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Take 2-3 minutes to reflect on the 'interview' you have been allocated, or selected. Decide on the topic and approach. You will be asked shortly to role play this in-studio situation to allow us all to examine the proposition that currently in the media, those who control the microphone and the broadcast systems, also control the contents of programmes and the general behaviour of participants.
Interview A. (2 persons) Situation; Interviewer in control, interviewer as expert, challenging interviewee's opinions while extracting information, interviewer expresses own opinion and ask the interviewee to agree. Suggestion; pick a subject that the 'interviewer' has a good knowledge of, and that the interviewee knows a little about. Interview B. (2 persons) Interviewee is a big celebrity or expert. Interviewer allows her to dominate the interview, defers to her and so interviewee is free to use the airtime as she wishes. Suggestion; interviewee takes on persona of some well-known personality, or becomes an expert and deals with a subject that they are familiar with. Interview C. (3 persons) Interview planned to be confrontational. Two interviewees represent opposing side in some controversial issue. Suggestion; just pick a subject that generates some heat. How would a mainstream interviewer deal with a guest articulating status quo ideas and one making less established views? Interview D. (3 persons, or more) The 'phone-in discussion. Everyone knows who is in control, the in-studio presenter, who selects a topic. Callers know that they will be cut off if they become boring, and do not entertain the listeners. They become 'performers' at the whim of the host. Select several participants, as many are likely to be cut off. Callers should not be able to see each other. Interview E. (all the rest of the group) 'The cult of the media personality'. Group decides on number of guests, not too many, rest of group will 'play' the studio audience. Ambience; interviewer more important than the interviewees, or the studio audience. Audience knows interviewer well and interviews tends to rotate around this. Suggestion; studio guests take on a personality e.g. member of boy band, just published author, woman who gave birth to quads etc. Suggestion; guests should be grateful to get some media coverage. Audience is sycophantic, host should be an insufferable egoist.
At the end of this session we can discuss each type of interview situation. 1. Is it more entertaining than informative? 2. Is there a shift in the balance of power?And more importantly, 3. Is there an interview F. That is, an interview situation
where power is genuinely equal?
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