Journalist Says His Accidental Interview with a Bono Impersonator Was Inevitable
People are having some fun with the story about notable ambush-video journalist Jason Mattera publishing what he thought was a hard-hitting interview with U2's Bono, but what was, in fact, a hard-hitting interview with a Bono impersonator. We're most amused, though, by Mattera's odd mea culpa. The Washington Post's Erik Wemple got a comment from him:
“I got punked. I thought I got Bono. I didn't. I got his impersonator apparently ... After scores of interviews with big-time politicians and celebrities, I finally got had. It was bound to happen sooner or later....
Mattera originally published the video on Breitbart.com and a few other conservative outlets picked it up. In it, Mattera confronts and interviews the Bono look-alike about some of U2's tax practices. It's since been taken down or made private on sites that posted it, but it's been reposted to YouTube by others.) We find especially amusing his comment that such an incident becomes "inevitable" if you're in the habit of interviewing famous people.
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Mattera's statement to Wemple goes on to say, referencing a famous ambush interview he got with Vice President Biden, "While we’re on the subject of me getting snookered, I’m now left to ponder: was that really Vice President Joe Biden I talked to?" So at least it sounds like he's being a bit tongue-in-cheek. Still, imagine if other reporters with long histories of big-name interviews had the "bound to happen" excuse to fall back on. Each time Barbara Walters sat down on the couch to interview someone, she'd be squinting across at her subject wondering, "Is that really Katie Holmes? Or is this the time I get duped by a look-alike?" It's gonna happen any day, now, Walters ...
