Just Ask The Questions
In the armoury of the broadcast journalist, the interview is possibly the most powerful weapon available. For a print journalist, the interview is a source of information which can then be turned into a report or a feature. It ranks alongside file checks and background research. But for the broadcaster, the interview gives the viewer/listener a chance to hear the subjects thoughts in his or her own words, said in the way he or she would like to see them. They are consequently far more revealing than any words written down in black and white.
Which raises the question... why are so many interviews on TV and radio so badly done?
Personality gets in the way
Possibly one of the reasons why some broadcast interviewers generate more heat than light is because they are stars themselves. How often have you heard an interviewee start to tell an interesting story, or relate an vital fact... only to be interrupted by the interviewer who'll give THEIR point of view.
The best interviewers are the ones who are rarely seen and heard. They're the ones who spend time getting to know their interviewees, relaxing them, building a relationship with them, so that when the times comes to go to air, the conversation is easy and relaxed.
Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!.
Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show was something of a broadcasting icon. And he was a pretty darn good interviewer to boot. Although he was arguably one of the biggest stars thrown up by Television in America, he knew when to shut up and let a guest talk. Consequently, his interviews are often exceptionally revealing.
The current pretenders to Johnny's throne, David Letterman and Jay Leno, are not interviewers. They're comics (and very funny comics, too). Their interviews with guests are really just vehicles for jokes and entertainment. Not that there's anything wrong with that... but sometimes it's nice to go behind the facade, to dig a little deeper into the personality of a subject.
Many of the best interviewers are squirreled away on current affairs shows like 60 Minutes or 20/20. If you want to see a master at work, watch Ed Bradley's pieces for the former. He doesn't badger, he doesn't hector - and yet he gets at the truth. What makes Ed Bradley different to David Letterman is that he is listening for an answer, and follows that answer up. The entertainment interview is more of a format... question, answer, question number 2, answer number 2, etc etc. If Ed Bradley's interviews are a stroll through uncharted territory, then David Letterman's are a strict dance, where everyone knows what everyone else is going to do
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