The way they waited as each man spoke of it, as if to compare the experience. That's why I watched so transfixed, wishing I were this thing they described. They began airing, in no particular order, on public television stations across the United States, and can also be viewed on the show's Web site through a format known as streaming video Closer to Truth . Bruce Murray, a planetary scientist and geologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, who has been a panelist in several of the shows, said a major strength of Closer to Truth is its integration with the Internet. Murray helped Kuhn develop the accompanying Web site so the general public can participate in the discussions, through a Web tool known as a hyperforum.
People have to take time to think about what they are saying and use their real names.
The use of real names and a moderator, said Murray, helps insure that the discourse is not offensive and results in something that people find interesting to read. Visitors to the Web site can also participate in opinion polls and catch up on the latest news in science and technology through a link to SciTech Daily Review. Future episodes, which the team hopes to tape later this year, will be even more integrated with the Web site, he added. Targeting a Thoughtful Audience Closer to Truth does not aspire to attract the large masses of viewers who regularly tune in to shows on commercial television such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Survivor. Instead, the show's producers want to reach what they believe is a growing segment of the population interested in the progression of ideas.