On Shane Taurima and why we don’t want political eunuchs as interviewers

In May 1970 I was interviewed by a Truth reporter called Martin Smith. The conversation revolved around my interviewing on the top-rating current affairs programme Gallery.

Smith’s story duly appeared on the front page of Truth and began as follows:

TV personality Brian Edwards admits he has a political bias.

There was ‘no interviewer around’ who did not have a political bias, he told Truth.

‘Like the viewers, we are only human beings,’ he said.

And he has allowed this bias to colour some of his interviews, he told Truth.

Next to the story was a photograph of me with the caption "Brian Edwards… political bias."

Rob Muldoon once said to me that he was often misquoted in the media and invariably complained. "There are some things I just know I could not possibly have said."

I knew I could not possibly have said I was politically biased and had allowed this bias to colour my interviews. It was not merely entirely untrue but would have been professionally suicidal. What I had said was that I had political opinions, as every interviewer did.

Within 24 hours I had received a letter from the Deputy Director-General of the NZBC, Lionel Sceats,  making it abundantly clear that, if the story were true, my contract with the Corporation would be terminated. I had no alternative but to sue Truth for defamation.

The case was heard before the Chief Justice, Sir Richard Wild. It ended dramatically with this exchange between my counsel, Peter Williams, and reporter Martin Smith – no longer working for Truth – whom we had subpoenaed:

Williams: You will see written in the article the words ‘TV personality Brian Edwards admits he has a political bias.’

Smith: Yes.

Williams: When you interviewed Brian Edwards, plaintiff in this case, did he at any time use the word ‘bias’?

Smith: No.

Williams: You see further down the same article – read this carefully – ‘And he has allowed this bias to colour some of his interviews, he told Truth’. Did Brian Edwards say that to you in the interview?

Smith: No.

Truth made an offer; we agreed on a sum and the case was settled.

Two years later, I was selected to be Labour candidate for Miramar in the 1972 General Election. ‘There you see,’ several of my National Party opponents said, ‘we always knew his interviews were biased against the government.’

And who could blame them?

I was reminded of all of this when it emerged that former TVNZ Q + A interviewer  Shane Taurima had thrown his hat in the ring for the Labour candidacy in the by-election for Rawhiti-Ikaroa (the late Parekura Horomia's North Island Maori seat.).

It didn’t take long for Herald media columnist John Drinnan to join the dots. He wrote.

In my opinion his decision to stand for Labour inevitably leads to reflections on past interviews for Q + A when he took a sometimes overly-dogged approach interviewing government ministers.

My colleague on The Nation, Bill Ralston, put it more strongly:

Shane Taurima interviewed Hekia Parata last year and I watched his quite aggressive approach to her and to Paula Bennett. And I thought at the time, “Boy, you’re a Labour leftie!”  And, sure enough, he is.

Behind this sort of reasoning lies the concept that an interviewer who holds personal opinions about the merit or lack of merit of a political party will, by definition, be unable to interview a member of that party in an objective and disinterested manner. His questioning will be coloured by his personal support for or opposition to that party. He will be biased in favour of one and against another.

The theory does not allow for the possibility of professional distance. In effect it posits that the only interviewer capable of such distance would be one with no political opinions or beliefs, a political eunuch.

Unfortunately such a person would be unable to interview anyone on politics or probably anything else. He would be mindless.

My own experience as a political interviewer suggests that, if anything, personal support for a political party is likely to lead to more rather than less aggressive questioning of representatives of that party.

As a strong Labour supporter during my interviewing career in the late sixties and early seventies, I was hyperconscious of the need not merely to be impartial in my interviewing but to be seen to be impartial. As a result I may well have overcompensated. Certainly the then Leader of the Opposition, Norman Kirk, saw me as no friend of the Labour Party or of him. Quite the contrary.

As for Shane Taurima, I was initially critical on this site of his somewhat eccentric and overly aggressive interviewing style. But I put it down to the fact that, as a new boy to Pakeha current affairs television, and following in the footsteps of Paul Holmes, he was merely trying to make his mark. And if he got stuck into more National Party people than Labour, that’s because National was in government and held the reins of power. It’s the norm.

Having, albeit unsuccessfully, sought the Labour Party candidacy for Rawhiti-Ikaroa may nonetheless mean that Taurima will not be able to work as a political interviewer again, at least not in public service radio or television. He has nailed his colours to the mast.

I suffered the same fate but make no complaint. I simply applied my broadcasting skills in other areas. But here’s a question: Could I, a former Labour Party candidate, media advisor for 12 years to Helen Clark and declared Socialist, now conduct a fair, balanced and disinterested interview with John Key or any member of his Cabinet? Absolutely. And the same goes for David Shearer, Russel Norman, Meteria Turei, Winston Peters, Peter Sharples, Tariana Turia or… Well, I might have a little difficulty with John Banks.

What the job involves  should have nothing whatsoever to do with the interviewer’s personal beliefs or political allegiance. His or her mandate when interviewing those in power or those seeking power is essentially to act as devil’s advocate on behalf of the electorate. Political eunuchs need not apply.

Media trainer and commentator Dr Brian Edwards has retired from posting blogs at Brian Edwards Media.