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Gotcha questions: Pros, Cons
“You made The New York Times,’’ a colleague chuckled, reading a list of the toughest questions overcome by a newly elected President. Fast forward to today where news networks tarnish their brands by taking sides.
When I was fresh out of college in the late 1980s and early 1990s, stumping a presidential candidate with a question he hadn’t heard from thousands of other journalists was an ongoing challenge. And heady stuff.
In any career, standing out in a crowd and appearing to have original ideas your audience cares about is a sure-fire way to move ahead. It’s far preferable to offer original questions and ideas than to suggest something that’s predictable.
Make Tim Russert your role model
Study Tim Russert. The late Tim Russert set the standard for tough questions and NBC has been struggling ever since his death in 2008:
1. Learn as much as you can about a guest or the person you’re questioning. Russert, an attorney, dug up research subjects often weren’t aware of or had forgotten and was always in command. In contrast, CNBC’s Becky Quick couldn’t explain (until after a commercial break) that she’d gotten a quote from Donald…
