ORLANDO, Fla. — Nothing Barbara West has done in her 22 years at WFTV-TV has generated the attention that her interview last week with Sen. Joe Biden stirred up. Her contentious chat with the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has become an Internet sensation1.2 million hits on YouTube over the weekend and more than 500,000 on — and generated controversy about how journalists question their subjects.
“The thing that stuns me is that this has become about me,” said the 60-year-old anchor. She appeared Monday night on “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News Channel and “Larry King Live” on CNN and planned to be on three more national shows Tuesday. “It’s not a good thing. I am not trying to seek the limelight in any way,” she said.
In the Biden interview, West quoted Karl Marx and asked, “How is Sen. Obama not being a Marxist if he intends to spread the wealth around?” “Are you joking?” said Biden. “No,” West said.
“I was trying to get to the heart of things, not lob softballs,” West said. “We are a hard-breaking news station. Our job is to challenge people and ask probing questions.” After the Biden interview, West’s bio was the next most-requested item from . Orlando Sentinel
