The Thing About Moderating

 It's a page 3 type story over at Focus, but a bit comical to lay out.

Focus says....last year, as the moderator of public TV's ARD public forum show....Hart Aber Fair.....started to recruit and sign their new moderator (Louis Klamroth)....he was blunt and admitted he had a relationship going on with a environmental activist.  

The TV management folks in the middle of this? WDR (sub of ARD).   

This story has come out in  the past 24 hours and will be discussed a good bit.

WDR saw no problem.  

I would imagine from the public TV handbook on ethics....it doesn't say much about marriages, relationships, or sexual practices.  Just a humble guess here.

The chief problem....a wide public audience will say that Klamroth is unfairly influenced and he can't be an objective moderator.  To which....WDR will say where in the rule-book this 'idea' comes from?

If Klamroth had a far-right extremist or AfD Party person for a relationship-partner?  Well....WDR probably would say something at that point....but that also would not have been in the handbook of ethical issues.

Jumping upon ARD, WDR or any other the public TV council folks?  If it's not written down....it's not a rule.  

From the point of viewing future shows, that revolve around activists, with Klamroth still remaining as a moderator?  Your choice as a viewer....either accept the potential propaganda style, moderate with the mute-button, or view something from twenty-odd alternate channels.  My suggestion....there are fine comedy shows on Netflix that would resolve your viewing issue.

What I expect?  Klamroth stays on....the TV Council folks will spend a year writing a new ethics regulation...with push-back from the management people, and people who were somewhat negative about the TV tax.....going more negative about the monthly tax.  

A final word.....you could have a moderator with zero relationships in their background, and be simply fired-up to hype their agenda business or some radical political gimmick. So maybe there's a bigger landscape existing than one might imagine.