On Sunday, a panel on Fox News’ MediaBuzz discussed whether or not it was appropriate for journalists to ask politicians so-called “gotcha questions” and if Republicans are treated differently than their Democratic counterparts.
During the discussion, National Journal reporter Ron Fournier defended the “gotcha question” technique and insisted that “there’s got to be plenty of room for gotcha questions. As an interviewer most of my questions that I’ve asked Democrats and Republicans have been trying to elicit information or context, but there are times when I'm trying to test them.”
After agreeing that there shouldn’t be a double standard in how the media questions politicians, Fournier beamed at how he “deliberately” asked politicians gotcha questions before attempting to clarify that “ there are gotcha answers and I think there is gotcha coverage and we can talk about that if you want. But there is nothing wrong with a gotcha question.”
For her part, conservative commentator Mary Katharine Ham pushed back and noted that the entire liberal media often will ask a “gotcha question” aimed at making a Republican look inarticulate or stupid:
Part of the issue is they get asked these different sorts of questions, sometimes more aggressively, and then here is the big one, they're emblematic and they have to be asked of every other single Republican. That almost never happens with Democrats where the same question, oh, well he messed up so now we’re going to ask eight more of you about it. That just doesn't happen on the left and that can be really problematic as we saw with Walker.
See relevant transcript below.
Fox News’ MediaBuzz
March 1, 2015
HOWARD KURTZ: Scott Walker is now raising money based on what he sees as dumb and intrusive questions from reporters saying in a fundraising pitch that he wants to fight back against “the clueless and mindless journalistic herd.” Dustups involving the Wisconsin governor have sparked a broader debate about what he calls the “gotcha game” such as being asked what he thinks about Rudy Giuliani saying President Obama doesn’t love America.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: There does seem to be a little bit of a double standard here. Republicans tend to get asked these questions about their outliers more than Democrats are.
KURTZ: Ron Fournier you write in defense of gotcha questions. You even come out of the closet and say you are an admitted practitioner of gotcha questions. Why?
RON FOURNIER: I’m out of the closet, thank you. Yeah there certainly shouldn’t be a double standard but there’s got to be plenty of room for gotcha questions. As an interviewer most of my questions that I’ve asked Democrats and Republicans have been trying to elicit information or context, but there are times when I'm trying to test them. And this goes back, I learned this covering Bill Clinton in Arkansas. There’s a man who can’t suffer fools. If I wanted to have him on his heels, if I want to have control of an interview, which is my job, if I wanted to test him a little bit, I'd ask the dumbest question.
KURTZ: You do it deliberately?
FOURNIER: Deliberately, you betcha. Now I think there are gotcha answers and I think there is gotcha coverage and we can talk about that if you want. But there is nothing wrong with a gotcha question.
KURTZ: So let me get Mary Katharine in. So are journalists asking Republicans in particular outrageous questions or are candidates balking at ordinary aggressive questions because they’re not agile enough to finesse them?
MARY KATHARINE HAM: Well I do think there is a double standard here and I’m going to do the unprecedented and agree with George Stephanopoulos.
KURTZ: Maybe he’s agreeing with you.
HAM: Part of the issue is they get asked these different sorts of questions, sometimes more aggressively, and then here is the big one, they're emblematic and they have to be asked of every other single Republican. That almost never happens with Democrats where the same question, oh, well he messed up so now we’re going to ask eight more of you about it. That just doesn't happen on the left and that can be really problematic as we saw with Walker.
FOURNIER: I remember it happening during the Iraq War debate if you’ve evolved like John Kerry. It happens on the left, not as much, but it happens on the left. .
HAM: Certainly not as much. The extent to which that Giuliani thing got the blown out of proportion was crazy to me. But here’s the other thing. There is a difference between not being agile and pushing back. I think Republican candidates need to be tough and recognize that this is hostile questioning. Sometimes turn it around on the press. Walker has not done it perfectly, but I think he's making a step in the direction to make this a pattern to point this out.
