Or have you noticed it too?
Lately, I’ve noticed that when interviewing someone, broadcasters will abruptly interrupt the interview because they are “running out of time.”
Sometimes this happens when the interviewee is in the middle of making a very important point! It seems to me the journalist should conduct an in-depth interview, then it should be edited down to fit the time available, not stopped, almost in mid-sentence.
Perhaps the newsmen have been accused of misrepresenting the remarks of those they talk to by unfair cuts and edits, so they have been compelled to broadcast unedited interviews, which force them to cut them abruptly because of time constraints. (“Talk to the Secretary for no more than 90 seconds.”) I don’t think this is because of any sinister motives by the journalists, it seems like they are just wanting to remove any excuse for lawsuits.
Another thing I’ve noticed, and it seems like it started out about the same time, is that the interviewee will usually preface or conclude his remarks by uttering some pleasantry (like; “Thanks for having me on”). Most people are polite in these dialogs, but lately it seems these pleasantries are forced, or hastily added, as if they were coached to do this ahead of time and forgot until the last minute.
Am I just making this up? Or is something going on?