It’s tempting to think James Bond, dentists, car makers and Apple AirPods have nothing in common. But they do. They’ve all been impacted by the coronavirus crisis, according to the Daily Mail last month. The diverse ways they’ve been affected sends a warning to any and every organisation. The knock-on effect of coronavirus – or […]
Retaining impartiality in journalism
The BBC recently announced that it was going to restrict the use of Twitter by its journalists. Indeed, they want to see the BBC’s journalists move away from social media in general. This is a wise move. It seems that the move was prompted by a mistake made by BBC Political Editor, Laura Kuenssberg, who […]
A vision for 2020: 12 resolutions to improve your media interviews
If, like the majority of people, you fail to keep your New Year’s resolution beyond a few weeks, maybe having a new one for every month of the year might help you boost our skills – in this case your ability to perform well in media interviews. So we’ve put together 12 media training resolutions […]
Off the hook – or left dangling? How did Emily Maitlis handle the interview with Prince Andrew?
Acres of newsprint have already been devoted to Emily Maitlis’ interview with the Duke of York, in particular debating whether he should have agreed to it in the first place and, having agreed, whether he succeeded in countering a long list of awkward questions. The near-unanimous verdict is that he failed to offer convincing explanations […]
Interview Dynamics: The differences between print and broadcast interviews
Being interviewed by a newspaper journalist and a television or radio journalist are two very different experiences. The interviewer’s approach is different. The timings are different. The dynamics are different. The main difference, and one that can influence the entire way an interview is conducted, is how long the interview will last. First of all, […]
Dudes, listen up if you want to avoid these naff ways to start a media interview
“Yo! Great to be here bro!” Okay, I admit that’s not the best way to respond to the first question in a media interview, but given Boris Johnson, on becoming Conservative Party leader, declared, “Dude! We are going to energise the country!”, it’s tempting to think informality is the way forward. It’s not. This brings […]
At last, a language crusader
Within days of being appointed Leader of the House of Commons in Boris Johnson’s new government, Jacob Rees-Mogg announced a list of linguistic no-go areas for his staff. I was delighted to read some of the items on the list. “Meet with” drives me mad. We don’t “meet with” someone. We just “meet” them. “Yourself” […]
Handling an ambush
In the United Kingdom we are seeing the Brexit campaigns (for and against leaving the European Union) hotting up by the day. Very soon we’ll be seeing the next presidential election in the United States stepping up a gear as we get ever closer to election day. In Brussels we recently witnessed the appointment of […]
Why it’s Joe Public who wields the power in a broadcast debate
Who would you least like to ask you a question, especially when there’s a TV audience of thousands, possibly millions? Jeremy Paxman? John Humphrys? Eddie Mair? True, their forensic questioning has seen off government ministers and top bosses, but there’s someone who could prove even more damaging to your reputation: Joe Public. As anyone who […]
How do you prepare for the unexpected question?
Questions are vital to an interview or a conversation. Without them the exchange would have no momentum, no life. They are the stimulus, the yeast which lifts the conversation and gives it body. So anyone dealing with the media must be prepared for questions, lots of them. The problem is that they come in every […]
