The Media Interview

The website Media Matters says CNN “deceptively cropped” the June 29th Face the Nation interview with retired General Wesley Clark during a report on its American Morning show June 30th. Here’s the Media Matters transcript of the CNN video clip:

CLARK [video clip]: That large squadron in the Air — in the Navy that he commanded, it wasn’t a wartime squadron. He hasn’t been there and ordered the bombs to fall. … I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.

Media Matters then rightly points out that this clip removes the context of that final statement of Clark’s - the one which has drawn a lot of criticism. When you view the entire transcript, you can see that Clark was using the words of Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer:

CLARK: That large squadron in the Air — in the Navy that he commanded, it wasn’t a wartime squadron. He hasn’t been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn’t seen what it’s like when diplomats come in and say, “I don’t know whether we’re going to be able to get this point through or not. Do you want to take the risk? What about your reputation? How do we handle it” –

SCHIEFFER: Well –

CLARK: — “publicly?” He hasn’t made those calls, Bob.

SCHIEFFER: Well — well, General, maybe he –

CLARK: So –

SCHIEFFER: Could I just interrupt you? If –

CLARK: Sure.

SCHIEFFER: I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean –

CLARK: Well, I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.

[Media Matters transcript, with the BOLD showing the part that CNN left out]

I completely agree with Media Matters that this edit changes the context considerably, but what I have some trouble with is the notion that CNN “deceptively cropped” the video.

From what I’ve seen of newsrooms, it is far more likely that the editors and reporters didn’t even understand the importance of the context and that their sole purpose for the edit was to keep the clip short and dramatic. I’m willing to bet this had more to do with sloppiness and ignorance than it did with deception… little comfort, I know, but I think it’s important to understand the true causes of these serious issues.

Fascinating issue brewing in Hamilton, Ontario, where a recording and transcript of an “off the record” media interview with the city’s mayor have been released to some media outlets. In that interview with Hamilton Spectator columnist Andrew Dreschel, Mayor Fred Eisenberger apparently reveals some sensitive information from an in-camera council meeting. Dreschel won’t confirm or deny what was said, sticking by the “off the record” nature of the conversation.

It turns out that the mayor’s communications director kept recordings of all media interviews, including this one. Dreschel too kept his own recording of the session. The city councillor who released the recording and transcript won’t say who gave them to him. Speculation on that point is being fueled by the fact that the city is currently being sued by the mayor’s former communications director, apparently for unfair dismissal.

The mayor was quick to admit that he had in fact revealed sensitive information during the “off the record” interview and has called for a police investigation, saying the recording of the interview was stolen.

From an interview with author Mike Cox - on the Writers in the Sky blog - who has written extensively about the Texas Rangers law enforcement organization:

In a way, I’ve been working toward The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900 all my life. I grew up hearing stories about some of the old-time rangers from my granddad, L.A. Wilke. Then, as a newspaper reporter, I met a fair number of rangers. Finally, as spokesman for the DPS, I dealt with many rangers over a 15-year period. Most of the rangers would sooner be in a gunfight than do a media interview, so I had good job security. [My emphasis]

Ahh, such promise for freedom of the press during the 2008 Olympics in this headline from the Guardian:

Beijing promises open media environment for Olympics

Then we find out that it means this:

“BOCOG will apply a zero refusal policy for interview requests, which means that all requests for interviews will be replied to,” the China Daily quoted Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, as saying. [my emphasis]

If replying to all interview requests is the criterion, then every government, every corporation, every celebrity has a “zero refusal policy,” except when they’re mean and don’t return your calls…

For its part, the International Olympic Committee has made it clear they’re demanding freedom of the press (at least on the grounds of the games):

Athletes will be allowed to speak freely in on-site media interviews after their competitions, even on the grounds of Olympic venues, where the Olympic Charter bans political protests.

(from a Washington Post article about IOC President Jacques Rogge and freedom of speech, April 11, 2008)

We’ll find out soon how far that promise will carry.

During my blogging slump earlier this year, one of the blogs I missed reading was PR Buzzsaw from Sawmill Marketing Public Relations - they’ve got a great series of media training tips going, plus lots on PR in general, all done with a fun easy style.

Well, I’m back reading and their Tip #30 is about counting down your points - if you’ve got three points to make, physically count them out on your fingers. Now here’s the nice little twist they give to this advice: “[counting down] signals your agenda to the reporter.” I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but it is a perfect bit of body language to communicate your intentions to the interviewer. Thanks Buzz!

A good reminder from Pam Perry on the PR Distinction blog: taking media training does not mean you don’t have to prepare for each interview. She uses the analogy of exercise, which I’d like to apply in my own way here.

Suppose that you learn a series of exercises to help you stretch before running. First of all, you make sure you do those exercises before each run, but more importantly, you adapt the exercises to each run. If one leg has been hurting, you do different exercises or vary the amount. If you know you’re doing a 10k race, you work out differently than if you were doing a quick mile before breakfast.

Every media interview is different, but your media training gives you tools to deal with each one by properly preparing.

A comment by one of presidential candidate John McCain’s advisors, quoted in a Fortune magazine article, has created quite a stir and raises an interesting issue about the transparency of media interviews.

Here’s part of the LA Times story on the comments by Charlie Black:

Then, the longtime political pro got a bit too honest. Asked about the political impact of another terrorist attack on U.S. soil, Black replied: “Certainly it would be a big advantage to him.”

Black may be correct, but he’s not supposed to be quite so blunt in coldly calculating the upside for McCain of harm coming to Americans. Others — unconnected with the campaign — could offer such an assessment, but he should have dodged the question.

He knows it, and The Times’ Maeve Reston reports that outside a McCain fundraiser today in Fresno, Black said: “I deeply regret the comments — they were inappropriate. I recognize that John McCain has devoted his entire adult life to protecting his country and placing its security before every other consideration.”

McCain, for his part, did what he’s supposed to do — stressing his lifelong commitment to protecting America and flat out disputing Black’s premise. “It’s not true,” he said when asked in Fresno about his aide’s remark.

Black’s regret at his comments suggests that this was indeed a major slip of the tongue during an interview - there’s no claim that he was taken out of context or anything like that.

For the record, here’s the quote in the context of the Fortune article:

On national security McCain wins. We saw how that might play out early in the campaign, when one good scare, one timely reminder of the chaos lurking in the world, probably saved McCain in New Hampshire, a state he had to win to save his candidacy - this according to McCain’s chief strategist, Charlie Black. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an “unfortunate event,” says Black. “But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who’s ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.” As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. “Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,” says Black.

While it seems that the reporter has been accurate in framing this quote - Black has had ample opportunity to challenge the accuracy - it would be fascinating to read the transcript of that portion of the interview.

It’s a good example of how we trust journalists (mainstream or otherwise) to boil down all of their information into a story which still accurately captures meaning. Sadly, that trust is lacking among the general public - journalists are often well down in the poll results of people we trust - and I think one way they can regain that is to use the freedom of the internet to back up their stories with transparency (printing transcripts, for example). Which is not to say that this is an easy thing to do; how would you like people questioning your work based on the misjudgments or outright lies of others in your industry?

As for Black, I like the LA Times comment: “he should have dodged the question.”

Sage words from the PR Lawyer Blog:

So, I’m sitting here five hours later wondering to myself, “What did I say on that interview earlier today.” My media relations advice is: don’t ever talk to anyone after having Novocaine. Go home. Shut your door. And go to bed!

I’m going to be doing a one-hour teleseminar on the power of stories to move audiences, whether it’s in a media interview, a speech, or a presentation. We’ll look at the most effective ways to construct your story and the impact of a really good delivery.

The Power of Story Telling
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
6pm PT / 9pm ET

Readers of this blog can get the teleseminar at a special price - only US $35 (reg. $50)

For more details or to sign up just click here and use promo code TMI2

Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin simply got up and left in the middle of an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row program, leaving presenter John Wilson and the band’s drummer Will Champion to carry on:

Wilson: Do you start with that idea, Chris… [sound in background] did you start with the song Viva La Vida, and the idea within that song of the deposed dictator looking back on his life… [voice in background] is that… could I just ask you just to move back in to the mike [garbled]

Martin: [off mike] ….I’m not really enjoying this…

Wilson: Aren’t you?…

Martin: [off mike] Yeah…

Wilson: Why?…

Martin: [off mike] [garbled] two minutes…

Wilson: Sure.. yeah… You feeling a bit under pressure?

Martin: [off mike] No. Yeah. I just don’t really like having to talk about things.

Wilson: Really? [long pause with muffled sounds and voices in back] Have I upset him?

Champion: I don’t think so.

Wilson: [slightly off mike] …I don’t think I said anything conscious[garbled]…

Champion: No, no, I don’t think so…

Wilson: Well, let me ask you [the interview continues on]

Then at the very end of the interview, Chris Martin returns for one last question:

Wilson: Chris, can I just attempt to.. to begin bringing you back by… reminding you of a couple of things you said in the… [Martin: uh huh] before the album was released, you said the process was about letting the garden grow unkempt, letting the bloodhound off the leash [Martin: uh huh] uh, so you were… consciously trying to… find new musical territory then…

Martin: Um… [clears throat] yes, yes, yes… exactly [pause]

Wilson: [Closing show] Reluctant pop star Chris Martin…

My transcription of parts of the full interview which you can listen to online.

Wilson had made some comments during the early part of the interview about Coldplay’s newest album being morbid, and Martin had disagreed with that, but it wasn’t entirely clear why Martin got up and left.

What’s interesting here is that this was not a live interview; the BBC deliberately left in the sequence I’ve transcribed above. I’ve noticed more and more mainstream media doing that - leaving in things from an interview which would have been removed in the past.

I wonder if it’s partly a response to the more free-wheeling podcasting of the internet and also the ability of bands (or anyone) to post the full transcripts of interviews to try and counter what they see as mainstream media taking things out of context.