Is NBC’s Matt Lauer “the male version of Oprah Winfrey”? The Buffalo News’ TV critic Alan Pergament makes the argument today based on three recent interviews: Elizabeth Edwards, Carrie Prejean and Bristol Palin.
The appearances of Edwards, Prejean and Palin with Lauer indicate that he is the go-to guy when women need gentle handling. Like Winfrey, he figures out how to ask newsmakers difficult or embarrassing questions without offending them in any way.
The three women are sympathetic figures to some degree, and that made it even harder to become too aggressive when asking questions….The empathetic Lauer was quite masterful making the subjects feel comfortable.
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