A raft of “I don’t want my children to be happy” headlines followed.
Really? Surely not. Well, no.
This seems to have been a classic case of the reporter “cherry picking” from the many quotes.
So what did Kirsty really say? She maintains it was something quite different, as you can hear (after about 2’37).
All very unfortunate, but there’s an important point here for every media interviewee: you may find the thought of appearing live on Sky News or BBC Radio 4’s Today programme quite daunting, but so often more damage can be done in a print interview. Potentially you have far less control – after all, you could say 1000 words and the journalist might use a mere 100. And THEY select which ones, not you.
So how do you lessen the chances of being caught out like Kirsty? Consider choosing a media trainer who will put you through print interview scenarios and will then produce an article based on those, coupled with some detailed feedback, not just let you hear a recording of the interview – that is only half the story.
Just ask Kirsty.