The Politics Of An Interview
.@GStephanopoulos is sharing tips with aspiring political reporters.
The @GMA anchor is mentoring @ABC News embeds as they chase down candidates in the lead up to the midterms in #PowerTripABC. New episodes drop every Sunday only on @Hulu.
Find it here: https://t.co/3JGmWP2ApS pic.twitter.com/zFExacQKdj
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 7, 2022
When a public figure sits down for an interview, the general public has an opportunity to view and critique the final product. Unfortunately, many viewers don’t have the opportunity to see what goes into landing the interview. Not only are politicians, entertainers, etc. extremely busy, but there are also a number of barriers separating many public figures from the journalists attempting to speak with them.
In this episode of Power Trip, George Stephanopolous and ABC News offer insight into the different steps that it may take to land a sit down with a sitting public officer or a candidate. Out in Michigan, Jocelyn Benson had what appeared to be a smooth, in-depth conversation with Paulina Tam about election security. Elsewhere, Will McDuffie is attempting to track down Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano and land an interview. In contrast to Benson, Mastriano’s handlers have put a number of barriers between McDuffie and the gubernatorial candidate that make an interview seem nearly out of reach. When comparing the two interviews, it becomes clear as to how certain candidates and public officers can carefully craft their media presence by controlling the politics of who they will and won’t speak to.
Heading into the next episode, McDuffie is going to be left wondering if he should continue playing by the rules set by Mastriano’s team or if he should push the boundaries and ask Mastriano a tough question as he’s leaving an event.
Studio vs. The Field
In the second episode of Power Trip, viewers are introduced to an embed by the name of Hannah Demissie. Stationed in North Carolina, Demissie is tasked with attending a Trump rally and speaking with his supporters. As she moves through the rally, supporters explain why it was important for them to attend the rally. Some say it’s for the betterment of the nation while others use their camera time to berate “depraved” politicians in the nation’s capital. After the rally concludes, Demissie spends some time speaking with George Stephanopolous about what the atmosphere was like in North Carolina.
“So are these the truest of the true believers?” the Good Morning America anchor asks.
“I would say so. Yeah,” Demissie answers.
Moments after speaking to Demissie, cameras find Stephanopoulos speaking to political strategist Donna Brazile and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie about Trump’s potential impact on the 2022 midterm election cycle. During this conversation, Christie expresses that the GOP is attempting to distance itself from the former reality show host.
At this moment, it’s interesting to see the juxtaposition of what cameras are showing in the field and what political analysts are seeing from where they are. If the only vantage point viewers had of Trump was the camera footage from his rallies, it would appear that he’s still as popular as ever with conservative voters. In contrast, it would appear that Trump had lost a step if their only vantage point was from the lens of a former governor within the GOP.
Five Tool Reporter
In baseball, a five-tool player is described as an athlete with a wide variety of skills like speed, arm strength, fielding ability, etc. As an embed, journalists have to be five-tool reporters. Similar to what is shown in the first episode of Power Trip, episode two prominently shows reporters not only asking important questions, but it also spotlights a reporter’s ability to operate a camera on the go, take notes, find people to interview and much more. In one frame Paulina Tam is carrying a camera around the clerk’s office and at another moment she’s the one conducting the interview.
This is not an in-studio show where everything is set up nicely. In the field, these reporters have to be able to do anything and everything while also being able to troubleshoot if something were to go wrong. Being a five-tool storyteller is difficult, but a necessary role within the world of television.
