Watching Katy Tur’s just concluded interview with Senator Barrasso of Wyoming really set my teeth on edge. He clearly had his talking points down cold, including what I’d guess has become a directive to blow through any journalist confronting bullshit with facts with more bullshit talking points. However, it was the end of the interview when he repeatedly refused to answer a pretty straightforward question by pivoting to complaining about Obamacare.
The question? Given his ranting about the mandated coverage in Obamacare plans and his using his own example (well, his wife’s anyway) about pre-existing conditions Tur asked him if under the proposed plan he’s going to vote for he can promise the voters of Wyoming that people with pre-existing conditions would be able to afford a health care plan under this latest attempt to gut the ACA. He kept ranting about Obamacare, and she kept reminding him her question wasn’t about Obamacare plans but the Graham-Cassidy bill he intends to vote for. She kept reminding him of the question and he kept refusing to answer it, carrying on with his talking points about Obamacare.
And I kept thinking to myself why not just cut HIS microphone, and with hers still live tell him she’d done so and wouldn’t allow him to be heard anymore unless he acknowledge the question he’d been asked and either answered it or refused to do so.
It’s often been said it’s dangerous to stand between a politician and a microphone/TV camera. So why don’t journalists recognize that fact and use the fact that in a live interview they can cut off a non-responsive subject. To be fair they can establish ground rules ahead of time — as in if you want to be heard but are only going to repeat talking points buy TV time for an ad but if you want to be on our/my air time then either answer the question put to you or we will cut your mic and tell the audience why we are doing so. You get one warning via mic cut, and if you still don’t answer the question put to you then we’ll announce the interview is over because you refuse to answer questions. And move on.
Is what I’m suggesting all that radical a notion?