Airhead by Emily Maitlis

Read April 2019. Published 18th April 2019.

Emily Maitlis, Newsnight presenter, gives the low-down on some of her more memorable interviews over the last few years, such as Donald Trump, David Attenborough and even with the Dali Lama (who talked about poo!).
She details the back story behind these moments on air - how they came about; how they ended; the compromises that were made; and the regrets, rows and comedy behind the scenes. This gives a glimpse of what really happens when Newsnight attempts to tell the stories behind the current news and simplify things down to one soundbite. Making news is an imperfect art and does not always go to plan.

First of all, I love the title of this book!
Emily Maitlis is indeed an airhead - a figure head of the Newsnight programme "on air" - but is also has the negative connotation of being associated with a "empty-headed woman", and any woman in television is inevitably going to struggle with this label when she is performing in a the male-dominated arena of a serious news programme. Very clever, as are you, Emily Maitlis (definitely not an empty-headed woman!)!

She is very frank about the regrets and doubts that surface "after the event", when the often frantic atmosphere around an interview has died down. Should she have asked a particular question, or phrased it in a different way, now she has the perspective of hindsight? Of course, these are impossible questions, because you have to think on your feet in the world of news and as Emily Maitlis explains, there are many constraints that dictate how an interview turns out. It is easy to think differently looking back on things, especially when events have taken an unexpected turn later on - the election of Donald Trump, for instance. I think this shows great integrity.

This is not a memoir, as such, but a glimpse into how news stories are made. There are only bits and pieces about how working as a television journalist affects your home and family life in the main, but there is a very personal chapter about dealing with a stalker, who has dogged Emily since university days. She has clearly found it difficult and painful to talk about this publicly, which is not a surprise. Thank you for your honesty, Emily, because I really think your openness will help others to talk about their own experiences with stalkers.

This is a very accessible, frank and funny look into the world of news, and it has made me think about what may actually be behind the soundbites that grab the headlines.