“I don’t think I go into an interview looking for a fight. I only dig in if I feel like somebody else is digging in and either avoiding the question or out-and-out lying.”
~Soledad O’Brien
Soledad O’brien is rapidly becoming one of my favorite journalists. It isn’t just that’s she confrontational – there’s plenty of that on tv. She just calls a spade a spade. She calls bullshit on her guests who try to propagate lies and talking points that aren’t true. She’s a total boss.
Politico does a great article on her HERE; an excerpt:
She often argues with guests multiple times a week, sometimes before they’ve even had a chance to answer the question she asked them. Some celebrate the confrontational style as a rare display of aggressive journalism. Many, her Republican guests especially, see it as grating, self-serving, and a reflection of what they see as her liberal bias. Either way, the heated exchanges are fast becoming a trademark on the otherwise tame, safe, and stale brand that is CNN.
For O’Brien, who was forced from co-hosting duties on CNN’s American Morning in 2007 amid ratings struggles, all attention is good attention. But it is a tenuous strategy for the network. Cable news is filled with shouting matches, but 7 a.m. arguments can be a rude awakening. Mornings tend to be reserved for the casual informality of the breakfast table. Taking their cue from “Today and “Good Morning America,” the co-hosts of “Fox & Friends” and “Morning Joe” sit around and banter like friends at brunch. O’Brien has a panel, but she takes pride in the one-on-one. And for her, an interview isn’t an interview without some sparring.
I’ve written about her many times including her stumping Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell HERE, the hilarious time when Christine O’Donnell called herself a policy wonk HERE, and the time that she shut down the fake Navy Seal group who claimed it wasn’t a Republican front group HERE.
