Wisdom in crowds

There is wisdom in crowds, but not in mobs.

In a one-on-one conversation, ask ten people a question. Note their answers and aggregate them in private. What you have is something approximating wisdom.

Now take those same ten people and put them in a room together. Ask them the same question. You'll get a louder contribution from the most outspoken members of the group. The group will likely converge on two different answers to your question and people will pick sides.

The second method will produce more argument and fireworks of course, which is why 24 hour cable news prefers the format: more flash without the requirement of substance.