Interviewing

In The Wizard of Oz, the Great and Mighty Wizard is exposed as a fraud when Dorothy and Toto discover him hiding behind a curtain frantically manipulating levers and pulleys.  That moment reminds me of making television.  What viewers see on the screen is only a fraction of what’s really happening behind the scenes.

A few times, I’ve considered using this blog as a way of being more transparent about my own TV reporting.  A recent Lateline interview with the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has given me a good place to start: the compromises involved with celebrity interviewing.

Major stars usually only grant interviews when they have something to spruik, such as a new book or project.  But often what they want to sell has little to do with what the interviewer would really like to ask about.  Both sides have to make compromises, although on air, it’s meant to look like a spontaneous conversation that’s engaging both parties.

Continue reading "Well read-head: Getting stars off message in interviews" »