Interview Pushback

You could have a big dipper
Going up and down, all around the bends
You could have a bumper car, bumping
The amusement never ends
--Peter Gabriel

Nice pushback from Rand Paul against a CNBC interviewer who introduces each of four different topics (forced vaccinations, coporate tax holidays, audit the Fed, and ophthalmologist certifications) with slant and then repeatedly interrupts Paul as he tries to respond.

Paul calmly corrects the interviewer various times on her premises and approach. In his wrap-up comments, Paul says:

"Part of the problem is that you end up having interviews like this where the interview is so slanted and full of distortions that you don't get useful information. I think this is what's bad about TV sometimes so, frankly, I think, if we do this again, you need to start out with a little more objectivity going into the interview."

This, of course, is a fundamental problem with journalists seeking to be 'objective' reporters. They have difficulty checking their biases and consequently report distorted views of events.

Slanted interviewer backdrops discourage me from watching or listening to interviews--and certainly from getting interviewed myself. However, Rand Paul provides a good example of how to navigate the minefield while thoughtfully conveying perspective that many information consumers may find useful.