Interviewing Dictators

Gawker on Barbara Walter’s bad interviewing posture with Assad:

she approached the encounter like a disappointed peer — Bashar, how could you? — rather than an interrogator granted a rare opportunity to force a world-historical villain to answer for his crimes. Can you imagine any reporter asking, say, Joseph Stalin this question: “Do you think that your forces cracked down too hard?”

You could be tempted to defend her as having little choice. Maybe she was forced to choose between access to the president and mildness?. But that would be a very bad miscalculation; Bashar needed the media more than the media needed him.

Related: How to Tell if You’re a Miserable Murderous Middle East Tyrant?
And: Turns out the Syrian Regime Paid for Asma el Assad’s Vogue Profile