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.<\/p>\n
What drew you to study politics at QUB? <\/p>\n
It really wasn\u2019t my first choice \u2013 but that\u2019s a long story. Anyway I ended up loving the course, the place and the people, so I have no regrets.<\/p>\n
Why did you specialise in Irish Politics for your M.S.Sc. \u2013 did you know vocationally that it was something you wanted to go into\/ was it relevant for the time (late 80s \u2013early beginnings of peace process) \/ personal interest?<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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 \u2013 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 \u2013 and I think that\u2019s something that\u2019s stood me in good stead down the years.<\/p>\n
When in freelance broadcasting, how did you go about getting contacts\/stories\/jobs?<\/p>\n
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\u2019s a very competitive business and you need to work out where you are better than those around you and make that count. <\/p>\n
How did you first get involved with the BBC? <\/p>\n
I was finishing my Masters and working in the Belfast Festival\u2019s press office and coming into contact with a lot of journalists. I started submitting interviews for the youth programme \u2018The Bottom Line\u2019 on Radio Ulster and writing pieces for various magazines like \u2018Theatre Ireland\u2019 and \u2018Film Directions\u2019. Eventually people in the BBC\u2019s Radio Current Affairs department started taking my phone calls and I got my toe in the door. That was 1989 and I\u2019ve been there or thereabouts ever since. <\/p>\n
How did you go about researching your 2013 book? Did you ever think you would write a book? What surprised you about the process?<\/p>\n
I\u2019d published a book I co-edited with a colleague and friend quite a few years earlier \u2013 \u2018Stepping Stones; the Arts in Ulster 1971-2001\u2019 \u2013 so I had some idea of what was involved. Identity politics is something I\u2019ve always been interested in and \u2018Alternative Ulsters\u2019 seemed like something I could deliver because of the people I\u2019d met and got to know through many years of journalism and involvement in the arts here. It was a substantial workload \u2013 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 \u2013 but it was worth it because the book was well-received and it sold well. <\/p>\n
How do you control frustration if interviewees purposefully avoid a question? How do you remain cool-headed\/unbiased? <\/p>\n
Well that\u2019s my job, so it doesn\u2019t unduly bother me. If someone doesn\u2019t answer a question it\u2019s clear for everybody to see and it\u2019s 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\u2019s answered \u2013 and if it isn\u2019t I will often refer to the fact that it\u2019s being avoided. It\u2019s virtually impossible to remain unbiased in everyone\u2019s eyes when you\u2019re conducting an interview, but as long as my colleagues and I feel what we\u2019re doing is fair and balanced that\u2019s what really matters \u2013 and we take that very seriously. I worked out a long time ago that it\u2019s completely counter-productive for me to lose my temper.<\/p>\n
What are your tips for interviewing? <\/p>\n
Two things in particular. Preparation is key. You can\u2019t ask intelligent questions if you don\u2019t know the facts \u2013 so do your homework. And listen. You can\u2019t ask informed questions if you\u2019re not listening to what your interviewee is actually saying. <\/p>\n
What is the best interview you have ever done?<\/p>\n
There isn\u2019t one in particular that leaps out. There have been a few exchanges I\u2019ll remember, but to be honest I\u2019ve done thousands of interviews down the years and I tend not to spend much time thinking about them when they\u2019re done. Once it\u2019s over it\u2019s over. <\/p>\n
Do you get nervous or worried if an interview doesn\u2019t go the way you expect it to?<\/p>\n
You do have to take it all seriously and there\u2019s always a bit of nervous energy involved in conducting an interview \u2013 but too many nerves just get in the way. I can get a bit frustrated if an interview doesn\u2019t go the way I\u2019d hoped \u2013 but there\u2019s not really any point in agonising over something once it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n
Is there anyone who inspired you to go into media\/who are your inspirations\/do you have inspirations? <\/p>\n
I remember meeting the late Brian Farrell, the legendary RTE presenter, in Dublin when I was at Queen\u2019s 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\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n
What is the most difficult part of being a journalist? \u2013 do you enjoy your job? <\/p>\n
I enjoy the challenge hugely, but it can be a bit of a slog when it\u2019s busy. I always think if you stop enjoying it the time must have come to move on and do something else. So far I\u2019ve never felt that.<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
Well I wouldn\u2019t agree with that at all. We can\u2019t all be scientists and computer programmers and, for me, it\u2019s all about people studying what they\u2019re passionate about and then finding their niche in the world. I think the very fact that there\u2019s a debate about the value of the humanities and the social sciences in some people\u2019s minds is a nonsense \u2013 but I don\u2019t really think many people actually believe that.<\/p>\n
What is your opinion on social media as a tool of journalism? <\/p>\n
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\u2019s invaluable. If you just use it to read meaningless exchanges between people who have nothing of any substance to say you\u2019re wasting your time. <\/p>\n
What would you say is your greatest achievement in your career? <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve never really thought about it. I\u2019m still doing the job I love after twenty-eight years, so I suppose that\u2019s an achievement \u2013 and I\u2019m pleased to have played my part in rebuilding the Lyric Theatre which re-opened in a brand new \u00a318m home a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n
Are there any interviews that did not go the way you expected \u2013 to either a positive or negative effect? <\/p>\n
No interview ever goes exactly the way you expect it to \u2013 and that\u2019s what makes it interesting. I\u2019ve had a few occasions where interviewees have come close to getting up and walking out on me but, as yet, it\u2019s never actually happened. <\/p>\n
Do you find it challenging when roles switch and you become the interviewee?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not going to lie \u2013 I\u2019m much happier asking the questions than answering them!<\/p>\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2017\/11\/mcpic.jpg\")
<\/a>Mark Carruthers, BBC<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 … Continue reading