Ben Shapiro aborts BBC interview

A few weeks ago, conservative author and political commentator Ben Shapiro appeared on BBC News to promote his new book, The Right Side of History. His interviewer was Andrew Neil, a veteran journalist and broadcaster who doesn’t shy away from asking the tough questions. But despite the credentials and experience of both men, the interview would descend into chaos, culminating in Shapiro’s early exit.

What exactly happened? As expected, the online response was split down the middle. Opponents of Shapiro criticized his hostile attitude towards Neil and his petty remark that “no one’s ever heard of you”. One commentator even went so far as to write that Shapiro stormed out of the interview (which seems like an exaggerated description). To these fervent critics, the BBC appearance was a damning, messy, and ironically emotional display from the figure known for his catchphrase, “facts don’t care about your feelings”.

I think neither person is totally at fault for the disintegration of the interview. Rather, their encounter was predisposed to failure by two problems inherent to political dialogue itself: the first involving the assumption of good faith, and the second involving our proper orientation towards past mistakes.

The good faith standard of discussion

“Ben Shapiro, you’re followed by…