Journalist Chris Matthews Plays "Hardball" to Unveil Political Truths

by Jordan Mamorsky

Chris Matthews gives it to you straight from the hip. Nightly, Matthew's MSNBC-TV show "Hardball" gives the viewer a daily dose of no-nonsense political reporting, with hard-hitting controversial questions that other news programs typically don't incorporate in their line-up. "I think we should know what our government is doing and how it's doing it. We should also understand how the law is being enforced," Matthews told me on his "Hardball" set at MSNBC-TV studios in Washington, D.C.

It's not easy to be Chris Matthews. His daily routine begins at 6:00 a.m. and ends whenever and wherever he is in the country talking "hardball" with guests who are politicians or spokespeople prepared to argue a political issue. He reads all of the daily newspapers, and thoroughly researches the content of each evening's broadcast: guests' backgrounds, legislation, issues, etc. Daily preparation includes debates with his own production team who "play devil's advocate" so that he can get to the heart of the facts on each issue. This, in turn provides Matthews with his strategy of fast-balls, hardballs, and he admits, an occasional softball - but only when his wife is a guest on the show.

"Hardball" plays fair. It always gives two sides of a political issue. Often Matthews' line of questioning can be confrontational, and the viewer witnessing these lively debates is cheering from the sidelines for the opinion they believe is right. Different from many other news-formatted shows, the "Hardball" viewer enjoys the at-times heated debates that Matthews provokes. "If somebody watches the show, it's helping to encourage their interest in politics. If they are not watching the show, it's probably because they haven't formed an interest in politics yet. Very few people are truly interested in politics," Matthews admits.