Att intervjua en populist

Abstract
Title: Interviewing a Populist – A Conversation Analytical Study of Interviews with Donald Trump
Author: Zuzanna Ratka
Level: Bachelor thesis in Journalism
Term: HT 2022
Supervisor: Mathias Färdigh

The purpose of this case study is to examine the interaction between American journalists and Donald Trump in news interviews during the time Donald Trump ran for president in 2016. The interviews are analyzed using Conversation Analysis in order to acquire knowledge regarding populism and its growing influence in politics throughout the
world. The methodology applied in the study is Conversation Analysis, combined with other theories. Using data drawn from broadcast news interviews, this paper anatomizes face threatening acts that can be observed analyzing the interaction between Donald Trump and
journalists as well how threatening acts are managed by the journalists and Donald Trump throughout the interaction. The findings shed light upon how the adversarial and confrontational interviewing style of American journalists, vigorously pursuing extreme and sensational views and by their endeavor to disprove Trumps claims and theories
paradoxically make it easier for Trump to dominate the discourse with his populistic political rhetoric. Another words, the study shows that Donald Trump tends to use face threatening questions, statements and arguments on the part of the journalists to his advantage. The results show that the more adversarial the journalists are in the way they approach Donald Trump and the more they strive to disprove his theories and political standpoints during the interaction the more he 1. holds on to them, emphasizes and vindicates them 2. portays himself in a positive light and other, officials who criticize him in particular, in a negative light. Furthermore, the findings show that, in order to save and uphold their professional reputation, journalists confine themselves to the responsibilities related to the watchdog-role when interacting with Trump. However, it seems possible that their endeavor to being true to their professional mission also had been taken advantage of by Trump during the interaction for the benefit of his own political reputation.

Keywords: Interaction, Conversation Analysis, Face, Interview, Interaction