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Talk about....

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Flip Wilson, Oct 5, 2018.

  1. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

  2. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    It’d be a strawman if I’d been talking about sports reporters. But I wrote “news reporters.” Think a political press conference, or a CNN interview, and all the fake grandstanding those sessions can entail.

    I mean, Jim Acosta often asks horrible questions. He doesn’t even ask questions, really. He makes an argument, then says “isn’t that true?”
     
  3. TexasVet

    TexasVet Active Member

    I'm not a fan of "talk about" ... however, if I need to interview the sophomore running back, it's his first-ever interview and and he keeps giving me one word answers or basic cliches, and I'm on deadline, I sometimes revert to "talk about" or "describe that play" or "what was going through your mind on that run" or something like that. But in a presser with the pros? Hell no!
     
  4. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    OK I agree with this, though I'll say the point of those is almost never to solicit any actual information, particularly with this press secretary. They are performances meant to show people they are attempting to hold those in power to account.
     
  5. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

  6. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    Yes, I agree, they kind of are. They're also not new.
     
  7. Tweener

    Tweener Well-Known Member

    Asking someone to describe a key play or what what was going through their mind during it is actually a reporter doing his/her job. No shame at all there.

    I think it's different than simply asking someone to "talk about" something as general as their success against a certain team.

    I don't judge another reporter on what questions they ask -- do whatever works for you -- but I personally don't use "talk about" because I feel I'm issuing a demand rather than a question, which makes me uncomfortable, and because in my experience whenever someone is asked to talk about something, the directive usually isn't sepecific enough to get a good answer.
     
    TexasVet likes this.
  8. Fredrick

    Fredrick Well-Known Member

    Just ask a question and a guy like Chris Sale won't embarrass you by saying, "No."
     
    Doc Holliday likes this.
  9. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    I'm old fashioned, but I always viewed talking to athletes/coaches after the game as serving one purpose: To get information.

    Not to "get quotes" or hope someone says something interesting. But to acquire information.

    You saw the game. You pretty much know what happened. But you may have a few questions as to why certain things happened . . . or didn't happen. So you ask QUESTIONS that satisfy your curiosity and fill in the gaps between what you knew and what you didn't know.

    If you honestly have zero questions about that last drive, then don't ask someone to "talk about" it.
     
    SnarkShark likes this.
  10. Doc Holliday

    Doc Holliday Well-Known Member

    One approach I've really embraced is not to ask direct questions so much as just having a conversation with a coach or player. Sure, in a sense you do ask a question but if you can just listen to what they're saying and add comments or reply to their comments as if you're in a conversation, you'll be amazed at the responses you'll get. It seems like so many reporters ask questions but fail to listen to the answer. I bet this drives coaches and players batshit crazy.

    By steering the interview into a conversation, the feeling of reporter/coach or reporter/player kind of disappears into something along the lines of just two dudes talking. I hear this a lot on talk radio. What happens is it becomes casual and the person being interviewed becomes very comfortable and opens up much better than just by pounding them with direct questions. Think of David Letterman and how he handled guests. They usually just talked and some really good stuff seemed to always come out of it.

    Now, I do think it takes some time to cultivate this type of interview. You kind of need a relationship with the person you're interviewing as in they need to believe you're trustworthy and responsible, and that usually takes time to develop. But I've found that taking an interview this direction can really have some great benefits.
     
    BrendaStarr likes this.
  11. MNgremlin

    MNgremlin Active Member

    How do you do this in a press conference setting?
     
  12. Doc Holliday

    Doc Holliday Well-Known Member

    You don't.
     
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