Why this 60 Minutes interview has PM Jacinda Ardern fuming
<p><em>60 Minutes</em> by its very nature is <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/2018/02/robbie-williams-stuns-60-minutes-reporter-with-shocking-admission/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>designed to cause a bit of controversy</strong></em></span></a>, and last Sunday’s episode was no different after an interview with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden and veteran reporter Charles Wooley left the Kiwi leader fuming.</p>
<p>The interview has opened a raft of controversy both here and across the pond, after Wooley’s interview with the 37-year-old was criticised as “creepy” and “sexist”.</p>
<p>“I’ve met a lot of prime ministers in my time,” says Wooley, during the opening, “But none so young, not too many so smart, and never one so attractive.”</p>
<p>Wooley’s comments continue to be eyebrow-raising as the interview progresses, with the 60 Minutes journo saying like the rest of NZ he is “smitten” with the PM, describing her as a leader “like no other”, who is “young, honest and pregnant”.</p>
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<p>“Admittedly, although somewhat smitten just like the rest of her country, I do know, that what’s really important in politics has to be what you leave behind,” Wooley says.</p>
<p>“How did a nice person like you get into the sordid world of politics?” Wooley asked Ardern at one point.</p>
<p>“Nice people go into politics,” replied Ardern, smiling.</p>
<p>The questioning took an especially awkward line when Wooley asked about Arden’s pregnancy, making Arden and her partner Clarke Gayford, visibly uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“One really important political question that I want to ask you,” Wooley said. “And that is, what exactly is the date that the baby’s due?”</p>
<p>Arden said her baby was due on 17 June.</p>
<p>Wooley replied: “It’s interesting how many people have been counting back to the conception... as it were.”</p>
<p>Gayford laughed uncomfortably, responding, “Really?”</p>
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<p>Wooley continued: “Having produced six children it doesn’t amaze me that people can have children; why shouldn’t a child be conceived during an election campaign?”</p>
<p>Ardern appeared to roll her eyes, responding: “The election was done. Not that we need to get into those details.”</p>
<p>Wooley has been widely criticised for his archaic interview style, but he defended the piece in an interview with New Zealand radio station <em>Newstalk ZB</em>.</p>
<p>“It’s a bit Orwellian, you know I think. You’ve got to be so careful now with newsspeak and thought crime and everything else. We suffer the same thing in Australia. It’s not a good time to be a journalist,” he said.</p>
<p>“If you say somebody is attractive, my thesaurus defines it as 50 choices from good looking to gorgeous to likeable, there is so many different meanings.”</p>
<p>What do you think? Did Wooley go too far with his questions?</p>
