Media -Time to do away with Q & A interviews and redefining News

Following Jayalalitha’s death, Karan Thapar’s interview with J Jayalalithaa done in 2004 has been shared and discussed in social media and other media. Karan Thapar himself had written about that interview and how some questions just slipped from his tongue and made him miserable. Those who have analysed the interview will understand that the questions were a bit shallow and it was preceded by the statement- the’ press says’, or ‘press alleges’ or ‘the media said.’ This is the way most interviews are conducted on TV and also other media.

Perhaps, it is time to rethink about how to conduct interviews not only for the print media but also for broadcast media and online.

1.Why not stop Q & A: The traditional mode of interview is for the journo to ask questions- it may be factual questions, questions on policy, controversial questions. Although a minister, MLA or MP represents the people and has an upper hand or authority, he or she still is not the single source for all the answers related to an issue.  On the other hand, if it turns into a dialogue where the interviewer uses his knowledge, insight gained from the field to express his comments or allow viewers to send their views and get it aired, it makes sense. Party’s or coalitions views on specific topics can always be send as press release and published if it is so important.

However, this requires considerable reading and research by media and it is not that easy. However, if you go back to the Karan Thapar-Jayalalitha interview- both of them had sheets of paper before them but what was the information or data she wanted to tell. Was there any hard numbers or achievements she wanted to highlight?

Ultimately, a politician’s success should not be just confined to analyzing their victory, defeats in elections or even how people view them but by what changes they made to the State or the country. Is Tamilnadu better off than it was in the 1980’ and early 1990’s? Was Amma’s popularity due to the free sarees or subsidized rice she provided?  Has there been real industrial and economic growth and do investors feel happy with the State Administration? If the media has hard numbers or evidence related to this, it would have given any Chief Minister-whether it is Jayalalitha or Karunanidhi facing the camera a really tough time.

2. Going for TRP and popularity

Media being another business, news has also become a branded commodity. Each programme or a section in a news page may be designed in such a way as to attract maximum readership or TRP rating.

Thus Hard Talk may have a particular pattern of tough questions and answers that may put some leaders in a spot but most often as Jayalalitha says it doesn’t add any value to the viewer.

3.Looking at unusual patterns

The media makes news by pointing out something unusual somebody does. It has to find something unusual in people, events, leaders whether it is negative or positive. The doc who popularized ‘lateral thinking’, Edward de Bono,has pointed out this uniqueness of the media. That perhaps make them celebrate successes rather than find out why the majority fail.

4. Redifining News: News is not the traditional North-East-West-South concept of information coming from different directions. But it should try to answer questions that are relevant to the common man-whether it concerns the banking system, utilities, economic growth, performance of a government or a minister.