LBC Radio’s interview with Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott yesterday brilliantly underlines the importance of one of the fundamental rules of effective media interviews: make sure you know your core facts.

Such an obvious point, right?  But I often see people like Abbott – who you’d think would know better – going into interviews unprepared.

Abbott was asked the obvious question about the cost of her election manifesto pledge to expand the police by 10,000 officers and …. well … click below if you haven’t already heard the excruciating result:

This interview also shows how, if you find you don’t have the right information to hand despite your best efforts, you’re far better off calmly admitting that than making things up.

 

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