A leading interview is not a conversation—it's a performance. When questions are shaped to elicit agreement rather than insight, the result is compliance, not truth. This method, widely criticized in forensic psychology, can distort memory and suppress complexity. The infamous McMartin preschool trial of the 1980s showed how suggestive questioning led to false accusations and no convictions, despite national hysteria.
In modern media, this style persists: interviewees nod along to narratives pre-written by the interviewer. Especially when the subject is vulnerable or under pressure, such techniques function more like stage direction than journalism. Truth emerges not from agreement but from challenge. When the goal is affirmation, the facts tend to vanish.
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