The Media Interview

I was just listening to the radio, and the host begins the interview by asking what the author thinks about the issue raised in an interview just before the news break. Time for some quick bridging!! In this case, at least, there was some connection between the two interviews – one was about parenting and [...]

Found an interesting point on the University of British Columbia’s media training page: Don’t tell the reporter your problems. Your casual complaints could end up in a news story. It’s very easy to get caught up in a conversation with a reporter and mention some internal squabble or something about your working conditions; things you [...]

I heard a tantalizing headline on CNN today: a new book says women talk almost three times as much as men. Oh, I could have some fun with that on my blog, I said, and immediately began googling for more details. Turns out I have something very different to blog about: don’t twist the facts [...]

Finally got to watch the second half of the Barbara Walters special 30 Mistakes in 30 Years. Like the first half of this prime-time special it was first and foremost an entertainment show, but there were useful tidbits throughout. Walters directly addressed the issue of crying in this part of the special, acknowledging that “I [...]

Power Reporting provides links to thousands of websites for journalists or anyone interested in the media. From research tools to media commentary, you’ll find something of use, and it’s well laid out by subject area. Not as comprehensive but covering all the basics is Smarter Surfing – a set of links to help journalists make [...]

I always find it useful to read about the job interview process because there are so many similarities with doing a media interview. For example, the dreaded opening question “tell me about…” your business, your book, your art, etc., is exactly like “tell me about yourself” in a job interview. When faced with such questions, [...]

You’ve been warned: You don’t put your hands over somebody’s face and mouth when they’re conducting an interview, even it’s for a laugh. – Kelly Ripa on Live with Regis and Kelly Monday, November 20th referring to an incident on the Friday edition of the show when American Idol Clay Aiken was co-hosting and tried [...]

Someone recently emailed to ask if I was related to Roy Plomley, the creator of the long-running BBC radio show Desert Island Discs (his name is often misspelled as Plumley, hence the question). Here’s my answer: I am not related to Roy Plomley. Speaking of Roy Plomley, his radio program Desert Island Discs can be [...]

Thanks to everyone who protested to Fox/Regan Books/News Corporation about the planned OJ Simpson book and TV interview – and congrats to those companies for realizing it was a travesty and for canning the entire project! Here’s a quote posted on TMZ: News Corporation Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch said today, “I and senior management [...]

What do New York Subway drivers have in common with spokespeople? They should both be clear speakers… Whether it’s an accent, speech impediment, soft-spokenness – whatever – if your job requires clear communication with the public, then part of your job requirement is clear speech. You have to wonder sometimes why a particular person was [...]