Every American, particularly the so-called journalists working for our nation's public broadcasting network, needs to watch the video of the BBC's Jeremy Paxman asking British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt if Colonel Gaddafi is now a legitimate target of military action by our military forces.
It is an object lesson in determination to get a government representative to answer a very simple question. In less than three minutes Newsnight's Paxman asks the same question six times in a variety of ways, which the squirming Foreign Office Minister totally fails to answer. It leaves the watching audience with the same conclusion as the journalist i.e. "it's all as clear as mud'. And these are the people taking us to war?
Now imagine Jim Lehrer on PBS asking the same question of Hillary Clinton. She too would probably obfuscate and avoid answering the question -- but that is her job after all. But by contrast we all know that Lehrer, or for that matter any other "lamestream' media interviewer, would just move on to the next question. He would never ever think of re-asking just once - never mind six times.
In America interviews with public figures have become a game, a pantomime where everyone knows full well that the necessary question has been asked and the karaoke sham of interrogation had been completed. A superficial atonement for both the interviewer & interviewee. A bit like a weak slap across the face with a velvet mitten -- honor has been satisfied.
Sadly it doesn't satisfy the viewers and listeners. In fact, much of what passes for the art of interviewing in the US public media is little more than a miasma - an insult to the same people who are now being asked to lobby for its continued funding
When will US public broadcasting interviewers grow a backbone like Paxman and finally start to do their job of hold our leadership to account? Perhaps then they might deserve the viewing public's money & support?
