The world of journalism was in crisis today as a journalist forgot the most important aspect of good professional behaviour during a radio interview. During a spot on Radio 4, when being interviewed as a substitute for someone on the grounds that he knew something, he completely failed to support his interviewer and fellow journalist by saying that what was being asked was "a very good question".
He went on to omit the second most important elaboration, namely that an extra nugget of information he was about to convey was "particularly interesting". Nor did the accepted variant of "really fascinating" crop up at any point.
The final disgrace was the absence of any comment to the effect that "everyone wants to know" the answer to the unheralded Very Good Question.
According to a spokesman for Radio 4, 'A journalist refusing to deny that he hadn't confirmed that he had omitted not to describe a question as very good, was of great concern to our listeners.'
HATTIP: Sir Lupus