Mark Carruthers is something of a household name for anyone who follows Northern Ireland politics. One of QUB’s own alumni, graduating with a degree in Political Science and Irish Politics, Carruthers is largely known for his firm but fair, no nonsense attitude when interviewing highfalutin politicians. Now, with the shoe on the other foot, Carruthers sits on the hot seat as I have the opportunity to interview the interviewer.
What drew you to study politics at QUB?
It really wasn’t my first choice – but that’s a long story. Anyway I ended up loving the course, the place and the people, so I have no regrets.
Why did you specialise in Irish Politics for your M.S.Sc. – did you know vocationally that it was something you wanted to go into/ was it relevant for the time (late 80s –early beginnings of peace process) / personal interest?
I stayed on to do the M.S.Sc. in Irish Politics after my primary degree partly because I was genuinely interested in the subject and partly because I didn’t really have any better ideas about what to do next. It was a newish course at the time and people like Paul Bew were teaching it – and in fact he ended up supervising my thesis. I also reckoned I could be heading towards a career in journalism and it made sense to get as thorough a grounding in Irish politics as possible – and I think that’s something that’s stood me in good stead down the years.
When in freelance broadcasting, how did you go about getting contacts/stories/jobs?
You roll your sleeves up and get stuck in. Nobody hands you anything on a plate and you have to be a self-starter. You need to think up your own ideas, sell them and then make them happen. Getting a job still depends on having a solid portfolio of work that makes you stand out from the opposition. It’s a very competitive business and you need to work out where you are better than those around you and make that count.
How did you first get involved with the BBC?
I was finishing my Masters and working in the Belfast Festival’s press office and coming into contact with a lot of journalists. I started submitting interviews for the youth programme ‘The Bottom Line’ on Radio Ulster and writing pieces for various magazines like ‘Theatre Ireland’ and ‘Film Directions’. Eventually people in the BBC’s Radio Current Affairs department started taking my phone calls and I got my toe in the door. That was 1989 and I’ve been there or thereabouts ever since.
How did you go about researching your 2013 book? Did you ever think you would write a book? What surprised you about the process?
I’d published a book I co-edited with a colleague and friend quite a few years earlier – ‘Stepping Stones; the Arts in Ulster 1971-2001’ – so I had some idea of what was involved. Identity politics is something I’ve always been interested in and ‘Alternative Ulsters’ seemed like something I could deliver because of the people I’d met and got to know through many years of journalism and involvement in the arts here. It was a substantial workload – interviewing three dozen people face-to-face, transcribing and editing the conversations. And there was quite a bit of travel involved too because I ended up having to go to London and Dublin quite a bit and even to Rome to interview Mary McAleese and New York to speak to Liam Neeson – but it was worth it because the book was well-received and it sold well.
How do you control frustration if interviewees purposefully avoid a question? How do you remain cool-headed/unbiased?
Well that’s my job, so it doesn’t unduly bother me. If someone doesn’t answer a question it’s clear for everybody to see and it’s not my problem, really. I always say I just want a straight answer to a straight question. I tend to keep asking the question until it’s answered – and if it isn’t I will often refer to the fact that it’s being avoided. It’s virtually impossible to remain unbiased in everyone’s eyes when you’re conducting an interview, but as long as my colleagues and I feel what we’re doing is fair and balanced that’s what really matters – and we take that very seriously. I worked out a long time ago that it’s completely counter-productive for me to lose my temper.
What are your tips for interviewing?
Two things in particular. Preparation is key. You can’t ask intelligent questions if you don’t know the facts – so do your homework. And listen. You can’t ask informed questions if you’re not listening to what your interviewee is actually saying.
What is the best interview you have ever done?
There isn’t one in particular that leaps out. There have been a few exchanges I’ll remember, but to be honest I’ve done thousands of interviews down the years and I tend not to spend much time thinking about them when they’re done. Once it’s over it’s over.
Do you get nervous or worried if an interview doesn’t go the way you expect it to?
You do have to take it all seriously and there’s always a bit of nervous energy involved in conducting an interview – but too many nerves just get in the way. I can get a bit frustrated if an interview doesn’t go the way I’d hoped – but there’s not really any point in agonising over something once it’s done.
Is there anyone who inspired you to go into media/who are your inspirations/do you have inspirations?
I remember meeting the late Brian Farrell, the legendary RTE presenter, in Dublin when I was at Queen’s as a postgrad student. He took a group of us on a tour of the RTE studios and I was blown away by the experience. It was that, more than anything else, that convinced me I wanted to work in broadcasting. I still remember the thrill of that visit and, if I’m honest, I get a little sense of it even now every time I walk into a TV studio. I was always an admirer of both Barry Cowan and David Dunseith and I was privileged to work with them in the earlier stages of my career. These days I tip my hat in particular to David Dimbleby and Jon Snow.
What is the most difficult part of being a journalist? – do you enjoy your job?
I enjoy the challenge hugely, but it can be a bit of a slog when it’s busy. I always think if you stop enjoying it the time must have come to move on and do something else. So far I’ve never felt that.
As an advocate of theatre and the arts – what would you say to those who say there are few employment opportunities and therefore less reason to study arts/humanities/social sciences?
Well I wouldn’t agree with that at all. We can’t all be scientists and computer programmers and, for me, it’s all about people studying what they’re passionate about and then finding their niche in the world. I think the very fact that there’s a debate about the value of the humanities and the social sciences in some people’s minds is a nonsense – but I don’t really think many people actually believe that.
What is your opinion on social media as a tool of journalism?
Whether you like social media or not it is now well established as a journalistic tool. If you use Twitter properly, as a source of information from a vast array of individuals and organisations, it’s invaluable. If you just use it to read meaningless exchanges between people who have nothing of any substance to say you’re wasting your time.
What would you say is your greatest achievement in your career?
I’ve never really thought about it. I’m still doing the job I love after twenty-eight years, so I suppose that’s an achievement – and I’m pleased to have played my part in rebuilding the Lyric Theatre which re-opened in a brand new £18m home a couple of years ago.
Are there any interviews that did not go the way you expected – to either a positive or negative effect?
No interview ever goes exactly the way you expect it to – and that’s what makes it interesting. I’ve had a few occasions where interviewees have come close to getting up and walking out on me but, as yet, it’s never actually happened.
Do you find it challenging when roles switch and you become the interviewee?
I’m not going to lie – I’m much happier asking the questions than answering them!
Mark Carruthers, BBC