Gotcha journalism
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ed Poor (talk | contribs) at 20:13, January 19, 2012. It may differ significantly from current revision.
Gotcha journalism is a mainstream media tactic of asking questions less to find out about an interviewees life or ideas than to get an easily misinterpreted and used as damaging reply.
An example of such a question is Name all ten commandments. Few people, regardless of political leaning, can do this, and the question is aimed to make the target look silly. This particular question is usually asked of those who wish to see the ten commandments displayed outside courthouses.
Gotcha journalism is an example of a media trick.