Why were there so few women on television this general election? A very good question to ask as I've been having the very same conversation with many of my female friends in the past week. And we come back to the same point - actually, the journalists who 'shone' for us in the campaign period were women. Take a bow Laura Kuenssberg, Rita Chakrabati, Joanna Gosling, Julie Etchingham and Cathy Newman. They were all delivering edgy, authoritative journalism day in, day out. But what struck me about the opinions of me and my friends is that none of us cared much, if at all, for the many men being wheeled out to anchor election programmes, nor for their rather bullish style of interviewing. Watching the media conference in the Downing Street garden the day after the coalition was signed, sealed and delivered, I thought, 'um, every major UK media organisation has sent a man to ask the questions.' Unwise, then, for those same news hacks to start asking questions about gender balance in the new cabinet, surely?
If you want to know more about how to handle different types of interviewer, and what to do if you're faced with a reporter who's asking very hard questions when they've been up for 18 hours, then come and talk to us at Tower Media. We can work with you to develop your confidence as an interviewee, and help develop your emergency media response strategy.
Emma Gilliam
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