IamA British TV journalist called Krishnan Guru-Murthy. I do Channel 4 News and the documentary series Unreported World including the new one about Cambodia. You may have seen a couple of my interviews on Youtube! AMA.

Obviously you've most recently been in the news for your disastrous interview with Robert Downey Jr. We've all seen the video, and Downey's feelings are pretty clear, but did you want to share your side of the story? What were you going for with that line of questioning, what was the rationale behind it?

I've done a pretty long explanation of that in an article in the Guardian yesterday http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/26/krishnan-guru-murthy-channel-4-news-robert-downey-jr

If you have any further questions please come back

best

Krishnan

Do you think that, in retrospect, that the content of the interview was simply not suited for a brief interview?

I'm speaking as a writer who interviews people professionally for print. Often it takes a series of questions to lead naturally into the harder, more introspective ones. It seems like the interview was always leaning in that direction, possibly due to the relatively brief time you were provided to execute the interview.

certainly in 10 minutes you have to make some pretty big leaps. ones that would be very uncomfortable in a normal conversation. but given we'd warned them about it I would expect him to be expecting it

Perhaps your tentative approach to those particular questions made their incongruity stand out even more explicitly? He was already anticipating something bad before you even asked the questions simply due to the bumbling way you went about putting them to him. As I said above, not bad journalism but a bad attempt at good journalism.

It was tentative because I was giving him thinking time, and opportunities (by saying you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, I don't want to pry) - but at the end of the day in 10 minutes you've got to get to the point quickly. And for all those who think 10 minutes is impossible to do anything indepth with, that's just rubbish. We've been doing it for decades.

Not the original asker, but what was the atmosphere in the room aftrr he stormed out, did you take any of the blame? Also do you feel the incident has been blown out of proportion?

Thanks for doing the AMA big fan.

I reminded them of the prior conversation they had with our guest booker. Proportion? There's no such thing in modern media really. Celebrity outsells virtually everything so no surprise it went so big

I'm interested in the answer to this question aswell. Don't dodge the question, or in your words if you don't want to be asked the question "be more boring"

Edit* I waited a bit for him to answer the question so I apologize for thinking you would skip this question, while I don't agree with your reasoning, thank you for answering them all the same.

I've explained the rationale in the article - I wanted to know about coming out of prison not being a liberal, and whether he thinks there's a genetic element to drug abuse. My rationale was to get him talking about the stuff that makes his stardom all the more admirable.

Do you ever compete with Jon Snow's snappy dress sense?

Only in the friendliest of ways

With only a few days until the election, is there any chance that channel 4 news could discuss the Leveson inquiry and his recommendations?

I'm not sure its much of an election issue - why do you ask?

We've seen you do a few interviews with Samuel L Jackson and Tarantino that have to do with violence in movies and video games affecting the audience. Whats your opinion on the subject? Do you believe it harms the audience?

My personal opinion really doesn't matter and I try not say too much about it. As a news anchor in Britain we are regulated to be unbiased and balanced. So I often pose controversial view points in my questions and people sometimes assume that's what I think, but I'm only ever posing what "some people" might say. Sorry to be boring but if I reveal a personal opinion on one thing, then I where do I stop?! What I would say is that personally I enjoy watching Tarantino movies and I don't think it makes me violent!

if this is the case and you want to remain apolitical and neutral what did you think of Jon Snow commenting on the Israel/Gaza war in the way that he did?

As I recall the video in which he revealed his more personal thoughts was on Youtube not the TV so slightly different to a news broadcast. His main "view" was that killing should stop and was tragic, which is hard to disagree with. Having been to Gaza myself during that period (thankfully during a short ceasefire) it was a heartbreaking conflict to see unfold, regardless of which side you take (if any).

As a journalist exploring the unreported world what do you think of the Syrian Crisis? 7 million internally displaced people, hundreds of thousands killed, 80% of doctors have fled. But it seems to get very little coverage apart from IS doing something horrific, Syria itself seems to be forgotten, is it become part of the unreported world?

Edit: spelling

Yes it is massively unreported and that's terrible. But vast parts of Syria are just too dangerous now for us to operate in. I was about to go there a few months ago but we had to call the trip off because the kidnap risk where we were heading was too high. We should do more from the refugee crises around Syria

do you think its channel 4 news' job to follow the agenda or to set it? what do you think channel 4 news does?

Obviously we do both. We pursue other people's stories and break our own. We also follow and report what people reveal or announce. And during interviews we seek to reveal things that haven't yet been aired in public. It is always a balancing act and is an art not a science.

Hi Krishnan, I just read your piece in The Guardian about celebrity interviews (namely, your recent interview with Robert Downey Jr.). I'm wondering, has any big star given you what you wanted from an intervieew and really surprised you?

Lots. I'm very lucky in that I've interviewed a range of artists, actors, musicians and writers over the years. Quite a lot of it now goes onto Youtube. My very first pop star interview with Elvis Costello in 1988 was utterly brilliant and revealing and I still remember it now. Sadly it isn't online! Ever since I've found some people you interview will be surprising and charming and intelligent, and some won't.

Hey Krishnan,

Good to see you on here. What are you opinions on the american media and news reporting in general over there? (both from objective stations/reporters, and the non-objective stations that like to give their [the reporter's] opinions)

Do you think that the media is a factor in the racial tensions seen in the US but not so much the UK?

thanks

Thanks a really big one - I did an Unreported World about American talk radio actually here : http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/on-demand/53564-009 As for racial tension - clearly it is very complex and media has a part to play in that. Sorry I can't give you a proper reply in the time but that's just too big a question to wade into in a quick reddit chat.

Hi Krishnan!

What advice would you give to a young person trying to make a career in Broadcast Journalism?

Just do it. You can make films and publish them now, including your own documentaries. There are loads of ways to learn, and loads of resources online about both craft skills and journalism. Good luck. And don't be disheartened if it takes a while for somebody to take you on.

Whilst I find some of your interviews questionable in nature, I appreciate that you ask probing questions others would not. That being said, who would you like to interview on a no holds barred basis?

All the most powerful people in the world - holding them to account is the most important thing we do. Obviously a celeb interview is something different.

Why is a Labour/SNP alliance getting so much attention but the DUP might be in Government in 10 days time and yet have remained unscrutinised?

I guess neither Labour nor the Tories are likely to attack the prospect of relying on DUP votes at the moment. So it hasn't taken off an argument

Who has been the best person for you to interview? And who would you most like to interview?

That's an impossible question! I enjoy talking to people for all sorts of reasons : sometimes big political bust-ups, or celebrity chats. The most satisfying interviews are the ones like those in Unreported World, with remarkable people telling amazing stories of their extraordinary lives

What is the most ridiculous story you have ever reported on?

Don't know to be honest. In twenty seven years there's quite a lot of competition!

Hi Krishnan, I really enjoyed the Cambodia story. It was very moving indeed. Could you clarify a small question that I didn't really get my head around. Does the reported TV show get high view ratings in Cambodia? Is it so popular that it has become a cultural point of discussion that might be had between strangers there like people in the UK might have about reality TV, or does it have quite a small following? I ask because I wonder how the lady based in the US ever found out it was a 'thing'. Cheers, Ros.

Hi Ros. Hong (from Texas) saw clips of the show on Youtube. Bayon TV have their own channel and put everything on there. There aren't any official ratings in Cambodia so we don't know how many people watch, but anecdotally most people we asked had heard of it. It tends to be watched by the older generation who remember the 1970s, or people in similar circumstances. Every Monday they broadcast appeals, and then every four weeks they do a reunion show.

Thanks for this clarification, Krishnan. Enjoy your Tuesday!

thanks. you too

Dear Krishnan, do you think Channel 4 send you along to do celebrity interviews hoping you'll get a walk-out? Is that your (their) aim?

I don't know. I doubt it. 9 times out of 10 we get a great interview in which everyone stays in their chair! RDJ is the only celeb who ever walked out. Tarantino didn't. He stayed and we changed the subject. I've had one politician walkout once when he didn't want to answer my question : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz0QoMKt5c8

What got you interested in Cambodia ?

The idea came from the director Daniel Bogado who I have worked with a lot on Unreported World. We've also made films about teenagers on death row in Yemen and about the shortage of morphine for cancer patients in Senegal. Danny's wonderfully talented, spotted the story and set it up.

Krishnan, big fan of of yours, and channel 4 current affairs work in general. Does it frustrate you that you (as an organisation) get accused of a left wing bias for simply not following the other media's right wing bias?

I don't quite accept the premise! But thanks for being a fan. I don't think the rest of the broadcast media has a right wing bias. But I know we try very hard to just tell the truth as we see it

What "big issue" do you wish everyone knew about?
e.g. Cambodia genocide, Bhopal disaster, global world debt, developing-world mineral exploitation etc?

We cover "big issues" on the news and Unreported World all the time. Our reporters (me included) go to difficult and dangerous places to report on terrible things, including all of those issues mentioned above. I recently did an Unreported World in India, partly about coal mining. I want them to get a bigger audience, as the things that really matter. People should watch and debate them. That's why I'm doing things like this on Reddit. I think it is utterly tragic so many of the questions on an encounter like this are about celebrity and not the "big issues" you talk about. But to pick one? Very hard. Climate change, poverty, migration, globalisation - these are the big challenges. And that's before you get anywhere near the middle east and IS.

Hi Krishnan a trivial question to break up the kinda accusatory questions;) Do you watch/read Game of Thrones and if you do how many times have you referenced or pinned Jon Snow's name? If not please do it as often as possible

I don't - but I will!

Hi Krishnan. Who will you be voting for next week?

That's a secret. But I will be voting. If you don't vote, you can't complain about what you get.

As a journalist do you feel its your job to uncover the injustices from all over the globe in 'Unreported World'? or is it just a job?

Well if it is just a job, it is one of the best in the world. Obviously you don't go to these places because it is "just a job". Especially the dangerous places. Revealing injustices is hugely important to us.

Thanks for doing this AMA!

Have you ever gotten into trouble for interviews that you have been waked out on? Or were you praised for making viral news?

No I'm not in trouble! Though if the boss thought I'd screwed up he'd have no problem letting me know. We're just doing a job - we don't make any money if a video goes viral (we don't advertise on youtube being the news). But I'd much rather things like this Cambodia film went viral than a celebrity interview.

Do you have a favourite news story that you have covered in your career?

Favourite? Not really. The ones that really made an impression : Bosnia (the first real conflict I covered when I was 21), general elections (I'm a political junky). Stories like the ones I do for Unreported World (violence against women in Afghanistan, the work of the Iraqi bomb squad, child prisoners in Yemen and this Cambodia film) are the ones that really turn me on. It is amazing to meet these people and very inspiring.

What do you feel is your biggest failure as a journalist?

don't know - we fail all the time in that we don't always do as well as we'd wish. but we try to do better all the time

When are you going back on 8 Out of 10 Cats? I havent seen you on it for ages.

whenever they ask

Why do you think quite a few of your interviews are confrontational with the interviewees? Is it due to the nature of the press junket, quick snapshot length you are given to interview them? Do you think a longer more indepth time would allow you to properly explain the reason for your question/s and background to why you are asking them?

Seems that the nature of these press tours are now just to create one liner answers to fluffy non contentious queries/questions for the low attention internet era.

I dunno, Paxman and (increasingly) Davis are quite happy to rip people to pieces. It's acceptable for UK journalists to do so, and I hope Mr Guru-Murthy continues in the same vein.

Paxman vs Michael Howard - one of the most famous interviews ever in the UK.

Certainly with the politicians, we try!

Were you at all offended when Tarantino or Downey Jr. refused to answer your questions?

No not at all. Got to go now. Thanks very much for your questions

Hello. What on earth made you ask Robert Downey Junior about his past like you did?

You hardly looked comfortable asking such a question.

Hi - can I refer you to the answer above to a similar question?

Do you ever feel even a little bad about the way you interviewed Michael Jackson? I remember watching, and despite not being a fan, I felt very uncomfortable with how you appeared to be manipulating him. Do you still stand by it?

Er, that was Martin Bashir.

Hi Krishnan, are you actually going to answer any questions that put you out of your comfort zone or just ones that suck up to you?

like what?

Did Quentin Tarantino ever follow through on his threat to shut your butt down?

If you could go back and not fuck up the Richard Ayoade interview, what questions would you ask him to ask himself?

Do you have trouble hearing, or did you keep pressing Robert Downy, Jr. on personal issues that he clearly didn't want to talk about because you're an asshole?

Richard Ayoade and Guru Murthy know each other from the Oxford and Cambridge club. I know It may be hard for socially inept people to pick it up, but it was pretty clear that they were both in on the absurdity of the interview rules and had discussed it before the cameras started rolliong.

Also I'm wondering why Guru-Murthy didn't shut Tarantino down himself because his publicist clearly didn't do the research on UK news regulations - It wasn't a 'commercial' for his movie. Guru-Murthy was incredibly polite there actually.

Actually we didn't know each other as students - but had met before. Yes it was all very friendly. Richard is a huge talent. Perhaps I over-did the straight man routine given how many people seemed to have misunderstood what was going on!