Ever wondered just how important it is to have examples you can use in media interviews?
It is something we always stress during our media training courses. You will also have read us go on about it in these blogs.
And two interviews that saw a journalist repeatedly ask for examples to support a claim have received plenty of attention this week and act as a great reminder.
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First up was Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary.
She appeared on Sky News and discussed the Government’s recommended new reforms to the BBC to “tackle perceptions of bias”.
Presenter Kay Burley asked whether she thought the broadcaster was biased and for examples.
“This report isn’t about incidents. But we have seen recently it has had to apologise for its own reporting in relation to the attack on the hospital in Gaza.”
When Ms Burley suggested there was a difference between mistake and bias, she replied: “There is a perception amongst the public the BBC is biased, and as culture secretary, I must look at that.
“I must say these are issues I have discussed with the BBC…”
Ms Burley interrupted that point, saying she was asking about the evidence of bias.
“The evidence of bias is what audiences believe is the content of the BBC and…”
“That’s not evidence, the presenter interrupted again “That’s perception.”
This was met with a stumbling response.
“That is evidence… That is evid… Impartiality is about perception of the things that are being broadcast by the BBC. And the evidence in relation to that perception is that erm…”
Govt says there’s evidence of bias at the #BBC ?
— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) January 22, 2024
But Culture Sec @lucyfrazermp can't quite find the words or examples…#KayBurley FC pic.twitter.com/I0Xocpf7PK
Convinced?
With no meaningful examples, it is a message that lacks credibility.
Examples and stories are needed to back up points and evidence what is being said.
One of our expert media training tutors once said, “Messages without evidence are just rhetoric”.
That has stayed with me.
If you can’t evidence your message, it is little more than an empty statement.
We need proof points.
If you felt that was a painful watch, there was more to come the following day.
This time, Huw Merriman, the transport minister, was on media interview duty for the government.
And, having described himself as a “friend of the BBC”, he offered some examples of ‘bias’.
Is the #BBC biased?
— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) January 23, 2024
Govt minister @HuwMerriman says it is
We ask for some examples#KayBurley PO pic.twitter.com/4ETcYgYnxB
He first suggested News Quiz, a satirical Radio 4 programme, which he described as “completely biased”.
“You understand that News Quiz is comedy and nothing to do with actual news?”, Ms Burley asked.
As the conversation continued, the presenter repeatedly asked for an example of where the BBC had been biased.
“I know you’ve had 24 hours to think about it, so you must have specific examples of when BBC News has been biased – give me one,” she asked.
The reply will have surprised many - Neil Buchanan, who he accused of only giving one side of the story.
Neil Buchanan is the former presenter of Art Attack, a children’s programme on ITV that ended in 2007.
Quite the error. And quite a distraction.
Minister accuses Art Attack presenter of ‘bias#’ as he tried to lay in to BBC Independent
Toy Minister accuses Art Attack presenter of ‘BBC bias’ in another gaffe Daily Record
Somehow a Tory MP has dragged Art Attack hero Neil Buchanan into BBC Bias row Metro
Does this Toy Minister think Art Atack is biased? The Spectator
Having had a day to prepare – and seen how his colleague came unstuck when facing Ms Burley, surely he could have done a bit better and been more on top of his brief.
So, what can other media spokespeople learn from this?
Well, both interviews suggest a lack of preparation.
During our media training courses, we use the acronym AMEN. It stands for Audience, Message, Negative and Examples.
It encourages spokespeople to consider who they are talking to, what they want to tell them, the potential negative questions, and the examples to support their message.
If the message they wanted to land was that the BBC is biased, what examples support that claim?
If that was not where they wanted the focus, prepare for the ‘negative’ part of AMEN and think about the challenging topics and questions that could be brought into the interview.
As we’ve said many, many times, preparation is crucial to media interview success.
Spokespeople should always consider examples and stories that illustrate their message ahead of the interview.
If you struggle to think of any that feel relevant, ask your comms team for support.
Once you’ve got some examples, practice using them.
Do they support the message in the way you think? Are they confusing? Could they become a distraction?
Are they topical?
Are they easy to remember?
Don’t wait to be asked
We often find during the initial interviews on our practical media training courses, that delegates have brilliant stories to share that illustrate their message.
But they wait for the right question to use them.
That may never arrive.
So, don’t wait to be asked for examples. Be proactive and get to them early.
Personal
Examples need to be relatable and have a human element. The best ones are those which are personal to the spokesperson.
To give Mr Merriman some credit, he did add a personal element to his News Quiz example.
"I was driving from my constituency office to home for 10 minutes, and all I heard - and it wasn't satirical - was just diatribe against the Conservatives, not the government," he said.
"I did listen to it and think, for goodness’ sake, where is the balance in that?”
So, it is a shame the example lacked relevance.
Generally, personal stories, examples and anecdotes help make messages relevant, provide a human side to the organisation and help spokespeople speak with confidence and sound more fluent.
Our brains like stories about people.
Speaking of people, let’s spare a thought for Neil Buchanan. He must have wondered what on earth had happened, as his name trended on social media and appeared in headlines.
At least the News Quiz should have plenty of new material this week.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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