I love television

19_DELAISSES
Originally uploaded by johanb.

This week I spent my time from Monday until Thursday in Berlin attending the Prix Europa festival. Prix Europa is a competition for the best television, radio and Internet productions of European broadcasters. Most of the companies attending are public broadcasters. My employer is one of the organisers of the Prix Europa.

The festival was an excellent reminder of the power of television and the need for public broadcasting. I saw only a minimal portion of the works but I was impressed especially by two programmes:

1. King Hussain of Pakistan - Queen Asia of Norway: Norwegian documentary of a Pakistani immigrant family where the father wanted to return back to Pakistan after living in Oslo for thirty years. The director got so close to the family, showed them with dignity and was able to capture how living in Norway has influenced the mother's way of understanding the possibilities and freedoms of women.

2. Islamic History of Europe: BBC Iraq reporter Rageh Omar explored the Islamic influence on European science and way of living before renaissance. As a London-born Muslim himself, Omar was able to use this travel to build an emotional commitment to the continent.

After every day there was a discussion on the programmes. It proved once again how there are massive amounts of people working in television who want to walk the extra mile, who have high professional journalistic standards and who care for their fellow human beings. And most of all - who are able to make interesting and entertaining programmes.

This is why I am easily irritated by overgeneralising comments on the state of today's television. As there are good and crappy medical doctors or newspapers or blogs, there is also good and crappy television.