Preparing for the big one

Inside the 30 minute interview.

Every media organization has some half-baked plan for landing that big fish interview. A request from on high lamenting “Why won’t they talk to us?” prompts the crafting of an earnest pitch that stays “under consideration” indefinitely, without ever reaching a definitive yes or no. This is particularly frustrating in the era of Trump, who craves the attention of even dying-on-the-vine newscasts like Meet the Press. If he’s sitting for hours with Kristen Welker, the New York Times and New York radio, when’s it OUR turn? And then sometimes in a flash — an opportunity falls into your lap, due to a combination of doggedness, timing and good fortune. Earlier this month, an interview