Interviewing the Interviewer (vulture.com) 94
Terry Gross, NPR's The Fresh Air host, on the art of the Q&A: "People are always projecting things. They're hearing things that weren't said or projecting meaning that was not intended and, perhaps, not even implied. I've gotten both insults and compliments for interviews I've never done. What can you do? There's no way of controlling what people think. I do have a bullshit detector and it's something I'll use, but I do think I try and be empathetic to everyone I interview," said Terry Gross.
Why the quotes? (Score:5, Informative)
NPR to be informed. [businessinsider.com]
I don't get why folks have a problem with NPR. It's the only news source that I can actually hear both sides without the yelling and other bullshit - they do have many conservatives and Republicans on and let them say what they have to say. As a matter of fact, it's the only source where I can actually hear and understand the conservative side because the NPR folks actually ask decent questions.
And NPR is the news source that keeps me a centrist and not drinking the Leftist Kool-Aid because I can hear the rational versions of the conservative side - unlike Fox News.
I also can hear the rational side of the liberal side.
Re:Why the quotes? (Score:5, Interesting)
It's the best of the "two sides to every story" echo chamber. But as your comment reinforces, we are stuck in a two party mentality and getting a slick spokesman from the Democrat and Republican parties to comment on your show does not illuminate a path to the truth. I listen to NPR all the time, but their bias is sufficient to make me chuckle. Some of the in-depth shows on NPR are excellent - to some extent the news shows are limited by their format. Terry Gross, on topic, once did an interview with Bill O'Reilly. Now, he is a tremendous asshole - but her interview was immediately combative and he ended up walking off the set. During the interview, O'Reilly pointed out that she had just interviewed Al Franken - a fellow political entertainer - and he was given a softball interview. Listening to the Franken interview, it is true - it was a lovefest. I still listen to her and respect her, but her political bias is obvious.
And thank you for that!! (Score:1)
Your comment is a perfect example of a NPR listener!
We are discerning, we don't take things at face value, we question and are skeptical......
Of course there's horseshit! We've all heard it. I mean there have been times when I have cringed at what I've heard.
But all in all, NPR is one of the best things in the USA for information - obviously it's not perfect. But that's what the tissue in our skull is for.
You're preaching to choir.
-Parent Poster
Re: Why the quotes? (Score:1)
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There used to be a nice show where they would have two people with very opposed views talk things out, and the moderator mostly sat back. It wasn't run as a set of quips and soundbites getting equal time, there was actual discussion of ideas from guests who don't act like stereotypes. It was the opposite of an echo chamber, the whole point of the show was to expose people to other ideas and viewpoints. Sure, there are some listeners who will never get past their own ideas that all liberals are empty heade
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Well, Gross's political leanings wouldn't be a big deal if she wasn't bragging about how empathetic she is with the interviewee.
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This is not an excuse, I'm just saying that politics isn't always the reason for everything.
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It was just a very stark example so I chose it. You could be right, but then all I can say is she has a very strong correlation between "guests she respects" and "liberal guests". I still like to listen to some of her interviews - her show is a regular podcast of mine (though I admit to skipping the artsy and celebrity ones, which are most of them these days).
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Read the rest of this comment...
No.
Shit leading up to that invite to continue are irrelevant to Terry Gross, so why would I?
Fuck off.
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Now, assholes like yourself ...
Actually, I'm more of a shithole [cnn.com].
... think that ...
TL;DR
Fuck off.
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I got a name.
You?
Troll on.
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Fuck off.
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LOL
Fuck off.
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8/10, would read troll again.
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You also have to distinguish between all the shows and where they come from. There's NPR, APR, the local stations themselves, and so forth. I don't like Michael Krasny from KQED (San Francisco) often as things just get too liberal or too parochial, but that's his own show and not officially sponsored by NPR, PBS or anything but the local station.
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And NPR is the news source that keeps me a centrist and not drinking the Leftist Kool-Aid because I can hear the rational versions of the conservative side - unlike Fox News.
Wow. Lots of mixed messages in there: "keeps me centrist", "not drinking the Leftist Kool-Aid" , "rational versions of conservative side" -- that last one is pretty funny given recent/current events -- "Fox 'News'" (extra quotes mine).
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True, I am always surprised by how much shouting and mudslinging there is on some mainstream news outlets. And when it's not there, there is still the louder volume than normal. It feels a bit like they're channeling the "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" line from Network. But on NPR it remains much more civilized even on controversial topics, and if the show is a call-in show the moderator works to keep things cordial. And it works.
Sure, NPR in San Francisco has a more leftish b
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Interesting to know if you have a better example of how to interview someone.
Re: Why is this on Slashdot? (Score:1)
Bill O'Reilly
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Would you like to post a link to an interview that you felt was extremely biased one way or the other? NPR has everything up on their website.
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Now this isn't all Terri's fault... Bill O'Reilly is a huge douchebag and Al Franken is charming. But listen to her differing approach in these two interviews of people who, at the time, had almost the exact same role (political-based entertainment):
Bill O'Reilly's Fresh Air Interview [npr.org]
Al Franken's Fresh Air Interview [npr.org]
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I'm not sure what that has to do with my point... did the word "Franken" trigger you? I certainly wasn't defending the man, but he is charming. So is Bill Clinton, and I think the man is far worse than Franken in the sexual predator department.
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I was just trying to cut Terri a break - but whether or not you agree that he is charming is not really important to make my point. She clearly approached the two men very differently and my assertion is it was (perhaps unconscious) bias on her part.
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You don't think:
1.) Terry Gross is a nerd?
2.) That her stuff matters?
I do, and I enjoyed the article.
Get your own goddam forum and edit it yourself.
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Apparently, it meant a LOT to you.
The nerd connection (Score:4, Interesting)
So this is an interview where one interviewer interviews and another interviewer who usually interviews some famous people?
Where's the nerd connection? Is it that the nerds among us would start genering jokes about the meta-levels of interviewing?
Can we reach level three here by having a slashdot Q&A with the author? Level four, anybody?
Re:The nerd connection (Score:5, Insightful)
Terry Gross is probably the best in the world at what she does. I find that interesting. How did she get that way? Well it turns out that fear of not being good enough is at least part of what makes her good at her job. I find that interesting too.
How did she end up doing what she does? She failed at something else (being a writer). That's something that resonates in tech.
And she talks about making the trolls angry.
But ultimately being exposed to different information than you're used to isn't tantamount to an injury. It's good for you, just like reading an article on technology would be good for someone who mainly reads about public affairs, or art history.
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But ultimately being exposed to different information than you're used to isn't tantamount to an injury. It's good for you,
Which is why Republicans are continually trying to kill NPR. It exposes people to different ideas, different points of view, different lifestyles, different people. That can't be allowed to happen.
Imagine the chaos which would ensue if people could get information about what was happening not only in their country, but around the world, and not be told what to think.
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Terry Gross is probably the best in the world at what she does.
Wow, I just couldn't disagree more. I stopped listening to her years ago because of her softball interviewing style, with questions that are either uninformed or ignorant or that just plain miss the point. If her interview subjects end up saying really interesting things, it's not because of anything Terry Gross did. I think she's really terrible, and I'm not talking about political interviews, either. If she had Guillermo del Toro on, I expect she'd ask him how he first got interested in water.
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While I listen to public radio for an hour or so every day, I had never heard of this woman before.
I had never even heard of NPR, or that the Republicans (as per below) wanted to shut down the NPR.
Not every slashdot reader lives in the american culture frame of reference.
Well, another day where I learned something.
She prompts her guests too much (Score:2)
I’m really not fond of her interviewing style. I find that, like many seasoned journalists, she rarely lets her guests develop their thoughts for more than a few seconds, interrupting them and then speaking as much (if not more) than them. She has the irritating tendency to feed words to her guests (at least, those who are less comfortable speaking than her), starting a line of thought for them (as in “It must have felt so blah blah such and such. How did you feel when blah blah blah?”) an
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Yeah. I learned in high school that you ask open-ended questions and let them give you their answer. Extensive projection, suggestion, and exposition, often leading to a yes-or-no response, is the opposite of what you want. I guess Terry is going for a more conversational process, but the more she talks, the more uncomfortable I get listening, and usually give up pretty quickly.
Re:The nerd connection (Score:4, Informative)
Astute (Score:5, Insightful)
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I meant surprising if they claimed left-right blindness or admitted they're not sensitive to their donors when choosing content.