The Media Interview: Confession, Contest, Conversation

This book analysis examples of the work of famous interviewers, particularly looking at three very different journalists-intimate Caroline Jones, confrontational Paul Lyneham and chat-show host Michael Aspel. The authors argue that interviews create important type of social meaning for their audiences. They identify various interview genres, place each in its historical and social context, and provide original ways of analyzing the meaning behind the verbal exchanges. Through the use of linguistics the authors show clearly how interviews work and how their drama and tension are created. They also speculate on the social and ideological role of the interview in a society where the interrogation and the confession have moved out of their traditional settings and onto the airwaves as a spectacle for entertainment.