When "soft" interviews work better than setting up a fight
The media in this country have a lot to answer for, and never more than when they delight in setting up a situation where people are spitting (metaphorical) venom at one another.
A good example was the confrontation between Yasmin Alabhai-Brown and Rod Liddle on Channel 4 a couple of days ago in which the journalist "chairing" the debate certainly didn't make any attmpt to damp down the flames - watch it for yourself on Guido Fawkes' blog here. It was a discussion which shed 100% heat and 0% light, and will have provided great entertainment for those who enjoy confrontation but very little to those who enjoy a constructive debate.
Now the interesting thing is, Rod Liddle's views probably are not as different from Yasmin AB's as my friend Iain Dale's are. And yet Iain managed to post an interview with her today which was not just infinitely more civilised but also extracted some interesting and nuanced views.
Reading this shortly after I watched the Channel 4 donnybrook, I could hardly believe that the intelligent woman being interiewed, who came over as far more open minded and had views which often did not fit the stereotype people have of her, was the same person who told Rod Liddle that she was proud of how much she loathed him.
The contrast between the way Yasmin AB came over in the Iain Dale interview compared with the Channel 4 confrontation is of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde proportions.
You can read Iain's interview here.
A good example was the confrontation between Yasmin Alabhai-Brown and Rod Liddle on Channel 4 a couple of days ago in which the journalist "chairing" the debate certainly didn't make any attmpt to damp down the flames - watch it for yourself on Guido Fawkes' blog here. It was a discussion which shed 100% heat and 0% light, and will have provided great entertainment for those who enjoy confrontation but very little to those who enjoy a constructive debate.
Now the interesting thing is, Rod Liddle's views probably are not as different from Yasmin AB's as my friend Iain Dale's are. And yet Iain managed to post an interview with her today which was not just infinitely more civilised but also extracted some interesting and nuanced views.
Reading this shortly after I watched the Channel 4 donnybrook, I could hardly believe that the intelligent woman being interiewed, who came over as far more open minded and had views which often did not fit the stereotype people have of her, was the same person who told Rod Liddle that she was proud of how much she loathed him.
The contrast between the way Yasmin AB came over in the Iain Dale interview compared with the Channel 4 confrontation is of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde proportions.
You can read Iain's interview here.
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