Zakaria’s CNN show will give American viewers a global perspective
Via JSOnline
Zakaria’s CNN show will give American viewers a global perspective
By Tim Cuprisin
FareedZakaria’s new CNN show, which debuts at noon Sunday, won’t be revolutionary in its format.
But he says the focus of the new “Fareed Zakaria - GPS” - that’s “Global Public Square” - will be different from most Sunday talking head shows.
“The big difference is it’s going to deal with the other 95 percent of the human race,” he says. “It’s going to be mostly focused on things going on around the world.”
You can expect Zakaria, a telegenic veteran of TV appearances that include visits to Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show,” to make it more than a dry foreign policy discussion. As editor of Newsweek International and author of books such as his latest, “The Post-American World,” Zakaria has been able to comment freely on his worldview. That won’t change with his new hosting duties.
“Look, I’ve never been a reporter. I can’t start now,” he says. “I’ve always tried to be very fair, and I’ve always tried to be honest and honorable and approach things with integrity. But I’ve always been a commentator or an analyst. This will be a show that reflects my understanding of the world.”
Topics, of course, will play off the news, and not just Zakaria’s specific worldview. The post-earthquake situation in China will be discussed on Sunday’s premiere.
“You have a window of opportunity because of an event, and so that’s the time to do discussion X. You wait for discussion Y when there’s some kind of newsworthy event that will get the public’s attention,” he says.
“Dealing with China now . . . there is a water-cooler discussion about it going on. Dealing with Turkey, Islam and the veil right now, probably not the right time.”
The show will generally feature one “anchor conversation,” with the first one being former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
You can hear the conversation with Zakaria in the latest Inside TV & Radio podcast, which will be posted today at www.jsonline.com/links/cuprisin.
>Earlier: CNN, Newsweek editor starting international show
This is a great show. A must watch for all Americans used to useless local news by all of the major news channels
Comment by Zac — October 19, 2008 @ 3:40 pm