Read this article and post your reactions to it below. The article focuses on a year-old interview Jon Stewart conducted with John Yoo, a former official in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel who wrote the so-called “torture memos." Be sure and also watch the interview here. I think the link in the article is a dead link.
1) What did you think about the caliber of Stewart's questions?
2) Do you think the article writer's assertions are correct or do you disagree?
Your response should answer both questions.
Stewart conducted a good interview with Yoo. He made his subject feel comfortable, asked easy questions to get him started, and progressed with the more serious ones. He even established a sense of humor throughout the interview while still maintaining touch with the real issue at hand. His faults came as soon as he struggled to understand Yoo's answers. It wasn't a matter of whether Yoo understood Stewart's questions or his answers were unclear - it was the fact that Stewart couldn't understand Yoo. Every response Yoo made was well-spoken and seemingly thought out, clearly making Stewart nervous and frustrated. His frustration was well displayed even as he tried to laugh through it.
ReplyDeleteSo was Stewart just not asking the right questions or was Yoo too smart to be backed into a corner? I think it is a combination of both. Beam is correct when saying Yoo is practiced in this area, it's understandable that Yoo would know how to evade certain questions so as to not incriminate him or those he used to work for. As for Stewart, I think once he realized he wasn't going to get the answers he predicted, he freaked and lost his train of thought. If he knew more about the subject, he would have had more to work off of no matter how frustrating he became. If he had done more research, perhaps he would have also predicted that Yoo could stump him (like he did) and prepared responses to counteract this, instead of assuming he would nail him in the end.
I think Stewart had good questions. At the beginning he wasn't digging too deep in the information and once he got comfortable with Yoo, he asked more in depth questions. I think the question Stewart asked about him being a good lawyer was awkward. It was a good interview, except it got weird toward the end when it seemed as if they were not understanding each other. In my opinion, Stewart could have held himself better instead of looking awkward and nervous.
ReplyDeleteI think that Beam was correct with what he said. Stewart tried to make Yoo look like a failure but he obviously did not. At first his questions were good but as the intweview went on they got longer and more complex. WHich made them both noth understand one another. Yoo still came back with answers for his questions, regardless if Stewart understood them or not. I think Yoo looked better and more professional than Stewart.
MALLORY SIMERVILLE
ReplyDeleteStuart's questions were strong. His questions were open-ended and cause John Yoo to think. Yoo's answers cause Stuart to go in circles with his questions, as he asks similar questions several times. When he senses a gain in ground of what Yoo says he quickly changes the topic to cause him to think on his feet. As Stuart draws in humor, Yoo answers honestly and sticks to his beliefs. It's obvious that their views are opposing but both stand their ground.
I think the article is mostly correct. Stuart didn't peg Yoo the way most people hoped and expected him to. Although, I don't feel like Stuart would have an easy time doing so, Stuart kept forcing Yoo to act on his feet, each time he responded in a manor that seemed to cause Stuart to think on his toes more than Yoo. Yoo knew where he stood, and in no way was going to allow Stuart to harm him or his thoughts.