Joe Arpaio Interview with Chris Cuomo (14 Jun 2018)

Cuomo Prime Time is a return of the evening show with Chris Cuomo featuring his very effective One on One format of extended interviews with key influencers. In this segment, Cuomo talks about immigration issues with Joe Arpaio, the controversial former sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona.

Commentary

This interview is significant because it’s an example of how news media can be reforming and improving. Here are some points to observe:

  1. Rather than just having guests who reaffirm the network and moderator’s views, there should be guests who hold contrary views.
  2. Rather than interrupting and shouting at those who disagree with us, instead, give them a chance to complete a few sentences and clearly explain their views and positions.
  3. Those involved in reporting the news have an obligation to distill and reflect the variety of viewpoints in society, and an array of topics that are of interest to people.
  4. If a guest evades answering a question, respectfully ask them again, but don’t badger them.
  5. Being complementary, respectful, patient, attentive, and sincere should be the norm.

The critical underlying story these days, in everything we see on the news, is about restoring public trust in national news media. That is equally important as the content itself.

By Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson is a freelance writer in Iowa City and also the founder and Director of the ResourcesForLife.com website. He also manages IowaCityWebDesignArtist.com and many other topic specific websites. Learn more at AboutGregJohnson.com

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