Is It Ok To Walk Out During Media Interviews If You Think The Questions Are Unfair?

Is it ever okay to just walk away from a media interview in the middle of the interview? Let's say a reporter has just said something so obnoxious, so demagogic, so unfair that you feel like the reporter is practically spit in your face. Is it okay to just get up and walk away? I sympathize with you. Certainly. I've had reporters be obnoxious to me. I once had a reporter, a host, pull a gun on me on the air. But here's the problem with just getting up and walking away. It's such a dramatic visual that it's likely to get tremendous airplay. It's going to get seen again and again and again online. It's so dramatic that people are going to want to talk about it. And is that your message that you want to walk away from the tough questions? My advice? Smile. Have good messages. Stick to your messages. Don't be defensive. Don't get into fights. Don't try to win a debate with a host or reporter, especially if it's an edited interview and it's not live. You're not going to win and wait till the interview is done. There may be times, especially in the political arena, where the host is hoping to outrage you to the point where you get up and walk away because it's great theater. That's the sort of thing a provocative talk show host reporter can milk for three days of publicity or more. Don't give them that opportunity. There are better ways of expressing your displeasure with the host or the questions than getting up and walking away. That's playing into the hands of the reporter. Don't fall into the trap.