It happens with cable talking heads and news bunnies. It happens with local affiliate news personalities. It may happen with the "major broadcast network" people as well, though I don't see it there as much.
I'm talking about the strained efforts by those mentioned to demonstrate to their public and to whoever they are interviewing that they have done their homework.
"You say in your book that . . . blah, blah, blah . . . Why did you say that ?? "
Don't get me wrong. I do want them to actually do their homework. I just don't want them to be so obvious that they are trying to prove to everyone that that's what they are about.
And in this vein, I would offer a recommendation to the culprits who are not as smooth and professional as they shouold be. They should spend several hours observing, listening to Diane Rehm on NPR (I think it's called "the DR Show") midmornings on your favorite NPR station. Diane is the absolute best radio interviewer in the business today.
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The irony (at least as i understand things in the interviewing world), for the general mass of interviewer, is that most of that "homework" is done by some production assistant, and most questions come from program directors or such, and more than likely have already been shared with the guest ahead of time - esp. the more important/higher profile the guest the better. Thus this "display" of scholasticism is more a show for the audience than for the interviewee, and this makes it seem like utter mockery of the audience.
I believe you are totally accurate on this point, Kev. So the interviewer is playing to the audience attempting to prove he or she has read and understood what, in fact, their production assistant
has actually read and understood.
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