She expertly grilled Trump and Monica Lewinsky, but ultimately was captured by celebrity goofiness. 'What kind of a tree are you?' indeed.
Below, we argue mostly for the former. Barbara Walters was the very best kind of journalistic tree — empathetic, perceptive, prepared and relentless. At least, that’s how she came across when she wasn’t recording movie promos for the Ninja Turtles.
Startlingly, Connery doubled down, remarking that he hadn’t changed his opinion. Walters remained incredulous but unflappable. Mostly, she just repeated Connery’s assertions back to him or posed clipped follow-up questions to keep him talking. As the James Bond star spiraled into full-blown chauvinism , Walters simply sat back and marveled as a screen icon torched his legacy in the opposite chair.
Walters: Being on the verge of bankruptcy, being bailed out by the banks, skating on thin ice and almost drowning — that’s a businessman to be admired? A chief responsibility for any interviewer is to serve as a conduit between the interviewee and audience. When Walters spoke to the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” crew for ABC’s “10 Most Fascinating People” special in 2011, she preceded the segment by acknowledging the public outcry. “I have never heard more anger and dismay,” she said, “than when we announced that the people you’re about to see were on our list.
Walters: You found yourself alone with Bill Clinton in the chief of staff’s office, and you lifted the back of your jacket and you showed the president of the United States your thong underwear. Where did you get the nerve? I mean, who does that?