I think this is an insightful observation by James Fallows, on the effect of talk shows:

Among the many things wrong with talking-head gab shows, which have proliferated/metastasized in the past generation — they’re cheap to produce, they fill air time, they make journalists into celebrities, they suit the increasing political niche-ization of cable networks — is that they reward an affect of breezy confidence on all topics and penalize admissions of complexity, of ignorance on a specific topic, or of the need for time to think.

I find this to be true even on shows I love, like The Daily Show. Even sitting across from a tough interviewer, it’s easy for a pro to spew a constant stream of B.S. that the host or other members of the panel simply can’t stop and refute.