Kanze Dena, the spokesperson of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, held a press conference questioning the withheld budgetary allocations to Kenyatta’s office. The government spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, dismissed these claims.
This led to a highly viewed TV interview where Olive Burrows of Citizen hosted Dena to discuss the issue. The interview generated conversations on social media, especially on platforms like X and YouTube. However, the interview left many viewers dissatisfied, raising questions about Burrows’ handling of the conversation. But are these critiques valid, or are they merely reflections of personal bias and political affiliations?
The YouTube comment section on the interview video suggests the former. Many commenters were highly critical of Olive’s interviewing style. The sentiment was generally the same even on X. But are comments a reliable metric to gauge the quality of an interview? While comments can sometimes reflect political biases or even be manipulated by bots, in this case the criticisms appear to be genuine and consistent.
YouTube comments are a crucial metric as they offer direct feedback from the viewers, who are the public and the target audience of the channel. Given the spontaneous nature of this interview and its focus on a single interviewee, it’s unlikely that the comments were manipulated. The largely critical feedback suggests there is a broader consensus on the interview’s shortcomings. Additionally, the nature of the criticisms provides insight into the perceived issues.
A key theme in the comments was Burrows’ repetitive and unprofessional questioning. She repeatedly asked Dena why the former president wouldn’t “just pick up the phone” and call his successor. Despite Dena explaining that this wasn’t the proper protocol within government, Burrows persisted with the same line of questioning. This made it appear as though she wasn’t listening, a sentiment echoed in comments like, “Olive, please listen first.” This repetition of an ill-informed opinion suggested she was ill-prepared for the interview.
Burrows also came across as confrontational, often interrupting Dena with the word “but,” which can put an interviewee on the defensive. Viewers noted this in the comments, pointing out that an interviewer should facilitate a meaningful conversation rather than provoke arguments. Burrows’ frequent interruptions, such as when she interjected Dena’s explanation to ask whether she could keep a copy of a document, came across as unprofessional and disruptive. This confrontational approach created a perception of bias, with commenters making comparisons between her interview style to that of more experienced Citizen TV hosts like Yvonne Okwara. These comparisons highlighted the perceived gap in professionalism and preparedness, suggesting that Burrows’ interviewing style may have detracted from the overall quality of the discussion.
Despite the criticism, Burrows demonstrated some notable interviewing strengths. She effectively posed direct questions such as when she probed ethical considerations and potential conflicts of interest in having the former president’s office located in a family building. This put Dena in a spot and afforded her the opportunity to address this contentious issue. Burrows also sought clarification on unclear points and presented documented evidence to support her questions, which added credibility to the interview.
Olive Burrows is a respectable journalist with a decent level of experience but is relatively new to this role at Citizen TV. This may explain why the interview wasn’t handled as well as it could have been. The criticisms, while harsh, provide valuable feedback for her to improve. As suggested by several comments, she has the potential to grow and refine her interviewing skills over time.
The viewer backlash to Olive’s interview with Dena highlights important areas for improvement in journalistic practice. While the criticisms are valid, they also point towards her potential for growth. With time and experience, Olive can certainly elevate her interviewing style to meet the high standards expected for such a prominent role.
