Should Kamala Harris Have Sat for an Interview with Bret Baier?

Vice President Kamala Harris sat for an interview with Bret Baier, Fox News,’ chief political anchor. The question is whether she should have given this interview.

When considering media requests, I encourage clients and colleagues to think carefully about their audience. What outlets do their audience members watch, read or listen to? I then encourage clients and colleagues to think about whether they have a reasonable chance of making their point. When clients lack a reasonable chance of making their point, I encourage them to carefully consider the efficacy of the interview.

For their part, the Vice President’s team was likely considering:

1. Her voters: namely, which platforms do they listen to, watch or read.
2. Mitigating criticism; what does it look like to do a media blitz and not include Fox News. Would skipping Fox News sour Republicans who might support her?
3. Making inroads to Republicans who are disaffected with President Trump.

Under Scrutiny

When a person runs for office, everything they say will be carefully analyzed. And when they’re participating in an interview with an outlet that is hostile to their candidacy, they may be heavily criticized. A single interview could live for weeks, if not months or years. In the current political climate, Vice President Harris was never going to have a fair opportunity to make her case on Fox News.

The interview was contentious from the start. Baier pressed Harris on a range of issues including immigration, taxpayer support for gender-transition surgery and other areas. She was on the defense from the moment the interview began.

Harsh Treatment

The Poynter Institute noted that, “CNN’s Brian Stelter went back and compared Baier’s style while interviewing Harris and, last year, Trump.” He noted that “Overall, Baier interrupted Harris at least 38 times in 27 minutes, about twice as often as Baier interjected with Trump (at least 28 times in 36 minutes).” Stelter, who is a media journalist, also, “looked at Baier’s opening questions for Trump and Harris. The first Trump question was a softball: “What do you think is the most important issue facing the country right now?” His first question of Harris was way more aggressive: “How many illegal immigrants would you estimate your administration has released into the country over the last three-and-a-half years?”

Also, during the interview, which was viewed by roughly 8 million people, Harris referenced President Trump’s remarks about needing to call in the National Guard “to deal with the enemy from within.” Baier didn’t show this clip, and showed something else instead. Roughly 24 hours later, he later acknowledged that he made a mistake in not showing the specific clip.

The Danger of Silos

Now, I understand that we should talk to people who think differently from us. Otherwise, each group goes to their silos and we make little progress. But I also understand that when people fundamentally oppose you, they may not be inclined to give you a fair shot. They also go out of their way to harm you. This is true on a basic level, but it’s especially resonant when considering a presidential election. When you’re running for office, let alone the presidency, each interview may help you or provide fodder for those who oppose you.

I think the Fox News interview did the latter.

So should Vice President Harris have given the interview? I don’t think so. In the same way that I think President Trump attending the National Association of Black Journalist convening was probably not a win for him.

Adversarial interviews can be helpful. But adversarial interviews can still be fair. That should be the goal.

Jennifer R. Farmer is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC. For more tips on what to consider when you receive media requests, see this video. You may also check out our other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.