If you ever thought presenters’ questions were getting
easier, think again.
Boris Johnson’s annihilation by Eddie Mair on the Politics
Show is evidence, if needed, that they are getting tougher.
How do you answer a question like ‘you’re nasty piece of work
aren’t you?’ Boris bumbled his way through with an ill-considered response,
which succeeded in incriminating him further and damaging his integrity in a way
which has probably jeopardised any hopes he might have had about being a party
leader.
It reminded me of the question put to David Cameron by Matt
Baker on BBC TV’s One Show last year – ‘how on earth do you sleep at night?’ It
is a question that is an attempt to de-stabilise the interviewee by calling into
question their moral make up.
When it comes to making the most out of media interviews, you
may need to be prepared for this kind of below-the-belt question. It is worth
asking yourself ‘what’s the worst question I could be asked?’ and then consider
how you would respond. Think of it as the ‘killer question’.
When it came to responding to the question put to him, Boris
had a choice, he could have said: ‘Whatever else I am, I am a man of integrity
and I find your question insulting. For that reason, I am not going to defend
myself against each of these allegations now, because I feel that I have done so
already.’
When replying to Matt Baker’s question, David Cameron ignored
the negative overtone in the question and played it straight down the line,
saying: “I always try to get a good night’s sleep…after all, if you’re exhausted
you end up making the wrong decisions.”
This is just one of the reasons perhaps why Cameron is PM and
Johnson is Mayor.