There was one interview which dominated the news programmes yesterday morning.
Brexit-financier Arron Banks appeared on BBC1’s Andrew Marr show to face questions about where the money for his Brexit campaign came from.
It was his first media appearance since it emerged he is to face a criminal investigation.
But it wasn’t that interview that caught our attention.
What interested us the most was the way he dealt with a doorstep request for a follow-up interview on the subject.
As he left the BBC, Mr Banks was approached by the Channel 4 reporter Fatima Manji.
And he produced a textbook example of how not to handle a doorstep or ambush interview.
This is what happened when we asked Arron Banks if he would appear on Channel 4 News to answer questions over Brexit funds and claims of misleading MPs. pic.twitter.com/zrvFDsqyDx
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) November 4, 2018
Brilliant 'door-step' of Arron Banks by Fatima Manji. When the message gets hot..Banks attacks the messenger : https://t.co/c2OBgtxtwf
— Jon Snow (@jonsnowC4) November 4, 2018
We have to be honest and say that he did not appear daunted or panicked. He did initially answer the questions, but he did so aggressively.
Asked if he would make his accounts available to Channel 4, he said: “I won’t make anything available to Channel 4 News. It is the leading proponent of fake News and Remainer angst in the country.”
Then, when he was asked if he would be willing to be interviewed on the channel he said: “Look, I’d rather go and put a revolver against my temple and pull the trigger than go on Channel 4 News if that is ok with you.”
But it did not stop there.
Subsequent questions were met with responses ranging from ‘Bye bye, Channel 4’ and ‘Thank you, no comment’.
And he couldn’t resist insulting the reporter. Here is that part of the exchange:
Mr Banks: “You really want to get Michael Crick out, he’s the expert at doorstepping.”
Ms Manji: “Michael Crick’s not here, come on.”
Mr Banks: “I knew that.”
Ms Manji: “Will you talk to me?”
Mr Banks: “I’m not going to talk to second best.”
As you can see, it was pretty farcical. But more than that, Mr Bank’s behaviour made it look like he is scared of Channel 4 News.
Agreeing to an interview request would have defused this doorstep attempt and would also have made it clear that Mr Banks doesn’t feel he has anything to hide.
Arron Banks is clearly very scared indeed of Channel 4 news. Spread the word. https://t.co/vxejxTfZzK
— Otto English (@Otto_English) November 4, 2018
It is so telling that Arron Banks is too scared to be interviewed by @Channel4News who will actually ask probing and testing questions.
— Isabel Dobinson (@isabel_dobinson) November 4, 2018
"I won't make anything available on Channel 4 News... I'd rather put a revolver to my head and pull the trigger than go on Channel 4 News." https://t.co/RnfOBtB8Vm
Arron Banks is very, very scared of Channel 4 News. He's trying to do a "LOL ME A CHEEKY CHAPPY" front but he's still running away https://t.co/H7rkTEAtVn
— Charles EP Murphy (@cepmurphy) November 4, 2018
Instead, he gave his critics more ammunition and the channel a clip for its coverage which appeared to show him running scared of its journalists.
The criticism of both the channel and the reporter were presumably diversion tactics aimed at creating a sound bite his followers could repeat in response to any criticism. But really they just made him appear arrogant.
What struck me most though was that Mr Banks seemed to know about doorstep interviews – as he referred to it in his criticism of the reporter – but he didn’t seem to know how to handle one.
On our crisis communications courses, we tell delegates about the importance of briefly stopping to answer a couple of questions or make a short statement.
Once they do that, they should have an exit strategy in mind and know how they are going to leave the area. Mr Banks seemed to just be wandering around aimlessly, sometimes responding to questions, sometimes being rude, and sometimes refusing to comment.
So, as one of the self-proclaimed ‘bad boys of Brexit’ doesn’t appear to know how to handle a doorstep interview, we thought we would put down our golden rules in this media training blog.
Stop
The key to emerging from doorstep interviews successfully is to stop and give the reporters a brief sound-bite so they can move the story forward. Then promise to come back with something fuller later. The truth is no-one is really looking for a full interview in this scenario.
Thinking time
Saying ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ not only ensures you sound polite but also gives you a little time to compose your thoughts before you respond.
Defensive
It’s also important that what you say does not sound overly defensive or irritable. This will simply create an impression of having something to hide and lead to more questions.
Don’t show annoyance
There is a school of thought that doorstep interviews are a deliberate attempt to rattle spokespeople, to gain emotional responses and dramatic footage. It makes great TV but it can be very damaging. The key is to avoid taking the bait and deal with the situation calmly and with control. Mr Banks may have appeared calm, but Channel 4 still gained coverage of him criticising the channel and its reporter.
Exit
As with press conferences, it is important to have an exit strategy so you know where you are going after you have made your comments and can make a quick getaway.
Training
One of the biggest issues with this type of interview is it catches people off guard and they feel ill-prepared to face the media. Of course, you don’t know when you will face this level of scrutiny –although Mr Banks should have had some idea - but good crisis communication training, involving current working journalists, can expose you to this environment and help you feel more prepared.
You can find more tips for surviving a doorstep interviews from one of our expert tutors in this short video.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 30 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
Click here to find out more about our highly practical crisis communication training.
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