News media eagerly claimed Friday that a supposedly irate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had “stormed out” of an interview with the Guardian, with his staff even turning out the lights on their way out, but this story appears to be entirely false.
Paul was on a reportedly tight schedule Friday, offering interviews to both the Guardian and CNN.
He answered a series of questions from the Guardian’s Paul Lewis before saying finally that he had time for just one more question. Paul answered the question, declined to respond to Lewis’ follow-up, said goodbye and removed himself from the interview that was being broadcast live from a phone app called Periscope.
“Senator Paul had multiple interviews and the reporter knew we had limited time, that’s why he told the reporter that he had time for one more question. When that question ended, he had to move to his next interview,” a spokesman for the Kentucky Republican told the Washington Examiner’s media desk.
Between his saying that he had time for one more question and leaving the Guardian interview to make his scheduled meeting with CNN’s Dana Bash, something got lost.
“So we got that interview cut off maybe it was because I was about to push him on the specific, oh the lights are off in fact, we’re being told to go,” Lewis said.
Reporters were quick Friday afternoon to accuse the Kentucky lawmaker of “storming” out of an interview, furthering this week’s media narrative that the newly announced 2016 Republican president candidate has a problem with press.
Paul “refuses to answer [Lewis’] question … abruptly walked off AS STAFFERS TURN OFF LIGHTS,” tweeted the Guardian U.S.’ Katherine Krueger.
“Rand Paul reportedly storms out of interview with newspaper,” the far-left Talking Points Memo blared in a headline.
Similarly, news groups including Politico, Salon, Mashable and the Guardian itself characterized the situation as one where Paul ended the interview “abruptly” before he “walked off.”
Reporters on social media were also abuzz with news that the Kentucky senator had angrily blown off a reporter.
But as footage from the Periscope interview soon revealed, Paul did not at all “storm off,” contrary to what the Guardian reported.
“We did not turn the lights off, that was CNN producers who were taping an interview right after and need a different look for the room,” Paul’s spokesman told the Examiner.
Bash corroborated Team Paul’s explanation.
Following the release of the interview video, as well as Bash’s explanation, newsrooms were forced to update and correct their initial reports, noting that Paul didn’t exactly “storm off” from Lewis’ questions.
Since he announced this week that he will compete in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Paul, has been called “testy,” “prickly” and “petulant” by a media that is none too fond of his aggressive interview style.
The senator’s increasingly combative behavior with interviewers even won him the Washington Post’s “Worst Week in Washington” award Friday.
“Rand Paul, for forgetting that manners matter, even when dealing with the media, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something,” the Post said.
However, as noted by a few pundits, including David Frum, Paul’s pugnacious style may be part of a larger gambit meant to keep attention focused on his campaign and away from his 2016 opponents.
“Rand Paul courts and uses the media … No one likes to be cut off. But if you suppose journalists avoid testy politicians, you don’t understand the media business,” he wrote. “Those were perfect interviews from a media point of view. They made news, generated clicks, got people talking, and made the Mediaite home page!”
Lastly, considering that right-leaning voters have long held a deep disliking for the press, Paul’s treatment of reporters may also be a shrewd move meant to curry favor with the conservative base, according to NBC News’ Chuck Todd.
