Do you know why the Meghan and Harry Interview with Oprah was such a blockbuster?
Oprah Winfrey navigated with great precision royal revelations from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in an interview broadcast first in the US on Sunday. But whatever you think about the couple's revelations, in purely journalistic terms, Oprah delivered a masterpiece of an interview. Her access was driven by her own celebrity, but she came through with sharply-defined questions, follow-ups that pinned down details, and editing that turned her into the audience's surrogate. Here is the highlighting a few facts as to ‘Why’ this interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey was a truly a piece of art.
Oprah finding that balance of being friendly and yet getting answers from Meghan and Harry:
Oprah's strategy found a balance, friendly but laser-focused on getting answers. Whether or not you know the interviewees personally, it's the follow-up questions that separate good interviews from the great, and she gently but firmly pressed for facts when the couple were vague. For example, When Prince Harry said "lack of support" led to their leaving the country, she said, "I want clarity. Was the move about getting away from the UK press? ... Or was the move because you weren't getting enough support from The Firm?". On the other hand, When Meghan said that at her lowest point she didn't want to be alive, Oprah didn't leave room for ambiguity. "Were you having suicidal thoughts?" she asked in a concerned tone. "I'm so sorry to hear that," she told Meghan after learning that she accompanied Prince Harry to a public event because she felt she couldn't be left alone. In other words, Oprah's main skills is being sympathetic but not sycophantic.
Oprah not getting swayed away by emotions while interviewing the royal couple:
Yes, she asked a softball, humanising question about Archie's first words, but immediately circled back to the prince's comments about his brother, which had left a question dangling. "You didn't tell me what the relationship is now," she said. His answer became one of the interview's most quoted soundbites. "The relationship is, space."
Oprah not willing to push buttons with Harry and Meghan to sensationalize the interview:
She didn't push back on everything. She wasn't doubtful enough when Meghan said she hadn't ever Googled Harry when they started dating. Meghan said she "went to HR" when she was having trouble getting psychological help, but what does going to HR even mean when you're a duchess? And she didn't get either of the couple to reveal who asked about their child's skin colour; although she tried with each of them. Oprah did say the next day that Harry told her it was not the Queen or Prince Philip, making more news outside the interview itself. In the end, the missing pieces were less important than what was filled in.