In pulling out of the French Open, the young tennis player has exposed a truth known to all players, fans and even journalists: the obligatory press conferences are pointless and often brutally boring
In the fallout from Naomi Osaka’s French Open walkout, everyone seemed to fall out with everyone else. I got a text from a TV producer. “Lol. Piers Morgan’s criticism of the tennis player not wanting to attend a press conference is rich given 99% of the TV presenters I’ve EVER worked with (usually male, including you) won’t attend debriefs and cry like babies if you dare say they didn’t have a great show. The male TV presenter is the most fragile ego in all showbiz.” And this is from a close friend, please note; imagine what I get from my enemies.
He makes a fair point. A debrief, a post-show meeting for a full and frank exchange of views, is on the face of it a good idea. You look at what’s gone well, what hasn’t, and what can be learned for next time. The trouble is, straight after coming off air, the heroes and villains of the hour are rarely in the right emotional place for constructive reflection. It can often turn into an orgy of cloying self-congratulation or, more often, an exercise in arse-covering. The blame for anything that’s gone wrong is parcelled up and passed around the room and everyone endeavours not to be holding it when the music stops. And, yes, I must admit I have often inwardly cried like a baby when anyone dares to say, or even merely intimate, that I haven’t had a great show.
