As someone who conducts media trainings with high-profile politicians and TV personalities, let me chime in.
You’re right on the rehearsed part, but there’s a couple of really obvious tell-tale signs to watch for specifically:
Talking points - If the person speaking is saying the same phrases over and over again, or if, in a group interview, multiple people use the same phrases, it’s a safe bet someone wrote the script and it was practiced.
The pivot principle - When someone is given an unwanted question in an interview, we advise our clients to do what we call “pivot” and turn the interview back in their favor. For example:
Reporter: Mrs. Clinton, you haven’t done a press conference with reporters where you’ve taken questions in over 250 days. Can you address why that is?
Hillary Clinton: Wow, has it been that long? I’ve been doing so many one-on-one interviews with the press, you know, I’m always willing to take questions when reporters speak to me, so I hadn’t noticed. I think at this point I’ve done something like 500 interviews with the press since I announced my candidacy for this election, so I’ve been focusing on that.
Answering a hostile question in an attempt to neutralize the potentially harmful information within it is key to maneuvering the press. One Direction does it in interviews, as well.
Liam is best at it on the fly. He is nimble and understands how to move quickly to the next topic while still addressing the issue in a professional way. He wants to answer and move on.
Harry is good at inserting promotional information about their merch in interviews in a dry way to make viewers feel like they’re in on the joke, but he isn’t so good at being pressed hard on uncomfortable issues because he wants to answer honestly, which often isn’t the best answer from a brand standpoint.
Niall is awful at it which is why he often sits quietly and doesn’t say much unless asked directly, god love him.
Louis is fascinating, because he often uses humor to deflect, but he’s also incredibly intelligent and thinking 3 steps ahead a lot of the time. He’s pivoting and anticipating the next 3 questions at the same time, but using his humor and quick wit to try and win the reporter over.
So when you recognize the same phrases and notice they answer questions but not necessarily the one they were asked, it’s safe to assume there was media training involved.
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