I hold no brief for the hapless Gordon Brown, but who does Adam Boulton think he is, telling HM the Queen's first minister "You're staying here"?:
And then there's this interview (clip 3) with the equally ill-starr'd Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth: "Can I just read to you some of the phrases that have been used to describe you? Bungling Bob, Mr Ainsworthless. Are you not in danger of becoming the story, when the story should be Afghanistan?"
As if this aggressive, grandstanding style - which led to former-Newsnight-bruiser-now-quiz-show-host Jeremy Paxman being sidelined soon after Labour got in - is ever likely to get a useful and unintentionally revealing answer.
Time some of these journos learned (a) some manners and (b) how to do the job effectively. Give me the oily David Frost any day; much more dangerous.
yes it is pretty disgraceful
ReplyDeletewhat appalls me is that these oafs take just the same insulting line with interviewees from other countries, who are often bewildered by the sheer rudeness (amd ignorance) of it all
Regrettably they don't make 'em (or at any rate employ 'em) like Robin Day any more. Must have broken the mould somewhere along the way.
ReplyDeleteI assumed that he was going to add
ReplyDelete"...because you are still miked up".
And frankly, after the look Brown gave him - was that appropriate for the First Minister? - I think he had every right to call him. Regardless, it was the mike, I believe, that led him to say that
Elby:
ReplyDeleteJohn Nott walked off on Robin Day's show in 1982 after the latter made that "here today, gone tomorrow" crack; Michael Heseltine from Channel 4 News in 1986 when he found out they'd set him up with Clive Ponting; Clare Short stalked off BBC Newsroom South East in 1996; Daniel Hannan walked out of a BBC interview in 2007, citing pro-EU bias.
There's plenty of prcedent for a perfectly human reaction to arrogantly provocative journalism. They can cut the Dennis Pennis act and learn how to do forensic questioning.
... oh, and thanks for the visit and bothering to comment on my pretty insignificant blog.
ReplyDeleteThe Gorgon was conducting a series of interviews one following on directly after another. The BBC interview was due after the SKY interview. Boulton's comment was meant to indicate that Gorgon should have remained in his seat whilst he swapped with the BBC's Sian Williams.
ReplyDeleteThere was nothing 'disrespectful' about it at all although Boulton had every right since, during the interview, the Gorgon called him a propagandist.
Still, lets not have the truth get in the way of a good story.
Didn't know that, DR. But I get the feeling that people hunt in packs and I wanted to look at how the Press behaves, as well as the benighted leader. No intent to mislead on my part. And what's your feeling on media bias?
ReplyDeleteP.S. I first saw this exchange (if you can call it that) on the TV news and they certainly didn't give the context.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, I'm not defending the scumbags for one second. Their supine, complicit silence is part of why we're in this mess in the first place.
ReplyDeleteYes, they seem to act like a sort of mega-voter, don't they. Look at the Sun recently.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness blogging has turned out to be the antidote that it has. Otherwise we'd have been stuck with the MSM forever. As it is I think the dead tree press's days are numbered.
ReplyDeleteI have very little respect for politicians so why would you expect a journalist (who has to put up with these termites on a daily basis) to tug forelocks to thier lords and masters? They work for US!
ReplyDeleteBwain Walden was far better than any of the interviwers that you mention, by the way.
Yes, I used to watch Brian and listen to his idiosyncratically emphatic delivery, too. But I think the current showy disrespect from journalists is, as I suggest, simply unprofessional - it doesn't get anywhere as far as unearthing hidden truth is concerned, and is merely intended to impress us with the journo's supposed independence and how much he is fighting on our behalf. I think they are, as the Americans say, "full of it".
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