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Deconstructing the two-way

  • Martha Kearney
  • 10 Oct 06, 01:23 PM

jp_mk_203.jpgIf you have always thought that Jeremy and I just have friendly little unrehearsed chats in the studio, I am sorry to shatter your illusions. There is also no Father Christmas.

After Monday night's strange events, I thought I had better explain how it all works. A combination of time constraints (for God's sake, Martha, surely you can explain the entire government criminal justice policy in two minutes) and need to play in clips (that two minutes must include a clip of the minister and the opposition parties) means that some kind of orchestration beforehand is needed.

So I usually provide Jeremy (and more obedient presenters) with some questions in advance.

On Monday these were entitled "Idiot's Guide to the Two-Way". Maybe that was a red rag to a bull but anyway he got the order completely wrong and chaos ensued.

Perhaps you think the whole format is ridiculous anyway as one Tory backer told me at their conference in Bournemouth last week: "What's the point in journalists interviewing each other?" he understandably wanted to know.

I tried to explain that in political journalism you are often told useful and illuminating information "off the record" and a studio chat is the best way of getting that across. Well, sometimes.

Click here to watch the two-way

Comments  Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 12:20 AM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • Peter Webster wrote:

Methinks Martha is being more than a little over-sensitive. Sure, the two-way wasn't as slick as Newsnight undoubtedly would have wished, but to say that 'chaos ensued' is way over the top. No doubt there was a brief bit of panic behind the glass, but so what? It never does any harm for presenters to show that they are human occasionally.

Incidentally, there is such a thing as Father Christmas - he is just not the same as David Cameron!

  • 2.
  • At 09:35 AM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • Simon Cooke wrote:

No problem, Martha, Jeremy. I stopped thinking of Newsnight as a serious,proper TV programme...let me think...of course, on the night Jeremy asked Michael Howard the same question 14 times He did this NOT because he was determined to get to the truth & certainly NOT because he was determined to prove the 大象传媒's impartiality. No, he did that for the pathetic reason that the next item was delayed. What was more pathetic is that the truth comes out much later AFTER he has won an award. At the end of the day, Newsnight is merely a broadcast version of the tabloids. And even here, it's a poor quality tabloid.

  • 3.
  • At 10:48 AM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • Andrew Ellis wrote:

Dear newsnight
Do you still have a reporter called Stephanie Flanders? Haven't seen her for ages. She was excellent. Was able to make me INTERESTED IN and even UNDERSTAND economic matters.

Far better than the over-winsome, ever-complaining MK!

  • 4.
  • At 11:20 AM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • Cloe F wrote:

ouch!! ... "Newsnight is merely a broadcast version of the tabloids" ... "over winsome, ever-complaining" ... OUCH!!! Some peoples' milk curdled as they poured it over their cereal this morning.
Glad to know that even Jeremy Paxman is human, though not too sure about the idiot tag... I like the two way format, far better than the presenter just reading stuff of the auto-cue. Mishaps give us mere mortals something to snigger at... ;) Keep up the good work.
PS: Yes, do bring back Stephanie Flanders, I so enjoy disagreeing with her views on development and trade.

  • 5.
  • At 12:28 PM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • christopher fell wrote:

I agree, Stephanie Flanders economic reportage was excellent and I wish she appeared much more........she is also very pretty!

  • 6.
  • At 01:08 PM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • Susan wrote:

Stephanie had a baby so is presumably on maternity leave. That none of you chaps noticed is in part a tribute to her trimness throughout, in part to the 大象传媒's habit of filming her only from the top of her rib cage in later months and perhaps mostly typical of men's failure to notice anything beneath women's breasts (particularly when those breasts are growing rapidly)

  • 7.
  • At 03:04 PM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • Andy Ellis wrote:

I also completely disagree that "Newsnight is merely a broadcast version of the tabloids". I think it is perhaps the best news show in the British media. For "broadcast version of the tabloids" try listening to the Today show on radio 4! Now that is just terrible. I thought the mistake was just an amusing episode which brought a smile to my face.

PS Martha Kearney is delightful!

  • 8.
  • At 04:39 PM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • Simon Cooke wrote:

Oh I do apologise for my oversight - let me correct it here & now:
Newsnight is the TV version of the tabloids & Radio 4's TODAY is the radio version of the tabloids. Now isn't that better? After all, it was the 大象传媒 that was damned by Lord Hutton...leopards don't change their spots, do they?
Just to illustrate my point, Jeremy's interview of the chap from the Defence Academy last night was pitiful. Exactly, what part of the words "research notes" can't you get your head around Mr. Paxman? The phrase was repeated so many times that I thought the person saying it was a dummy being interviewed by another dummy !

  • 9.
  • At 06:48 PM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • Manjit wrote:

I'll sign up to the Stephanie Flanders fan club as well, she was excellent in terms of her economics reporting. I remember she did a very enjoyable Panaroma about the state of the British economy whilst riding a bike around the country. Would be interesting to know if she is going to be returning to Newsnight?

  • 10.
  • At 06:51 PM on 11 Oct 2006,
  • bacco wrote:

I'm a man yet noticed something beneath Stephanie's breasts and I feared that I will be deprived of her excellent economic insight (hopefully for a short period). It is utterly unfair to portray Newsnight as the TV version of the tabloids. I watch Newsnight every night but I have never ever read any tabloid in this country and will never ever do so.
PS it goes without saying that Martha Kearney is delightful.


  • 11.
  • At 08:19 AM on 12 Oct 2006,
  • Michael Wade wrote:

I admit to being the 'Tory Donor' making the comment to the "delightful" Martha Kearney that I had found it anoying to see the increasing trend for journalists to interview journalists ( rather than hear the story direct ).

However, as explained by Martha, the function is, in fact, to enable off the record conversations to be gathered from individuals not wanting to be identified. Jeremy Paxman is then able to ask the relevant question ( which would not otherwise be answered ) - and Martha can answer vicariously.

So now I understand ! Oh, and yes, Martha Kearney is delightful !

  • 12.
  • At 02:16 PM on 12 Oct 2006,
  • EM Lin' wrote:

This exchange was a breath of fresh air - passed on the information as intended and showed friendly, and frankly, mutually supportive, collaboration at work. Wonderful!

I find it entirely appropriate since I consider it part of Newsnight's job to mediate on our behalf between events and their meaning for the public realm.

I shan't go into the value of experiencing a few flashes of real (as opposed to, sensationalised or over-contrived) emotions within an apparently good working relationship - it might bring the nation to its knees!

  • 13.
  • At 12:32 AM on 13 Oct 2006,
  • Jenny wrote:

Hopefully Martha has now learned that if you distract your colleague things are likely to go off the track. Research shows that everybody can be distracted in even the most crucial of circumstances. Since Martha eventually came over as more put out than JP this time, maybe she will in future not head her colleague's sheet of questions "Idiot's guide...", and may be slghtly less distractingly winsome.

  • 14.
  • At 11:08 PM on 16 Jul 2007,
  • Fred Harbuckle wrote:

Actually I find Stephanie Flanders
a bit monotone. She frequently presents
convoluted reports that are ultimately
pointless. Perhaps I'm in a minority,
but I'd also axe Paxman - I think
his abrasive style has had its day.

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