The video behind the #SackKayBurley frenzy
“Why don’t you go home and watch it on Sky News?”
By Jon Bernstein Published 09 May 2010 11:22This is the interview that catapulted the Sky News anchor Kay Burley to the top of Twitter's trending topics -- not a moment to celebrate, perhaps. Burley was interviewing David Babbs of the campaign group 38 Degrees, one of the people behind yesterday's protest calling on Nick Clegg to deliver on his promise for electoral reform.
Many viewers complained that Burley, who at one stage advised Babbs to go home and watch events on (yes) Sky News, was being overly aggressive. For its part, the 24-hour rolling news channel defended the interview as "fair and rigorous". You can judge for yourselves:
Burley was the subject of social media ire during the campaign for her equally aggressive/rigorous style following the Sky News party leaders' debate.
For a robust defence of Sky News, read Mehdi Hasan's "Is Sky News biased against Labour?".
Meanwhile, this is how one demonstrator got his revenge. Chanting "Sack Kay Burley, watch the BBC", he forced a quick return to the studio.
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15 comments
Grow up - the man was a complete idiot who could not understand that the people had voted and that was that. So David Babb get lost and get a life.
Its not a matter of people needing to grow up or Kay Burley being sacked or getting it right or wrong. If you don't like Sky News don't watch it. If that had been the BBC (private riverboat celeb-fawning election night drinks and dinner parties at our expense)we can demand and expect better. Kay Burley is right (the electorate got yhe result they voted for, sort of) but wrong to imagine that people should not voice their opinions on it and simmply watch Sky News! She's forgotten the democratic right to demonstrate. Silly her, just switch off your Sky News.
Kay Burley has repeatedly demonstrated her inability to understand that interviewers are there to elicit an opinion, not shove her opinion down an interviewee's throat.
She is however a Murdoch employee, working for Fox News who displayed a complete disregard for objective reporting during the election.
She is obviously being tuned up for when Fox News come online after Cameron dismantles the BBC for Rupert.
Golden rule of journalism (and I'm stretching the category to include the likes of Burley): DONT BECOME THE STORY.
Deal with it. Labour lost. Got a pasting. Now stop publishing nonsense such as this. I note you decline to mention - anywhere - channels left wing bias. Grow up and stop being total idiots.
Thank you.
Eh, I think its no more harsh than a Paxo grilling. But Kay Burley often comes across as bloody retarded.
Most TV journalists these days seem to believe that bullying and constantly interrupting the people they interview is somehow serving the interests of the viewers. I certainly wouldn't want a return to the 'suck-up' approach of years gone by, but I certainly believe that Kay Burley completely disgraced herself in this "interview". The poor man wasn't allowed 2 seconds at one time to state his case and answer the pointed questions thrown at him like arrows.
I want to commend him for his patience and for sticking to what was a patently impossible task. If it had been me in his position I would have told her to f... off and insert her microphone into the same space currently occupied by her undersized brain and her oversized ego.
Shame on you Ms Burley
Kay Burley: Aggressive or Rigourous? Let's not forget how she rigorously grabbed another reporter by the throat not so long ago, either. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1028007/Pictured-The-incredible-...
Part of the problem was that Burley was coming out with stuff that didn't make sense (e.g. saying the country voted for hung parliament & that protesting apparently has no place in a democracy), and clearly not taking the trouble to understand the points that the protestor was making. Good journalism would have involved at least some time for the opposing argument to make itself clear - and obviously the piece wouldn't have been overtaken by the partisan argument of the journalist! She clearly had a point to make which was blatantly in support of Cameron's potential premiership - an outrageous level of bias at a time when the media can still impact the ultimate outcome of the general election.
You can complain to Ofcom here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/progs/
It takes 2 minutes. We really don't want Sky News to end up like FOX, its American sister company.
well it was not a good advert for SKY she showed a lack of understanding and was also quite rude to the gentleman who was at all time polite while trying to get his points over but was never given and chance to do it
If you're going to interview someone, aren't you, as the interviewer, meant to take a neutral stance in the first instance, and let the person your interviewing make their point without interruption, and then ask questions afterwards?
Obviously this was not the approach this time and the interviewer (Kay) comes across as very aggressive and makes it clear from the questions that she is asking (and the way they are being asked) that she doesn't agree with the protest. Whether this is a personal point of view or the point of view of her employer (ie. Sky News) it's not clear, but this is clearly very poor journalism on her part.
I wish he`d said to her :``Ms Burley this is supposed to be an interview and it does depend for its success that after you ask a question I am allowed to spend at least some of the time attempting to answer it .``
[The above is of course adapted from a famous riposte by Robin Day to Margaret Thatcher when she wouldn`t stop ranting on ... ]
Kay Burley was getting annoyed because she did'nt hear the answer she wanted. She should go home and stop trying to do a Paxman he is yesterdays news as she is to. Whats wrong Burley is your so-called career starting to wane so you've decided to become controversial. Turn it in you Silly WOMAN!
She loves herself too much. If only she was beautiful. No wonder why she got bitten up by her lover who also worked for Sky TV at one time. The woman has issues.
Why is it that she appears to be tumbling all the time among all the Sky TV News readers? Sack Her!!
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