7 - Answers and evasions

Summary

When Albert Gore was Bill Clinton's running mate in 1992, his position on abortion became the focus of controversy. As a legislator, Gore had opposed federal funding for most abortions, but now he was expressing support for it as part of Clinton's health care reform plan. In an aggressive interview conducted by Sam Donaldson, Gore received a barrage of tough questions exposing this apparent contradiction. He was momentarily rescued by a commercial break, during which he was urged by his media advisor to sidestep the abortion issue altogether: “Don't be afraid to turn their questions. If they ask you about [abortion], just say … ‘I want to talk today about the new direction that Governor Clinton and I want to take the country.’” The media advisor to presidential candidate Pat Robertson was even more blunt when Robertson appeared on Larry King Live and faced tough questions – from King and members of the audience – about his divisive and controversial speech at the 1992 Republican Convention. During a commercial break, Robertson's advisor launched into a pep talk: “You're answering the questions. You can talk about anything you want to.”

There is a widespread perception that politicians are often evasive under questioning from members of the news media, and this perception is not without merit (Harris 1991). The impetus toward evasiveness is understandable in the context of the contemporary news interview, which is so often adversarial in character.