What are the most offensive, aggressive or stupid question ever asked
on television or radio? It doesn’t matter if they made it to air or
not.

Send in your suggestions to boss@crikey.com.au

YOUR DAD’S A W*NKER AND CLASSIC BAD QUESTIONS

Sealed section February 17

Is it true that a young WA television reporter was sent out to
interview a set of IVF quads, now 21, and started off the interview
with: “So, how does it feel to know your dad’s such a w*anker?”

And is it true there is footage of the question which, not
surprisingly, did not make it to air? We hear this tale has spread like
topsy through the now half-empty newsroom.

Apparently the young starlet was hauled over the coals. But we hear she only asked the question after
being coached to do so by those who should know better.

Sealed section February 18

More details come to hand on the young Channel Seven reporter in Perth
who went out to interview the four IVF quads who were turning 21 and
started with the old joke, “so, how does it feel to know your dad’s
such a w*anker?”

We suggested she was badly coached but independent observers have made
the point that the “coaching” was obviously a joke and any air head who
actually went ahead and asked the questions is a first rate idiot.

This incident is all the encouragement we need to start a list of the
most offensive, aggressive and stupid questions asked on television or
radio that did or didn’t make it to air.

For starters, who can ever forget the famous Mary Delahunty question to
Jeff Kennett in his home before the 1992 Victorian election, “when are
you going to stop fooling around?”

And there was Richard Carleton’s “how does it feel to have blood on
your hands?” question to Bob Hawke after Bill Hayden resigned.

Please send all contributions to boss@crikey.com.au.

THE BEST OF THE BAD QUESTIONS

We’re getting plenty of fabulous responses:
 
Richard Carleton to Shirley Maclaine: “Is there anything you don’t believe in?”

————

A cadet on the now defunct Adelaide News was sent out to interview the
visiting Melbourne jockey Harry White. Asking for advice from the
friendly subs, she was told: “Make sure you ask him why he’s nicknamed
“Handbrake”.

She duly did – Harry just laughed it off, saying the media come up with lots of funny names….

———–

In the early 80s Joe Cocker was interviewed by various reporters on a
comeback tour after drug and alcohol-induced health problems.

Rod Stephen, nicknamed “Bomber” because of an incident in Melbourne
some years prior where his misplaced work bag was the subject of a
major city bomb scare, was working for Channel Seven’s local current
affairs show, State Affair, at the time and subtlety was not part of
his repertoire.

Cocker was clearly in the throes of withdrawal and was shaking like a
leaf at the time but was exceedingly courteous and accommodating with
us.

Bomber’s opening question was “Joe, are you all washed up?”

Time and a few major hit songs later have answered that one.

———–

Not exactly a question but Robin Day of the BBC described Thatcher’s
Falkland Islands Defence Minister, John Nott [who had announced that he
would retire at next election] as a “here today, gone tomorrow
Minister”. Nott simply removed the clip on his microphone and stormed
off the set – all live on National TV. Nott claimed later not to know
it was a live broadcast.  Wonderful moment.

For other great moments see the BBC News report here.

————

The Sydney Sun’s police reporter to the widow of a murdered northern
beaches man (he’d been shot the night before): “How would you describe
the sound of the shots – was it bang bang or pop pop?”.

————