Was Laura Kuenssberg Right To Ask Such A Loaded Question?

[vortex]

Should we be proud or embarrassed?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4165220/President-Trump-mocks-BBC-s-political-editor.html

[Kromovaracun]

You have a very, very strange standard of politeness.

One which I don't think anyone on AB (or in normal society) ever meets.

[vortex]

Krom //You have a very, very strange standard of politeness. //

Is it polite to embarrass two leaders? Is it polite to speak on behalf of all Britain (which she implied)? Is it polite to throw in questions unrelated to the matters in hand?

[Togo]

//You have a very, very strange standard of politeness. //

Who was that directed towards?

//One which I don't think anyone on AB (or in normal society) ever meets. //

Speak for yourself.

[vortex]

Togo - whoever Krom was referring to it could be any one of a dozen who all think as we do...

[Togo]

But perhaps many who are not from where we come Vortex.

[jourdain2]

Just to say that I have followed Khandro's link and complained.

[Garaman]

Did she didn't imply that she was speaking on behalf of all Britain, or did she imply that many in Britain were concerned by his policies? The first would be wrong, whereas the second is probably true.

I don't like Trump at all, but I do think this was the wrong time to ask those questions. This was a meeting to forge relations with the new president, which might be quite important to us in the next few years.

[vortex]

Garaman - this is what LK stated:-

'What do you say to our viewers at home who are worried about some of your views and worried about you becoming leader of the Free World?'

Why did she not say 'some of our viewers'? It wasn't the right forum to ask the question in any event.

[Garaman]

Vortex, are you saying that she didn't imply that many in Britain were concerned before that?

If I said that some members are worried by your post, then asked what you would say to our members who are worried by your post, it should be clear to you that I wasn't talking about all members. You seem to me to be doing what Trump supporters claim others do, which is take snippets from what was said and use them out of context.

I agree it wasn't the right forum.

[Kromovaracun]

Sorry, who was it who embarrassed the two world leaders? The one who claimed that torture works, or the journalist who asked him about it? The one who brags in private about groping women or the journalist who asked him about it?

Trump embarrassed himself. He's not a king, and LK was doing her job. Why you feel so absolutely compelled to lick the boots of the most powerful man in the world and act like he is some poor victim of terrible slander is beyond me. You should get used to it. Power comes with responsibility, and this president is going to get held accountable for his words and actions by journalists. If you can't handle that, you've got a very long four years ahead of you.

[vortex]

Krom - I am not compelled to lick anyone's boots. I would defend anyone in a similar position who is asked questions of the sort asked by LK that were unrelated to the matters in hand.

//Power comes with responsibility, and this president is going to get held accountable for his words and actions by journalists//

Journalism also comes with responsibility and that includes asking the appropriate questions at the right time. As others have said, this wasn't it.

[Kromovaracun]

It was not irrelevant. Trump's attitude towards torture has an explicit bearing on the UK's intelligence sharing agreements; Theresa May promised UK voter that she would be frank on points of disagreement; Russia has murdered people on UK soil; Trump's muslim ban explicitly affects UK citizens who hold another passport. This is what she asked about and all of it is relevant.

It was not impolite. She did not insult the president. She asked pointed, relevant questions in a concise way. If Donald Trump cannot stand the heat, he should get out of the kitchen.

[THECORBYLOON]

If an argument is valid, should it not withstand scrutiny?

[vortex]

THECORBYLOON

Ok, let's take this then: 'You've praised Russia'...

and let's match that with this:

"And he (DT) praised the ruthless Russian president for "bombing the hell" out of ISIS strongholds in war-torn Syria and Iraq."

I don't see anything wrong with that do you? Or was LK referring to something else perhaps?

Like I stated, a badly structured question with more than a hint of ambiguity.

[Kromovaracun]

What are you talking about? What is ambiguous about the statement "you have praised Russia"? Considering the statement was directed at the president, he's hardly going to respond with "oh, sorry, do you mean that time I complimented their cathedrals? Well, I happen to think..."

Also, it's a matter of courtesy to ask concise questions at press conferences. Brevity is a virtue in these circumstances.

[vortex]

Krom //What is ambiguous about the statement "you have praised Russia"? //

It is ambiguous in the sense that nobody had any idea what she was referring to so how could he answer the question properly?

She stated it in a derogatory sense so what was she referring to? Russia airstrikes? Putin himself? DT commending Putin for not retaliating to expulsions? Something else??

Just a bad question.

[Khandro]

Just received this response from the Beeb;
Sorry to hear you were unhappy about Laura Kuenssberg’s question to President Trump at the press conference in Washington on January 27th.

We raised your concerns with senior staff at BBC News and they replied:

"Audiences expect our correspondents to hold leaders to account and to ask the key questions on their behalf, wherever they are. Laura did so clearly, robustly and fairly.”

"wherever they are" means anyone can say anything wherever they are and whatever the occasion - O tempora o mores!

y

[vortex]

Thanks for the update Khandro.

Just like the old advert says then it seems: 'Any place, any time, anywhere'...