Equivocation Theory and News Interviews

Abstract

According to a theory devised by Bavelas and colleagues, equivocation occurs in response to avoidance-avoidance conflicts. This article argues that this theory provides a valuable conceptual framework for the analysis of news interviews; in addition, some modifications are discussed. It proposes that the concept of threats to face can be used to provide a theoretical underpinning for why avoidance-avoidance conflicts occur in the context of political interviews. It is further argued that different forms of equivocation have different interactional consequences, which is not adequately represented in Bavelas and colleagues' theory: For example, implicit replies can be shown to have significant interactional advantages over nonreplies. Finally, whereas Bavelas and colleagues conduct their analysis at the level of each individual question, in some circumstances, avoidance-avoidance conflicts may also operate at the level of the interview as a whole; both levels of analysis must be considered for fuller understanding ofpressures toward equivocation.