented a zen in conducting a talk show: she was there and not there at the same time. Her opinions were invisible and yet her smartness was present as she steered her guests towards a fair and thorough discourse, a discourse that did not go beyond the average viewer's grasp.

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You're probably wondering why I introduced this article with a self-serving bit about my talk on blogs. Well, I just wanted to point out that at one point in the show, guest John Silva mentioned that Justice Cruz had written a similar offensive column on gays and it largely fell unnoticed. Cheche and guests wondered why the reactions are greater only now, and whether it is only now that homosexuals are more vocal about such things.

I have an alternative explanation. Five years ago, Inquirer's web site was difficult to navigate, most people were probably not used to sending email as feedback, and Inquirer had not really started to give credence to electronic forms of feedback (ie, email and blogs). But now, people can react through blogs and email-- enough to cause a real uproar that the powers-that-be could no longer ignore.

Media in Focus, ANC Channel, 6:30 pm, Thu.