Gotcha journalism is when journalists try to get people to contradict themselves or say self-defeating things by deceiving them. Techniques include asking difficult questions, presenting information out of context, and embarrassing respondents. While there may be legitimate reasons for it, there are other ways to confront inconsistencies. Tim Russert was known for being a tough interviewer but also fully representing the opinions of those he interviewed.
Gotcha journalism is a term that has been slowly gaining popularity since 1982. Historically its use can be traced back to 1982 when the British tabloid The Sun featured a headline of the single word “GOTCHA”. Gotcha journalism has since come to mean specific attempts by journalists to get people to contradict themselves or to say things that will prove self-defeating, usually by deceiving the person in one way or another.
Techniques for gotcha journalism can vary. In a planned interview a reporter may decide to ask questions that the interviewee doesn’t really want to answer, or the reporter may be prepared with facts and information that will challenge anticipated answers. This can easily happen with the amount of news available about public figures. A political figure who has made contradicting statements might be challenged with quotes of their own statements that directly contradict a present answer in an interview, or even in some cases, prepared footage of their own opposing answers from an earlier date.
Another way journalists can practice gotcha journalism is by taking partial answers and presenting them in context out of context. A television news agency might use footage that contradicts what someone is saying or shows the opposite side of something. If a politician were foolish enough to exclaim that there was no homelessness in America, for example, a television program might use this voiceover while showing footage of homelessness in America.
Other examples of gotcha journalism include putting respondents on edge by asking them for embarrassing or controversial information, especially if the person being interviewed is clearly not prepared to answer these questions. Part of the goal may be to make the interviewee appear less intelligent or visibly embarrassed. Another goal is to get statements from the person that will not reflect well on that person.
While not specifically journalism, the Michael Moore film Bowling for Columbine repeatedly practiced a gotcha form of journalism. This was especially true when he visited Charlton Heston and represented himself as a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Moore did not let Heston know that he would be pursuing a line of questioning not in line with NRA philosophy, and would actually confront Heston about some of his actions in support of the NRA after the devastating shootings of children.
There may be some legitimate reasons to practice some forms of gotcha journalism, but there are other ways to confront people about apparent inconsistencies in their statements or actions. The late Tim Russert of news fame was extremely good at this, especially as host of the NBC show Meet the Press. He was known as one of the toughest interviewers in the industry, but he also made sure that he fully represented the opinions of the people he interviewed. Those people who interviewed Russert were also aware that they would have to explain any apparent inconsistencies in behavior and statements. This is not mainstream journalism because the interviewees would be asked very difficult questions when meeting with Russert.
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