Thumb Award TAKE THAT, MATT

Thumbs Down to Matt Quinn, moderator of Channel 8’s Meeting Hall program which appears weekly on Saturday night. Just two weeks before the Jan. 17 tax referendum – the most important issue to come before the voters in recent Dallas history – Quinn hosted a “debate” between the opposing sides. It was more like a dogfight, with Quinn encouraging the fighting. City Manager George Schrader, Councilmen Steve Bartlett, Fred Blair, Don Hicks, and others had to endure the humiliating, hostile, and biased questioning by Quinn. With a matter of this importance to Dallas, Quinn did a disservice not only to the community at large but also to the journalism community by turning serious news business into cheap show business.