Big beast interviewers Jeremy Paxman, Piers Morgan and Katie Couric went mano a mano on Monday in a BBC World Service Newshour interview about … the art of interviewing. Meta enough for you? Everything was going swimmingly until Paxo decided to drop the H-bomb on Piers. Let battle commence …
Paxo: "What about when you get a guest whom your producer has done a deal with that you won't talk about something in particular? I gather, Piers, you don't want to talk about phone hacking."
Piers: "I didn't say that."
JP: "Oh you're quite happy to talk about it are you?"
PM: "You can talk about whatever you like Jeremy. I've never made any precondition to any interview in my life."
JP: "But do you not find it … it's an issue isn't it?"
PM: "For who?"
JP, sounding a little flustered now: "Well, for someone like you who doesn't want to talk about phone hacking, or for anyone who doesn't want to talk about …"
PM: "I didn't say I didn't want to talk about phone hacking … hang on, hang on, hang on … I'm not letting you get away with that! That's just cheeky interviewing. I didn't make any precondition for this interview. I'm very happy to talk about anything. So you have to be accurate with your allegations about your interviewee – Jeremy that's very naughty of you! If you want to talk about phone hacking, I'm very happy to."
Piers then blathered on for a bit more about the art of interviewing before a slightly peeved sounding Paxo interjected: "Well you'd better have a word with your press officer then …"
However, the last word went to Couric: "I think this is when you should practise the power of silence, Jeremy."
The biter, bitten?
