Palin–Couric interviews

Origins

The interviews followed heavy media scrutiny over the McCain campaign's alleged reluctance to let reporters access Palin. In her memoirs, Palin wrote that senior McCain staffer Nicolle Wallace pushed for Couric and the CBS Evening News. Palin stated that the campaign's general strategy was to use a network anchor who had treated John McCain well, and she suggested outlets like FOX and the Wall Street Journal, but felt she had no say. According to Palin, Wallace said Couric liked her as a working mother with teenage daughters, had low self-esteem, and wanted Palin to like her; Wallace proposed scheduling one segment and, if there was no chemistry, doing no more.

Wallace disputed this account, calling the notion that she cajoled Palin into the interview fiction. Wallace noted that the campaign had no input on usage, no ground rules, and did not negotiate platforms or air dates. Couric recalled that the initial plan was to interview Palin in Philadelphia on a Sunday and travel with the candidates the next day, but the campaign changed course because they did not want a week without Palin speaking publicly.

Instead, Palin sat down with Couric while visiting world leaders at the UN, which allowed foreign policy questions, and the 2008 financial crisis provided another opportunity. A second interview was scheduled the following Monday for domestic and social issues.

Format

CBS News segmented key moments from the interviews over several days across The Early Show, the Evening News, and the Internet. The New York Observer noted this prolonged the interviews' saliency in the news cycle. Bill Kristol of Fox News Channel called the network's installments a nine-thousand-part interview. The initial 40-minute session aired September 24 and 25, 2008, covering topics such as Rick Davis, the economy, and Palin's comments on Alaska's proximity to Russia. Another segment aired on September 30 featured Couric asking about Palin's taste in periodicals.

Fallout

The interviews boosted CBS Evening News ratings on both nights, and YouTube clips garnered over 10 million views. National Review editor Rich Lowry called Palin's performance dreadful. The New York Times television critic Alessandra Stanley described the interview as in some ways the worst Palin had done, calling the Russia exchange startling and her answer surprisingly wobbly. Beliefnet's Rod Dreher wrote he was embarrassed for Palin, calling it a train wreck.

The interviews were parodied on Saturday Night Live, with Tina Fey as Palin; Fey used Palin's bailout answer nearly verbatim, later saying Palin got lost in a corn maze. CNN commentator Jack Cafferty said that if McCain won, Palin would be one heartbeat from the presidency, and called her bailout answer one of the most pathetic pieces of tape he had seen. The airing coincided with a collapse in Palin's approval ratings and a loss of McCain's gains among white women.

Palin voiced irritation with Couric's interview and criticized the question about what newspapers and magazines she read.

Later remarks

In November 2010, Palin ruled out ever granting Couric another interview, saying she would not waste time with a biased reporter who would spin her words. In April 2012, Palin temporarily assumed Couric's old job as Today Show co-host for the April 3rd show, competing with Couric's week-long run as host of Good Morning America. In November 2015, Palin said her answer to Couric's question about news sources was crappy but fair, though she disliked how the interview had been stamped on her forehead as making her look like an idiot.