{"id":521311,"date":"2021-05-18T10:50:54","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T14:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=521311"},"modified":"2021-05-18T10:50:59","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T14:50:59","slug":"how-the-media-use-and-abuse-interviews-to-push-their-narrative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-media-use-and-abuse-interviews-to-push-their-narrative\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Media Use And Abuse Interviews To Push Their Narrative"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-the-media-use-and-abuse-interviews-to-push-their-narrative%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=521311&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1298158450-1200x800-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p>Biased reporting is such an inescapable reality that discerning news consumers must be able to identify and articulate the forms of it bias takes. Few outlets provide a better example of such clearly unfair treatment as televised interviews.<\/p>\n<p>At their best, interviews give us a chance to learn more about the most pressing issues of the day from experts on the topic. At their worst, they give the interviewer the chance to amplify one side of the argument while undermining the other.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/ayman-mohyeldin\/watch\/netanyahu-advisor-pressed-on-israeli-palestinian-relations-amid-deadly-clashes-in-jerusalem-111712325966\">perfect illustration<\/a> of bias took place on the May 11, 2021, edition of MSNBC\u2019s \u201cAyman Mohyeldin Reports.\u201d The interview features numerous tactics commonly used during biased interviews. While Mohyeldin invited two sides of the Israeli-Gaza conflict \u2014 Palestinian activist Mohammed El-Kurd and former Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mark Regev \u2014 their treatment could hardly have been more different.<\/p>\n<p>By breaking down this segment, we are able to understand the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rx5vj_5Yc5I\">structures<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AymanMohyeldin\/videos\/senior-israeli-advisor-mark-regev-joined-me-to-explain-his-governments-policies-\/799087384368985\/?__so__=permalink&#038;__rv__=related_videos\">tactics<\/a> used by legacy media hosts to change your perception of the news in real time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Selection of a biased interviewer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One way to assure a lopsided interview is to assign the story to an interviewer with a personal stake in the argument. \u201cConflicts of interest come in many shapes \u2014 financial holdings, romantic relationships, family ties, book deals, speaking engagements, and others,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/about-npr\/688405012\/independence\">according<\/a> to the NPR Ethics Handbook (produced at taxpayer expense). The deception goes further if the viewers are unaware of this conflict of interest.<\/p>\n<p>Ayman Mohyeldin was born in Cairo to a Palestinian mother, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gqmiddleeast.com\/Ayman-Mohyeldin-newsman-of-the-year-GQ-ME-Awards-2020\">according<\/a> to the Middle Eastern edition of GQ magazine, yet this fact was not disclosed to the audience during this segment. As if to remove all doubt, the morning of the interview, Mohyeldin <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AymanM\/status\/1392127831522615298\">tweeted<\/a>: \u201cThe latest Israel-Palestine crisis isn\u2019t a \u2018real estate dispute.\u2019 It\u2019s ethnic cleansing.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"6.3559322033898\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The latest Israel-Palestine crisis isn&#8217;t a &#8216;real estate dispute.&#8217; It&#8217;s ethnic cleansing. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pU7Nl6htzM\">https:\/\/t.co\/pU7Nl6htzM<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MSNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MSNBC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HayesBrown?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@HayesBrown<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AymanM\/status\/1392127831522615298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 11, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Framing of guests (e.g., poisoning the well)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Another tactic to create a biased interview involves the way the guests are presented. The way an announcer introduces each guest to his audience primes viewers for how they should react: Which details the host chooses to include or exclude can influence the way the audience cognitively processes the information each guest presents.<\/p>\n<p>In this segment, Mohyeldin described his first guest, Mohammed El-Kurd, as a \u201cPalestinian facing eviction\u201d \u2014 that is, as someone personally affected by Israeli encroachments. He introduced Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom Mark Regev as an Israeli government official, presumably responsible for the other guest\u2019s plight \u2014 which is exactly how Mohyledin framed his questions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Questions contain either an invitation or an accusation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The most transparent kinds of bias involve the questions the interviewer asks, as well as differing treatment accorded to the guests. To help locate the bias, listen carefully to the question and see whether it contains an <em>invitation<\/em> or an <em>accusation<\/em>. A friendly interviewer will <em>invite <\/em>his guest to give his or her side of the story. Questions of this sort usually contain phrases like, \u201cTell us about \u2026,\u201d \u201cSet the stage for us \u2026\u201d, or \u201cGive us your analysis of \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A hostile interviewer will embed an <em>accusation <\/em>into his question. These questions usually contain negative data, a hostile\/demeaning quotation, or a seemingly authoritative consensus that contradicts the argument that the guest is making. The interviewer is acting as a <em>de facto <\/em>debate opponent rather than eliciting information.<\/p>\n<p>These devices are key ways reporters expand or contract debate. An <em>invitation<\/em> tells the guest to respond to the question; it gives the guest an opportunity to repeat prepared talking points about the underlying issue. An <em>accusation\u00a0<\/em>constricts debate by demanding the guest respond to a narrow issue, usually something that undermines his argument. Since interview time is precious, that means the guest will have less time to discuss his or her talking points and make the strongest case for the opposing side.<\/p>\n<p>But discerning news consumers must make one more distinction: Citing an objection to the guest\u2019s viewpoint does not in itself mark a hostile interview. In fact, one variant of this tactic can actually work as an invitation: the <em>invitation to refute <\/em>a straw man argument. In these cases, the host will invite his guest to respond to opponents who are not present and, thus, unable to make a stronger case for themselves.<\/p>\n<p>The way to tell the difference is <em>the level of specificity<\/em> and detail contained in the accusation. Extended quotations (often placed on the screen to make them more memorable), a series of statistics, or appeals to authority are intended to knock a guest off-base. A vague or unattributed objection, preceded by \u201cHow do you respond to those who would say \u2026,\u201d is an <em>invitation to<\/em> <em>refute<\/em>. This kind of invitation is a form of poisoning the well that keeps viewers from taking the other argument seriously when they hear it.<\/p>\n<p>In this interview, Mohyeldin asked El-Kurd three questions, each of which contained an invitation. He began, \u201cWalk us through the situation. What has it been like for you and your family during this latest escalation that we have seen play out?\u201d Later, he told El-Kurd, \u201cI want you to tell us and our viewers what this is to you and your family and to other Palestinians experiencing this,\u201d and adding, \u201cI want to give you a chance\u201d to respond to the U.S. State Department.<\/p>\n<p>Mohyeldin also gave El-Kurd an <em>invitation to refute<\/em> to the other side: \u201cTo those who say this is working its way through the legal process and through Israeli courts \u2014 what would you say to them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Note the lack of specificity and the briefest possible allusion to the Israeli government\u2019s position. No details were given.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, Mohyeldin\u2019s discussion with Regev was replete with accusations. He began by asking the ambassador to address El-Kurd personally: \u201cCan you commit to him and his family that they will not be expelled from their homes?\u201d This made Regev seem personally responsible for El-Kurd\u2019s fate and, thus, make the audience dislike him.<\/p>\n<p>Mohyeldin then played an extended videotape of an Israeli settler boasting of taking Palestinian land. When Regev responded that the man was a private citizen, Mohyeldin replied, \u201cOK, so if you\u2019re saying he\u2019s a private citizen, let me play for you what the deputy mayor of Jerusalem said \u2026.\u201d He followed that quotation with another extended accusation:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"10\">\n<p><em>As you very well know, the international community does not recognize your sovereignty over East Jerusalem. A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner said that any actions in Jerusalem that are enforced that would ultimately evict Palestinian families, under international humanitarian law may amount to a war crime. What do you say to the international community who does not recognize Israel\u2019s sovereignty over East Jerusalem and says what you\u2019re doing to families like Mohammed El-Kurd\u2019s and others is possibly a war crime? <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Compare the level of specificity and the heated language in this <em>accusation<\/em> to the <em>invitation to refute<\/em> that he offered El-Kurd.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Interruption<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Interruption is another common marker of media bias. Hosts let guests who share their views go on at length, or steer them toward a better soundbite, while they cut off or speak over guests who conflict with their own bias.<\/p>\n<p>This was the most evident form of bias in the interview. After Mohyeldin talked over top of Regev twice in a row, Regev responded, \u201cThe guy speaking before me, you didn\u2019t interrupt once. Not once, and you\u2019re not letting me finish a sentence, sir. I don\u2019t want to complain, but please.\u201d Mohyeldin immediately interrupted him again.<\/p>\n<p>In all, El-Kurd spoke for three, uninterrupted bursts: 1 minute, 28 seconds; 1 minute, 15 seconds; and 49 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Regev spoke for 44 seconds; 36 seconds; 5 seconds; 4 seconds; 9 seconds; 7 seconds; 31 seconds; 19 seconds; 50 seconds; 49 seconds; 1 minute, 24 seconds; and 39 seconds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Challenging or championing the narrative<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>An interviewer can guide the audience\u2019s reaction by choosing whether to <em>challenge <\/em>or <em>champion<\/em> the guest\u2019s statements. If he <em>challenges<\/em> the statements, he will respond to a statement with an <em>accusation<\/em>. If he decides to <em>champion<\/em> the guest\u2019s narrative, he may affirm the tone, confirm the importance of the speaker\u2019s point of view, or allow the guest\u2019s most extreme statements to go unchallenged. Conversely, the most innocuous statements from the other side devolve into a contentious debate.<\/p>\n<p>In this case El-Kurd accused the IDF, whom he called the \u201cIsraeli Occupation Forces,\u201d of perpetrating \u201cstate-sanctioned ethnic cleansing\u201d with a level of violence that \u201cis incredibly absurd\u201d and \u201cfascist.\u201d The nation of Israel \u201ccame about by stealing people\u2019s homes and stealing people\u2019s lands and destroying people\u2019s villages,\u201d and it now continues the practice through \u201ca supremacist judicial system, a colonial judicial system.\u201d Mohyeldin did not accuse him once of misspeaking. Similarly, Mohyeldin kept his silence during his recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/ayman-mohyeldin\/watch\/rep-rashida-tlaib-d-mi-on-israel-palestine-tensions-jan-6th-commission-111655493995\">interview<\/a> with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), when she described Israeli policy as a form of \u201capartheid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Revealing or concealing the interview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finally, bias may occur through selectively editing video. While this is less of a concern during a live show, like Mohyeldin\u2019s, it affects the video segments released on social media.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, MSNBC posted the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rx5vj_5Yc5I\">full interview<\/a> with El-Kurd on YouTube but only the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0Bj3II9cfbQ\">second half<\/a> of his interview with Regev. Luckily, Mohyeldin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AymanMohyeldin\/videos\/senior-israeli-advisor-mark-regev-joined-me-to-explain-his-governments-policies-\/799087384368985\/?__so__=permalink&#038;__rv__=related_videos\">shared<\/a> the full interview with Regev on his Facebook page.<\/p>\n<p>These are just a few tactics employed to tip the scales during an interview. Recognizing them can help a viewer understand the host\u2019s bias and the questions which need probing if he hopes to get to the bottom of the topic, instead of passively adopting the bias of his host.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ben Johnson (@therightswriter) is the Media Reporter at The Daily Wire.\u00a0He previously worked at the Acton Institute, FrontPage Magazine, and LifeSiteNews. He\u2019s the author of three books, including\u00a0<\/em>Party of Defeat<em>\u00a0<\/em><em>(2008, with David Horowitz).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biased reporting is such an inescapable reality that discerning news consumers must be able to identify and articulate the forms of it bias takes. Few outlets provide a better example &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2278409,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1298158450-1200x800-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"How The Media Use And Abuse Interviews To Push Their Narrative","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-521311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1298158450-1200x800-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"How The Media Use And Abuse Interviews To Push Their Narrative","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2278409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}