Interactivity and Gatekeeping: The Compass and the Limits of Conservative Corporate Culture

This chapter tracks an interactive news magazine program called The Compass, which contained a broadcast component and a simultaneous internet live stream on the Japanese streaming site NicoNico. It explains how the idealistic hopes of its creators for a more democratic and dynamic news discussion than is usually possible on Japanese television clashed with the self-preservation and gatekeeping instincts of Japanese television networks. While the program was beloved by its authors and audiences, it was relegated to a time slot and channel that set it up to fail. As an alternative to a conservative and frequently censuring mass media, it might have succeeded if the idealism of the network’s directors matched that of its creators.