Media Training – The Toughest Media Interview of 2009 (and How You Could Survive It)
“You lie!”
We all remember those two words shouted by a House backbencher at President Obama during his address to Congress.
But it wasn’t the first time those two words were used during the health care debate.
Lawrence O’Donnell, a strong supporter of health care reform, guest hosted MSNBC’s Hardball With Chris Matthews in mid-August. His guest was Rep. John Culberson (R-TX), a strong opponent of health care reform.
During the interview, Mr. O’Donnell called his guest a liar. He was sarcastic, disrespectful, badgering, accusatory, hostile, and rude.
And it became the toughest media interview of 2009.
Before reading our tips for how to survive a hostile interview, we recommend you watch the clip (the link appears at the bottom of this article).
FIVE WAYS YOU CAN SURVIVE A HOSTILE INTERVIEW
1. Stay Calm and Let the Audience Get Upset With the Interviewer
Former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel used to say that an audience’s allegiance is to the interviewer, not the person being interviewed – at least at the beginning. But if the viewer at home perceives the interviewer as being unfair, impolite, or flat out rude, the interviewer will lose his audience, and sympathy will shift to the person being interviewed.
That’s exactly what happened in this case. Although I agree with Mr. O’Donnell’s views on health care, I found myself upset with him for treating his guest in such an uncivil manner. As Mr. Koppel suggested, my sympathies entered the segment with Mr. O’Donnell and exited with Rep. Culberson.
Rep. Culberson maintained his composure throughout most of the interview, and helped himself by allowing the audience’s sympathy to shift his way.
Remember – an aggressive host is trying to get a reaction out of you. Although an aggressive response may sometimes be called for, it should be intentional – not as an automatic reaction to instigation.
2. Ask Permission to Answer the Question
Rep. Culberson asked Mr. O’Donnell for permission to answer the question nine times in eight minutes.
At one point, he said, “I’m not sure why you had me on today if you’re going to do the whole show. I’m giving you a very serious answer.” At another point, he asked, “Lawrence, excuse me, am I going to be able to give an answer here?”
Rep. Culberson handled the aggressive interruptions well by earnestly asking for time to answer the questions. Although Mr. O’Donnell didn’t allow him to answer, the audience’s sympathy moved from host to guest as they judged the questioning unfair.
3. Do Not Insult the Host or the Network
Mr. Culberson’s report card is mixed on this one.
On the plus side, he did not attack Mr. O’Donnell personally. But Culberson failed when he said, “Lawrence, do you wonder why nobody watches MSNBC?” He repeated that line four times, potentially alienating the entire viewing audience, which presumably tuned into MSNBC because they liked the network.
It’s true that his anti-MSNBC comments likely played well with his conservative base in Texas, but they were unnecessary and ceded the high ground he had earned with MSNBC’s viewers.
4. Do Not Walk Off
Rep. Culberson must have contemplated ending the interview, removing his microphone, and walking away. But that’s an automatic loss, and he gained points for finishing the interview.
I’ve seen numerous guests walk off in anger mid-interview. It never looks good, and eliminates any chance that the audience will shift its sympathies to you. Don’t do it.
5. Take It To The Web
Rep. Culberson had one other option available to him – the Internet. He could have said, “You know Lawrence, your questions are important – but since you won’t let me answer your questions here, I’ll answer them on my website by the end of the day so your viewers can see my answers.”
By doing so, Culberson could have reasserted control, appeared transparent and willing to answer the questions, and gotten his written views included in any future media coverage of the interview.