If you’ve been anywhere on the internet lately, then you may have seen the controversial interview of rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The interviewer was comedian Hannah Berner, who went viral on TikTok for her video series “Han on the Street.”
In the infamous interview at the Oscars, in collaboration with Vanity Fair, Berner told Thee Stallion that she listens to her music “when I want to fight someone.” Thee Stallion deflected this by stating, “You want to throw that fighting sh*t out the window, and you want to get cute and be a bad b*tch.” This moment sparked online discourse, with many believing influencers and celebrities should leave the interviewing to journalists.
The first proper red carpet interview did not occur until 1994 when actress Joan Rivers was hired by E! News to interview celebrities on the red carpet at the Oscars. From here, the red carpet interviews have only progressed to be the spectacle that we know of today. More news channels have taken an interest in red-carpet interviews and various social media channels.
Social media’s development into what we know today allowed for the emergence of the influencer. Now, most red-carpet interviews are conducted by influencers or other online personalities hired by various news outlets. While many of these interviews have been memorable, such as Keke Palmer’s interviews at the Met Gala in 2021, there have been more than a few distasteful moments.Â
Ultimately, the practice of television journalism has become swarmed with influencers and celebrities, which seems to be diminishing the profession’s merits. When you ask someone to pose good, thorough questions they haven’t been trained for, they will seem out of place. Red-carpet interviews began with celebrities interviewing other celebrities. However, it was clear that the individuals interviewing were well-trained in their questioning and verbiage.
That research and training are seemingly gone regarding the most recent red-carpet interviews. This has put a strain on journalism and, as many people online believe, should be left up to the professionals. Now, there has been more than one occurrence of journalists themselves having less than favorable moments on the red carpet. However, it is far less than those of the influencer moments.Â
It also doesn’t help that opportunities are constantly being stripped away from those who deserve them the most. Instead of giving a job opportunity to someone who spent their life working and training in the field, they give it to an influencer based on their number of followers.
Journalism should be left up to journalists. They understand how to ask the hard-hitting and invigorating questions that leave fans wanting more. If influencers are continuously getting these jobs, then we are simply praising people for the number of followers they have, not the work they put in. Journalists and reporters deserve ample opportunities for the hard work and dedication they put into their education.