Barbara Walters: A Woman of Psychological Power

     Recently, Riley Manion presented on Barbara Walters, a world renowned journalist from the United States.

    Throughout Riley's presentation, I was astounded. Although I always knew that Walters was both a highly skilled journalist and a trailblazer in the field of journalism, one thing stood out to me.

    Although Walters frequently interviewed A-list celebrities and individuals which every journalist wanted to speak to, Walters had a unique talent of getting interviewees to share more than they usually would.

Walters pictured accepting an award

    Walters was a woman of psychological power. She knew how to develop the trust of people and use that trust to get them to share more, often times oversharing.

    Most notably, in an interview with Monica Lewinsky, Walters was able to get information that nobody else has in regards to the Clinton scandal.

    As Riley Manion writes, "Walters' interview with Monica Lewinsky after the Clinton scandal remains one of the most viewed interviews in history."

    When looking at the success of Walters' career, any good journalism student must question why Walters' was so good at getting subjects to open up to her.

    So I pondered and I thought and I questioned what the answer could be.

    One thing. One answer kept popping into my head: Walters made the interviewee feel like she was on their side.

    Yes, she asked the hard questions. Yes, she pressed for answers. But Walters also knew how to quickly build rapport with them.

    When talking to a person, it is key that the interviewer establish a relationship with the person. You must research the person, you must show the person you care, but most importantly you must establish a connection with the person.

    Byron Pitts, HPU's Journalist in Residence, once said to me "You need to do your research. When you go into that interview and show the person you took the time not to just read the Spark Notes of their life, but to read the fine print, they will trust you."

    Walters embodies this quote. Walters is the definition of this quote. Walters is the definition of a good journalist.