Dissecting Communication Strategies: j Laurie’s Interview

‘We all have to die sometime…’ one of the last lines uttered by Aquino Jr. who flew 10,000 miles, with
an operation scar on chest, to help restore the democracy oh his mother land. His last interview summarizes his
motif and purpose to go back from the United States of America with all odds that prevents him to do so, and,
by this, understanding the exchange conversations—and how communication strategy helps established the
interview—of the late senator Ninoy Aquino Jr. and ABC News’ Jim Laurie through the communication
strategies used in the interview.

Benigno Aquino Jr. is a senator and the major political rival of then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Sr. He was
arrested short after the imposition of Martial Law in 1972, along with other members of the opposition, in the
grounds of murder, illegal possession of firearms and submersion. He later suffered a heart attack that allowed
him to seek medical treatment in the United States having his life seven years of incarceration and three of exile
respectively. With the political turmoil and unprecedented circumstances of the country, he came back, despite
numerous threats against him. And, eventually, before even setting his foot on the tarmac, he was gunned down.
Jim Laurie had the opportunity to interview Aquino Jr. inflight. Aquino started the interview by sharing
his sentiment of wanting to go back home as the opposition is preparing for the 1984 elections—and having
been the secretary general of the major opposition he would like to contribute and give assistance. Jim Laurie
then asked if there were any efforts to stop Aquino Jr. from entering the country and later asked if he had any
idea why Pres. Marcos would not want him back. On the other hand, an article published by New York Times
on July 03, 1984, Mrs. Marcos said prior to Aquino Jr.’s assassination, he has sought her permission to return
home from exile, and that she had warned him against it—even pleaded to postpone his return to some future
time.
Despite the pressure of limited time, J. Laurie managed to asked important questions: why Aquino wants
to go back; his expectations on what about to happen when they get to Manila; and by asking Aquino to
elaborate if there were any assassination attempt to happen as the Government denied his travel documents for
it is not safe for him to go back. Prior to Laurie’s interview with Aquino, he first worked under NBC and then
ABC NEWS. He also covered the end of the American War in 1975 in Vietnam. This 2020, he finished writing
his new book, entitled, “The Last Two Helicopters: Two Lives in Indochina. Coincidentally, Philippines, at that
time, suffers from communist insurgency—the same status quo as the country where he came from: Vietnam.
With the credentials he have, there is no doubt it reflects the way he points out question to Aquino Jr. given the
limits of the discussion.
The topic control is also concise with the little questions of Laurie, Aquino has sufficiently gave answers
to him. In the video, it is evident that Laurie is not interjecting whenever Aquino speaks—he let him finish first,
even if it took minutes, before asking supporting questions. At the latter part of the video, the screen frame has
been zoom out letting other reporters be seen on the interview, too. And I assume that turn-taking only involved
Laurie and Aquino as it was an exclusive interview thus having other reporters in no authority to interject
questions to Aquino. Reflecting Laurie’s etiquette, it’s hard to find reporters like him today. There were many
instances where they suppress the interviewee to broaden his/her stance on the given topic because they think it
is already going off to what they would want to pull off from that interview. There were also no repair that is
seen on the interview.
The cut-interview is concluded with last words of Aquino Jr. that the victory is for them to land and the
other are just bonuses. But this has been a sorrowful victory to some; a man who yearns to come back unfazed
with the odds and threats against him. And Jim Laurie has executed the interview well. The conversation need
not repair as the two effectively understand each other with the systematic development of the topic and there
were no dead air during the interview because the fast-paced interpolation of the interviewer and the interview;
the other communicative strategies appear smoothly during the dissecting of the interview.
 Jim Laurie could’ve been subjective but why would he want to? It is his job to ask questions that are
critical and relevant without instigating a suppression of the interviewee’s freedom to speak with his firm
conviction and mission to deliver credible report.
 References

Crisostomo, I. (2018) Cory: profile of a President. retrieved from: http://www.gov.ph (Government of the
Philippines and the Official Gazette online)http://officialgazette.gov.ph
Martial Law Musuems (n.d.) From Senator to Prisoner: The Story of Ninoy Aquino
https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/from-senator-to-prisoner-the-story-of-ninoy-aquino/
New York Times (1984) MRS. MARCOS TESTIFIES SHE WARNED AQUINO NOT TO RETURN TO
MANILA. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/03/world/mrs-marcos-testifies-she-warned-aquino-not-to-
return-to-manila.html
Rojas, J. (2018, Nov. 26) Lines from Ninoy. BusinessMirror retrieved from:
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2018/11/26/lines-from-ninoy/