Communication Tools
Investigative Reporters: Prepare for Ambush
There was quite a surprise awaiting the founder of a controversial government contracting firm. As the gentleman left his suburban home one morning, a camera crew from a national television network was waiting for him, eager to discuss a lawsuit charging that his company was culpable for, literally, murder.
It’s called an “ambush interview” and it’s a favorite tool of investigative reporters seeking to catch their targets off guard. The gentleman’s response was not atypical: He refused to talk and jumped in his SUV. As the cameras kept rolling, the CEO looked very much like a man in hiding.
The CEO’s most significant mistake was failing to prepare for an entirely foreseeable threat. At the moment the lawsuit first appeared on the company’s radar screen, the most aggressive sort of media inquiries should have been anticipated and responses crafted. Imagine the following alternative to what actually happened:
Reporter: “What do you have to say to the families whose loved ones were killed?”
CEO: “First and foremost, we offer our sympathies and total support to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic matter. That said; we are confident that any investigation will show that we behaved in a totally responsible and moral way. While I’m not at liberty to discuss details of an ongoing case, I’d be happy to answer further questions at the appropriate time and place.”
Three simple sentences would have thus provided a measure of control so conspicuously absent when the camera started rolling. Nor are all ambush interviews non-negotiable as investigative reporters may agree to postpone to a specific time and place. If not, there are skills that can be still mastered and applied at the critical moment:
- Look directly at the camera or the interviewer. If you don’t, you’ll look guilty no matter what you say, especially when the audience knows you were caught by surprise. One darkish downward glance can become the dominant image on television, online, or in print.
- Speak in sound bytes. The less explanation, the better. The less verbiage, the better. Don’t give the editor a lot of choice about what to cut and what to broadcast.
- In any interview, it’s always important to not repeat a negative but at no time is it more important than during an ambush interview. You don’t want the entire broadcast to be nothing more than your assertion that “we didn’t do it.”
Remember, a phone interview can also be an ambush, and print media reporters have their own myriad ways to spring a trap. In some cases, the “ambush” question may have nothing to do with the ostensible subject of the interview and is only asked after a series of blander questions. Yet it’s the only real reason for the call.
Related Articles: