For the second NBA Finals game in a row, a reporter was shot down in the postgame press conference. While following Game 3 it was a jab at LeBron James that was denied, after Game 4 it was Jason Whitlock’s butt-kissing approach to Rick Carlisle that got the Dikembe Mutumbo treatment.
Whitlock, a columnist for FOXSports.com, didn’t even ask the Mavericks coach a question, which is the first problem. In essence, he had a story planned about how Rick Carlisle had done a masterful coaching job and he just wanted a quote from the coach to confirm it. Instead, he got a door shut in his face. Check out the video courtesy of Ball Don’t Lie:
Maybe that will teach Whitlock the most important point to keep in mind during interviews: Always ask a question! What kind of answer do you think you’re going to get when you grab the microphone and provide commentary rather than a question? Hopefully any aspiring journalist or broadcaster reading this will keep that lesson in mind … always ask a question.
