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Journalists learn early on not to be intimidated.
It’s necessary to almost any beat.
Sportswriters deal with coaches and athletes who are used to getting their own way. Business tycoons often are taken aback by anyone who questions them.
Police, attorneys and judges frequently use intimidation in their line of work, and crime reporters can’t be afraid to challenge them.
Even on the entertainment beat, reporters deal with egotistic celebrities and publicity machines. I imagine even restaurant reviewers and food columnists have had to face down a celebrity chef now and then.
Certainly, the political beat has its share of intimidating figures. Even the office itself — president, senator, governor — can be daunting to some people, let alone the person who occupies it.
But it’s not just whether a reporter can hold his own in the face of intimidation, it’s whether he can do so while maintaining professionalism and composure when the heat begins to rise.
I watched with interest the confrontation yesterday between Univision anchor Jorge Ramos and presidential candidate Donald Trump to see how each man handled it.
Let’s be clear — it was a confrontation. There was no ‘screaming,’ as Trump claimed several times, but Ramos was persistent.
I’m biased on the side of the journalist, though some think Ramos was out of line. There’s a bit of history behind this, which is informative.
Trump was dismissive — “Sit down.” — and Ramos wasn’t following protocol. But having a security guard remove him from the press conference shows me that Trump didn’t want to deal with it.
On the other hand, Ramos was intent in being confrontational and thus made himself the story — something journalists aren’t normally inclined to do. The Vox explainer linked above does a good job of exploring the difference.
But I don’t think it’s about a Latino TV anchor (despite the finger-pointing incident afterward).
From my experience, being involved in confrontations and seeing them at various news scenes, Ramos did a good job of remaining calm and professional.
The question was so long and involved that it became an editorial opinion on its own, but it was legitimate. I wish more reporters would pin down candidates on issues with a one-word question: How?
I’ve seen plenty of press conferences where the politician wanted to talk about one thing and the reporters asked about something else. And fellow reporters have a responsibility, in my opinion, to follow up when a politician avoids a question.
The reporters at this Trump conference in Iowa did ask about his treatment of Ramos. And, Ramos was allowed back in to ask his question.
Ultimately, everybody got something.
Trump showed his disdain for the press and for Univision in particular. That’s the kind of shoot-from-the-hip honesty his supporters are eating up, as evidenced by the guy pointing his finger at Ramos in the hallway.
Ramos made his point about the implausibility of Trump’s immigration plan and, eventually, got answers to his question. And if he wasn’t already the best-known Latino news anchor in the country, he is today.
We got to see how Trump handles pressure — with disdain, intimidation and a security guard. Also, that he was able to reverse course within a few minutes and calmly respond to Ramos.
