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Abstract:
The accountability interview in which a public figure is held to account for their statements or actions is a well-established armature in the delivery of broadcast news. In its broadcast canonical form it relies on questioning as an instrument for addressing issues of knowledge, responsibility, and the rightness of actions of those with public standing. However, shifts in questioning techniques have accelerated a movement towards argument in the context of the broadcast accountability interview and a corresponding loosening of its interview structure. Indeed, there are signs of a growing tendency for the interview framework itself to be questioned by interviewees. This article examines what is at stake in these changes and asks if the accountability interview in an era of heightened conflict remains fit for purpose or is facing a kind of legitimation crisis.

 

Biography:

Martin Montgomery was appointed Chair Professor in English at the University of Macau in April 2010, as one of the very first Chair Professors to be appointed by the University. He was Head of its Department of English from 2010 to 2013 and also served simultaneously as Head of the Department of Communication from 2012 to 2013, before becoming the first Dean of the newly-formed Faculty of Arts and Humanities as it was established on the new campus. He is now Emeritus Professor at the University of Macau; and he also holds an appointment as Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.  He is editing (with Michael Higgins and Joanna Thornborrow) a special issue of the journal Journalism on Broadcast Talk and Journalism.