Nothing sells an interview with a champion more than tears. Clearly this was on the mind of the reporter interviewing Olympic Alpine skier Bode Miller after he won a bronze in the super-G in Sochi on Sunday. Miller, who lost a brother to a seizure last year, dissolved into tears after the reporter pressed him on his emotional state.
Creative Minority Report writes:
One of the dangers a reporter must be aware of is that you cease to acknowledge the humanity of the subjects of your story. It’s all about the story. Things are seen as good or bad only in relation to whether it makes the story better. Good and bad cease to be benchmarks. “Boring” and “Good television” are how everything is judged.
This woman saw the possibility of tears and a breakdown and it was like blood in the water to sharks. She was all over it.
[…]
The problem isn’t, to me, her bad behavior. The major problem is that most of the reporters wouldn’t have done it any differently.
Miller, who is a “mensch,” told NBC he doesn’t hold the reporter accountable for his emotional breakdown on camera. You can decide for yourself if you want to be as forgiving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WIn3_g6sozM
