Lessons in Editing
Much has been made about how CBS selectively edited their interview last week with Kamala Harris…seemingly putting an entirely different answer to a question depending on which time the network aired the piece.
Other folks may have their own views on this, but here are my rules for editing.
Any time you air something that is less than the whole interview, you run the risk of editing it in a way that alters reality. That’s by definition; you’re not airing the whole thing, so it’s not true reality. For interviews we do on this station, you know if they are live or recorded, and if the entire interview is not being aired, you are pointed to where you can hear it all—either at a different time, or on line.
If the person I’m interviewing is an elected official or a candidate for public office, or someone whose salary comes from your tax dollars, I don’t make any changes in their answers. If they take a long pause before answering, or stutter and stammer in trying to figure out what to say, you’ll hear it. The only exception is if the person has a coughing fit, or if they stop because their phone went off, or something like that. Then I’ll take that part out, because it’s more of an annoyance to you as a listener, and it in no way changes the meaning of what’s being said.
If the person I’m interviewing is not a public person, especially someone not used to doing interviews, I’ll tighten things up—take out some of the ums and ahs, or when they repeat words while looking for the right one. That’s a courtesy to them, but more importantly, it’s easier for you as a listener. That sort of stuff, the normal speech pattern stammers, is like outside noise that distracts you from hearing the actual message.
But to put an entirely different answer next to a question? Not a chance. And if indeed that’s what CBS did, it goes well beyond simply “editing for time constraints” or what we thought was the norm.
After the interview aired, before the kerfuffle about editing, some commentators noted that if that was the best CBS could do to make her sound good, it must have really been another bad interview session. Turns out they may well be right.
