Gwen Ifill: A model interviewer

When PBS journalist Gwen Ifill died yesterday at age 61 from cancer, PBS NewsHour executive producer Sara Just said, “Gwen was a standard-bearer for courage, fairness, and integrity in an industry going through seismic change.”

I suspect lots of conservatives snorted and said, “Yeah, right.”

I’m as critical of PBS as the next person and have been burned by it at times, but Ifill always impressed me exactly as Sara Just described her. Rather than offer generalities, I’ll show rather than tell by encouraging you to read a transcript from a PBS NewsHour discussion 15 years ago that Ifill elegantly moderated.

The subject is one that may become relevant again, given changes in Washington, but please notice how Ifill made brief introductions and asked brief questions, not showing off her knowledge but letting all four participants make their points and move on. Here are her questions (except for one that was a little longer because she was introducing another concept for discussion):

Mr. Mayor, what do you say to the critics like Pat Robertson who have said that expanding this Charitable Choice program is akin to opening a Pandora’s box?

Marvin Olasky, you have written that you consider this program to be potentially religious discrimination. What are your objections to it?

Religious discrimination, Gary Bauer?

How about that, Rabbi Saperstein?

There’s not a middle ground to be found there?

Gene Rivers who Rabbi Saperstein just referred to, Gary Bauer, said that this is breaking down into an argument over race and class, which would seem to echo what Mr. DiIulio was saying.

Rabbi?

Let me give the mayor a chance to respond to that. What about that argument that not one more person is being helped than is being helped now?

That’s what I want to ask Marvin Olasky about. How do you find a way?

What about the possibility of vouchers that followed an individual who can spend it wherever they want to whether in a religious or non-religious institution?

Excuse me, I’m sorry. Gary Bauer, the White House seems at least to be taking a baby step back from all of this and letting Congress take the lead. Is that a good idea?

Well, we’ll have to leave that argument there for tonight. Thank you, gentlemen, for joining me.

Note that as moderator of the discussion Ifill worked to involve everyone and asked whether a middle ground could be found. That’s different from other interview programs where producers tell guests, “Try to make the others mad.” Twelve questions, 219 words, an average of 18.3 words per question. With her guidance it was a civil discussion among political opponents, the kind that is rare in Washington today. She was a model interviewer, like C-SPAN’s Brian Lamb.

I did not know Ifill well, but my impression is like that of John Dickerson, also a decent mainstream journalist who wrote this about her yesterday:

“Gwen’s smile. It was so strong it greeted you before you met her. You could read by the light of her smile. … Gwen was bright and bursting and full of spirit and soul. …

“[A]s a tribute to Gwen I will work harder at the job we both love and I’ll try harder to fumble toward what she did with such ease, which is spread love and joy and delight.”

Thank you, Gwen Ifill.