How revealing frustration sinks media interviews
When getting grilled by a journalist, going on the offensive is rarely a successful strategy. Here’s why getting angry at a reporter is likely to backfire.
One of the golden rules of a successful interview is to not show any frustration at the questions being asked.
Awkward questions that a spokesperson would rather not answer will inevitably be asked in interviews. Any suggestion that they are frustrated or annoyed by that line of questioning will be seen as them having something to hide.
Spokespeople often seem to struggle with difficult or challenging questions when they believe they are talking about something positive.
There was a great example of this in Australia recently. New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and transport minister, Andrew Constance, were riding a new $368 light rail in Newcastle ahead of its official launch. After stepping off the tram they held a press conference where they clearly wanted to speak glowingly about the project and its benefits.
However, when Newcastle Herald reporter Michael Parris’s line of questioning took on a more challenging tone, the politicians struggled to hide their disdain:
Parris: “You committed four years ago to release a business case for the extension [to the project] …We still have not seen it?”
Constance: “Ah well…sorry what media outlet are you from?”
Parris: “Newcastle Herald.”
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