Can I Quote You on That?

I was recently asked to do an interview. I hate interviews. I really hate them, but I like the person that asked me and it would help them so I said yes. I used to like interviews ... or I liked the idea of them until I had been interviewed a few times, and then I stopped liking them. It seemed that no matter what I said during the interview, it came off wrong when it was in sound-byte form. The last interview I gave was after a kid committed suicide at our campus.

I was stranded underneath an overhang waiting for the rain to subside, and there was a reporter there filming her story. We started talking. She seemed nice enough, and wanted me to say something - discuss the things that may cause someone to become depressed while at school. I discussed the stresses of school, and life and all of the rest and tried to give an empathetic take on the situation. Later that night, my friend found me.

"Justin, oh my God. That guy's parents must hate you right now."
"What?"
"The interview."
"What interview?"
"You were just on television regarding the guy that killed himself. You said 'It happens.'"
"What!?"
"I think we should get you a T-shirt that says 'UM, where IT happens'."
"But I said a lot when I was interviewed! I didn't say that! I didn't mean that!"

I felt terrible. Here I had tried to do a nice thing, and a decent thing and I had been sound-byted into an unsympathetic bastard. From that day on, I stopped doing interviews, until this one. Now that I have done it, I really worry what I will come off sounding like - what I will be sound-byted into. I hope the person that asked me to help won't end up regretting it.