The Media Interview

A common tactic by interviewers is to find a quote from the past which contradicts what the person now says. Catching out someone making a u-turn is generally perceived as a “gotcha” moment, but I thought it was interesting that famed British TV interviewer Jeremy Paxman – known for some gotcha moments of his own [...]

To borrow from an old expression – I wish I’d built that. I’m referring to Access Interviews, a site begun last year by British journalist Rob McGibbon, which aims to archive links to all types of media interviews anywhere on the web. And you’re invited to submit interviews for inclusion in the archive. The links [...]

The worlds of US politics and journalism are still reeling from the sudden death on Friday of Meet the Press host Tim Russert. The 58 year old Washington bureau chief for NBC news had just finished taping The Tim Russert Show for CNBC and was working on voice-overs for Sunday’s Meet the Press when he [...]

Barbara Walters was on CBC’s The Hour recently to talk about her new book Audition, and host George Stroumboulopoulos asked her: Stroumboulopoulos: Who would you like to be your last interview? Walters: (long pause) Osama bin Laden… [banter] …I have said that I don’t want to get any more big “gets,” but if Osama bin [...]

Barbara Walters on one of the main reasons she stopped doing the TV newsmagazine 20/20 back in 2004: …it seemed that every celebrity, every murderer…had a lawyer or a press agent all interviewing the interviewer to determine where they could get the most airings for their clients, what kind of questions would be asked, and [...]

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reporter/anchor Wendy Mesley comparing the styles of some current anchors with legendary CBC Radio interviewer Barbara Frum: A lot of anchors these days – male and female – think their presentation of the question is more important than the answer. Barbara was really only interested in the answer. She was sort of [...]

Larry King gave a good demonstration last night of what not to do as a guest. He was on Anderson Cooper 360, being interviewed by John King about Dr. Jan Adams walking off the Larry King Live show. Larry King was constantly looking away from his interviewer and at the camera. Breaking eye contact in [...]

The plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West’s mother the day before she died, walked off CNN’s “Larry King Live” during an interview tonight. Larry King opened the hour by saying that it wasn’t clear if Dr. Jan Adams would appear as promised. King said that West’s family had formally asked Adams not to go [...]

Perhaps for halloween I’ll go dressed as a “famous interviewer,” as the costume companies carefully describe him.

Entertainment Wise says celebrity interviewer Martin Bashir is trying to set up an interview with Britney Spears and Kevin Federline: A source tells The People, “As far as Martin is concerned it would be all of his Christmases come at once if he could secure a deal with both of them. “He is really keen [...]