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?
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.
