BMC 1154

MEDIA WRITING
Interviewing
Sources of Information
Reporting What Others Say
Interviewing & Sources of Information
What is an interview?
An extraction of information from a source
Anytime, anywhere not limited to formal face-to-
face interview
No standard form each interview differs depending
on the subject and the circumstances of the story
Print, broadcast and PR interviews may differ slightly
different objectives, different needs
Print need longer, more detailed quotations that are
useful in substantial stories
Broadcast prefer brief, emotionally rich sound bites
suitable for newscasts. For broadcasts, some interviews are
important only in that they show the viewers that they are
on the scene, keeping up with whats happening.
PR want positive, encouraging explanations appropriate
for company news releases etc.


Why interview?
For facts and information directly from the source
For details and background
For quotes and sound bites
For information we do not have
For information we already have but cannot say it
ourselves
For verification / confirmation that information we already
have is correct
For being up-to-the-moment in terms of news-gathering
Kinds of interviews and subjects
Factual interviews
Relatively neutral atmosphere
Interviewer primarily seeks impartial information
Interviews that only seek factual information could often been done on
the phone or via emails, text messages or social networking sites.
Positive interviews
Interviewer tries to establish a warm, comfortable atmosphere
Why? So that subject could talk candidly and expansively about
feelings, experiences, beliefs etc.
Often done in person (face-to-face)
Negative interviews
Interviewer must struggle in an adversarial way
To obtain admissions, confirmations from unwilling/hostile subject
Often done in person or in an ambush situation
Preparing for an interview
A great interview rarely just happens without preparation, and
an interview does not begin only upon the asking of questions.

Much forethought, homework and legwork are needed before the
actual task.

1. Choosing sources and subjects
2. Persuading reluctant interview subjects
3. Requesting the interview & choosing the method
4. Background research on subject and subject matter
5. Formulating the interview questions
6. Asking the questions
7. Writing up the story

Choosing sources and subjects
Who are you interviewing?
How many people do you need to interview to find out all
you need to know?
What do you want to find out from each of your subject?
How many interviews would you need altogether?

Not all subjects are equal:
Higher name recognition
Greater credibility
Highly knowledgeable about specialised topics
Effusive in sharing that may lead you to other people you should
interview next
Witty, blunt, elusive, reticent



Are your subjects familiar with being interviewed?
There is a difference between interviewing people used to
facing the media and those who are not.
Think celebrities vs. your neighbour
Interviewing people unfamiliar with media:
May choose time and place to put subject at ease
Focus on relaxing subject to get answers to questions
being interviewed by journalist can be intimidating
May spend more time on preliminary chat before asking
questions

Continued
Identify valuable subjects by asking:
Who is the person or people I most need to talk to in order to tell
this story in an accurate, balanced and comprehensive way?

Story: Rabbit just won Best Rodent at a local pet event.
Who should you interview??
1. Rabbit owner
2. Rabbit owners family
3. Sponsor of the show
4. Judge who selected the winner
5. Breeder of the rabbit species


Continued
Story: Investigative story on rising crime rate in the city

Who should you interview??
Persuading reluctant interview subjects
In most neutral reporting situations, obtaining information is relatively
straightforward. Typically, most public officials, employees,
spokespeople etc. are willing to oblige.
Less willing interviewees - need to establish some kind of trust level
between you and the subject. May need to visit multiple times or
employ certain techniques:
1. Request for only a few minutes of their time interviewee is usually
agreeable to extending the interview from then.
2. Foster rapport with the gatekeeper the secretary / receptionist
that stands between you and the subject.
3. Catch your potential subject in a more conducive environment
away from work or during lunch hour.
4. Convince the subject that telling his side of the story will benefit
him.
5. Convince the subject that you are the best person to tell his story.
Handling hostile/uncommunicative sources
Do not prosecute (sound adversarial or accusatory)
Be sympathetic
Reason with the source
Try to understand sources position
Opportunity to respond
Avoid no comment
Keep asking questions
Ease up on tough questions temporarily
Interviewing PR people
Do let them:
Give you background
information
Arrange access for
interview
Let you know where the
source can be found for
comment
Provide one perspective
on the news
Dont let them:
Dictate the terms and
conditions of an
interview
Spin the angles in your
news story
Deny you legitimate
access to an interviewee
Interview methods
Face-to-face
Telephone
Tele-conferencing
Email
Social networking
Skype, Whatsapp etc.



Face-to-face, Phone or Email?



Face-to-face
Best for information gathering, but also most time-consuming
Often requires forward planning
Generally used where no other way of getting information (e.g. at scene of
disaster), or when personal element is required (e.g. profile story)
Generally preferred by reporters chance to establish greater rapport with
subject
Phone
Most widely used
Quick, easy, often doesnt need prior organisation
Dont have to leave office but lose benefit of body language etc
Email
Generally a last resort, or if no other means of contact available little
spontaneity or direct contact
Can be useful for factual information, but not so much for opinion as people tend
to be much more guarded in writing
Where?
Put subject at ease and choose a comfortable
environment (their home, their office, your office,
neutral place)
Good place to take notes
Good place for photos if needed
Comfortable seating
Not too much background noise
Privacy

Preparation
Do sufficient background research do not ask subjects
things that you can already find out on your own
Organise a place and time to suit you or interview subject
Proposed direction think about what you are trying to
achieve / objective of your interview
Prepare questions think about what you want to ask

Prepare your equipment recorder, notepad, pen,
camera/cameraman
Why research?
Feel confident about the interview

Know what questions to ask

Sound well-informed

Find out what has been asked and published before
Find out the type of person you would be interviewing and
tailor your interview accordingly
Obtain meaningful answers
Have an idea of the story angle although this may change
Know the jargon of the topic involved

Research on topic
What is the background of the issue?
How has the issue arisen?
Who are the key players?
What are the key aspects of issue?
How has it developed over time?
What has happened most recently?
Research on the subject/interviewee
What is their background?
Date & place of birth
Career path
Personal information
What have others said about them?
Career/personal highlights/lowlights
Sources of background information
News archives
Pictorial archives
Government reports
Media releases
Specialist reference books
The internet
Company annual reports
Other people friends, competitors,
associates, family, ex-bosses
Reference books (eg Whos Who)

Key points for interviews
Be prepared
Arrive early or at least on time
Leave enough time to get lost/held up at traffic lights/deal
with any last minute preparation
Identify yourself
Dress and act appropriately
Be polite and show respect
Concentrate and listen
Maintain eye contact

Note-taking
Audio recorder or hand written notes short hand?
Which is more intrusive? Note-taking needs to
unobstrusive
Which requires more time post-interview?
Which allows for more accurate record of the interview?
Not every word needs to be taken down
Not unprofessional to ask interviewee to hold on a
second, I want to be sure Ive gotten what you said down
accurately
Ok to read back some wording for verification
Ok to restate in your own words to clarify the information if
you dont understand what the interviewer said
Interview & questioning styles
Types of interview
Funnel
Inverted funnel
Questions
Closed-ended
Open-ended
Loaded
Follow-up
Questions for different
forms of media
Broadcast questions
Print questions
PR questions
Electronic questions
Funnel interview style
Background questions first
Followed by open-ended questions
Followed by closed questions/adversarial ones
Ask the toughest and most threatening
questions towards the end why??
Time factor is less important in this case
Suitable for people unfamiliar with media
interviews

Inverted funnel interview style
Tough questions first
Then fill in details later if time allows
Time crucial quick answers


Close-ended questions
Invite yes/no response
Good for confirmation/denial
Can also be used to answer with one word or phrase
Good for pinning down a subject for a specific
confirmation
Drawback - Could produce incomplete/superficial
answers
Drawback - Could let the subject get away with
monosyllabic responses


Open-ended questions
Invite subjects to expand on his or her responses
To be answered in more than one word
Allows subjects to explore something the reporter
may not have anticipated
Crucial principle is to avoid using a close-ended
question when you want to obtain an open-ended
answer.
Drawback subject may go off tangent or choose to
say only what they wish to dwell on and not what
you (the reporter) wishes to find out.

Loaded & follow up questions
Loaded questions
Sometimes called biased or leading questions
Imply that the questioner has already made up
his/her mind about what the right answer is
Usually avoided unless used for certain kinds of
investigative interviews


Follow-up questions
In respond to a previous answer given by subject
Allows exploration of a tangential topic

Examples
Do you agree to the statement made by the PM today?

What was the most embarrassing moment in your theatre
career?

Describe your strategy for the winning the marathon.

What did you do with the money you took from the charitys
fund?

How old are you?

You believe the president liked the intern, dont you?


Questioning for broadcast
Broadcast interviews typically brief news or spot interviews
inserted into a radio story or newscast
Sound bites quotable quotes for TV
Hence broad cast interviews not only for information
gathering but presenting as well
Simpler, more straightforward and more conversational
Often times, could be leading
Usually use an open-ended approach

You must read a lot of good things about yourself in the papers. Whats
that like?

How did you react to learning that you were the No. 1 ranked squash
player in the world?

Questioning for print
In print, readers seldom see and never hear the questions that
originally produced what is quoted in the story
Hence, vocabulary level of the interview questions are targeted at the
level of the subject and not the reader
A common language with the subject also puts him/her more at
ease, create a semblance of similarity that suggests the reporter
has a sympathetic ear
Print stories more in-depth, longer stories (c.f. broadcast)
Hence, more open-ended questions because print journalists are
searching for full-sentence, quotable responses.
Print journalists could afford to listen to subject ramble as this could
lead to other lines of inquiry that can make interesting spin-offs or
links (online newspaper) to their stories.
Questioning for PR use
PR practitioner doing the interviewing may not be able to
afford offending the subject a client, a boss, a supplier.
Difficult questions may be rebuffed.
Nevertheless, questions could not just be all positive-spin
and full.
Still require substance and newsworthiness especially
if one wishes the media to use and print the resulting
news releases quoting the interview materials.
PR news releases are still serious media writing.
Questioning for electronic media
If a subject is reticent and prefers to think over their responses
carefully before answering, an email or other form of
asynchronous interview may work better.
However, not all sources have time to write full responses even
if it is an electronic interview
Plus there is a lack of opportunity for immediate follow up
questions
Body language and environmental details are also key aspects
thatre missing
Advantage: electronic responses to questions are permanently
in writing no need to worry about note-taking, indicates exact
date and time of questioning and can service as evidence of
when and how a given question is answered.
Working with interview subjects
Dress appropriately to complement your demeanour
Begin with small talk / warm up
Start with straightforward questions
Know where you want to start be in control of the interview
Be precise in what you are asking / keep questions simple to
understand
Ask one thing at a time
Dont be afraid to ask tough questions
Be cordial - you can be firm but not abrasive when subject
digresses
Know what youre asking do not umm, ahh or fumble with
your questions

Continued
Be prepared to back off if subject becomes
emotional or argumentative
Respond / Use vocal cues yeah, yes, uh huh, hmm
Be a good listener / Dont interrupt
Use silence effectively do not rush your subject or
hasten to fill in a pause
If you dont get an answer the first time ask again
Your views arent important
Observe surroundings, body language, facial
expression, tone of voice

Checklist
Correct spelling and title
Age, address
Anything you are not sure of
Exchange telephone numbers for further
contact or clarification
What can go wrong?
Interviewee / subject
Intentional falsehood
Faulty memory
Lack of information
Misunderstanding the question
Interviewer / writer
Questions that confuse
Personal bias that misinterprets answers
Failure to be persistent in questioning
Closing the interview before its finished

Finding the angle to your story
Concentrating and listening
Whats different or new about the information?
What details distinguish this story from others of its
kind?
What will grab the attention of readers, listeners or
viewers?
On and off the record
On the record reporter allowed to use anything the
source says and to quote the speaker, identifying him or
her by name.
Off the record information cannot be quoted and
cannot be used in any other way.
Information for background but not for attribution can
be published but the source must not be identified.

Checklist for interviewing
Do background research
Timing of interview
Write down questions or topics
Record/note interview inconspicuously
Ask for clarification
Observe
Be tough but fair
Relax
INTERVIEWING
Reporting what others say
Weaving interviews into news stories
1. Make decisions about the worth and usefulness of
statements people make:
Are they valid?
Valuable?
Necessary to include in your story?

2. Any information obtained from a personal interview or
document must be attributed, or identified as coming
from someone or something.
3. Always identify the source of information when the
information is not common knowledge.
Why use quotes?
There are three main reasons why you should use quotes
in print journalism:
1. If you repeat the exact words which people themselves
used, you will reduce the risk of misreporting what they
said.
2. When we give a person's exact words, our readers can see
both the persons ideas and the way they were presented
(by the person).
3. It gives readers the flavor of someone elses speech and
lets them listen to more colourful language than the
reporters (remember: reporter has no leeway to write
colourfully especially in hard news reporting).
Types of quotations
Direct quotes
American women still work longer hours than men and are paid less
for doing so, the president of a leading womens rights group said
today.

Indirect quotes paraphrasing
What the police said:
Police: Themanhe was beaten up. And then they the
robbers they let him die on the floor.
What the writer paraphrased into:
Police said the victim had been assaulted and left for dead.

Partial quotes
Jones described the proposal as mind-boggling.
Why and why not quotes
A story without the use of direct or indirect quotes lacks
immediacy, credibility, colour and emotion.

A story with too many quotes resembles a transcription,
with the writer only functioning as a human recorder.

A story with ONLY indirect or partial quotes may appear to
the reader as being written by someone who was not at
the scene or is rewriting from another source of
information.

Use of partial quotes is useful when the speaker of the
quotes use words/phrases that are clearer, catchier or
more expressive than what the reporter could hope to
achieve in a paraphrase.
More on quotes
Direct quotes must be accurate. Do not omit or edit words
without explicitly indication (e.g. use of elipsis ).

But. Brackets and ellipses use sparingly.

Dont make your story only a list of direct quotes.

Use quotes that add something to the story.

Introduce a new speaker before you quote him/her.

Retain present tense in direct quotes, change to past
when paraphrasing.

Attribution
Attribution tells an audience who gave information to a reporter.

Adds authenticity and authority to story; makes it clear its not
the reporter expressing opinion.

Attribution not required when relating a fact something that
has happened or is obviously true.

Attribution is required when a reporter is repeating the
opinion/ideas/thoughts of a source.

Particularly important when opinion is potentially controversial,
revelatory, speculative.

Attributing potentially defamatory information does not absolve
the reporter of responsibility.
Stories that use plenty of quotations
Speech stories (e.g. covering a press conference or an
event)

Interview Stories (personal profile, one-on-one interviews)

Question-and-Answer stories (e.g. interview stories
presented in a Q&A, chronological manner)

Survey stories (e.g. a news stories covering statistics or
other facts revealed)
END