Boy Abunda or Jessica Soho: Who did the better presidential interview?

When Boy Abunda gave his two cents on Toni Gonzaga’s controversial feature of Bongbong Marcos last year, the ‘King of Talk’ opined that the criticism should consider the style of the interview.

While some interviews are investigative, educational, and even hostile, Abunda sees Gonzaga’s as casual, ‘almost familial, to a certain point a PR interview.’ Fast forward to 2022, Abunda joins his fellow celebrity in chatting up presidential candidates a few months before the elections.

But instead of his usual ‘sex or chocolates,’ Abunda ditches the showbiz route and asks the ‘hard’ questions about country and society, drawing comparisons to veteran journalist Jessica Soho. Soho held her own presidential interviews a few days prior.

Two personalities with entirely different backgrounds, made equal with their shared goal of dissecting our potential future leaders. Who did it better? Peep our breakdown below.

The candidates: Boy Abunda (by default)

Boy Abunda won this round solely because he was able to invite the top five presidential candidates. Notorious absentee Bongbong Marcos finally showed up after ditching Soho, reasoning that her line of questioning is ‘biased’ and ‘anti-Marcos.’

However, upon seeing Abunda’s inquiries, it is clear why Marcos Jr. bothered to show up in this interview.

The questions: Jessica Soho

Controversies play just as big a part in determining a politician’s success as their plans and platforms. While Boy Abunda inquired about national topics such as mining and abortion, Jessica Soho took it further by devoting an entire segment to personal issues alone.

Manny Pacquiao was asked incessantly about his stance on LGBTs. Isko Moreno addressed his butterfly tendencies for a good 10 minutes. Leni’s competence was bombarded for her failure to unify the opposition. Ping Lacson got grilled so much that he took to Twitter to defend Jessica Soho against claims of ‘bias.’

Jessica Soho, biased? I was asked very hostile questions like my role during martial law, why I evaded arrest in 2010, my co-authorhip and sponsorship of the Anti-Terror Law, human rights issues and other hard questions. I don’t think so. Like any journalist, trabaho niya yun.

— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) January 22, 2022

In Abunda’s interview with Marcos, the countless controversies surrounding the latter’s family were reduced to one question, a footnote near the end of an hour-long interview. It’s safe to say the same wouldn’t be the case with Soho.

The interviewer: Tie

It would’ve been easy to credit this round to Jessica Soho, an award-winning journalist. We called Soho ‘oddly refreshing’ for her no-holds-barred inquiries in our review.

But there is merit to Boy Abunda and his interview style.

Many criticize Abunda for being too interruptive, especially with Leni Robredo. He gobbles up precious time that otherwise should’ve gone to the candidates. Contrary to popular opinion, the showbiz host interrupted Ping Lacson the most (78), followed by Robredo (64).

However, we argue that follow-up questions are a good sign of a listener’s interest. It’s far better than the alternative, where the listener goes ‘uh huh’ or ‘hmm’ for the entire conversation. We’ve all been there.

Abunda’s interruptions were a sign that Robredo was doing well, something that a source close to Abunda agrees with. The VP was detailed and specific in her plans, which led to a bigger sense of curiosity from the talk show host. Robredo was bringing more to the table, and Abunda only responded in kind.

What dooms Abunda is not that he’s an inferior interviewer to Soho but rather, the format he finds himself in.

The format: Jessica Soho

Boy Abunda popularized ‘Fast Talk’, where he doles out rapid-fire questions in a few minutes. Abunda tried the same thing with his presidential interviews, where candidates have five minutes to answer, including the former’s side comments.

It was a polarizing format, and it’s easy to see why. Fast Talk might work with lighthearted questions about love lives and food preferences, but national issues deserve more time and explanation.

Programs and platforms aren’t as simple as saying that crime will be extinct in 3-6 months. They involve many details and more in-depth elaborations, which is what Abunda was aiming for. Five minutes is not enough to discuss all of these.

On the other hand, Soho did not have a time limit, save for the ‘Isang Salita’ segment. This created a seemingly more free-flowing interview, where everyone gets to air their side.

Conclusion

While they both have the common goal of dissecting candidates, it is clear that Boy Abunda and Jessica Soho tailored their interviews to their respective audiences. Abunda’s was quick and bite-sized, perfect for showbiz followers. Soho’s was research-oriented and investigative, traits that have defined her shows.

It’s all about preference. But if we had to decide which format brings out the best in the candidates, we’d go with Soho.

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Source: we the pvblic