INTERVIEWINGNews Writing – COMM 260W

Zack Furness

News Interview• Interviews that help explain the news event (eyewitness to

an accident, etc).

Profile or Personality Interview• The focus is on a person rather than an event or situation

Four Principles of Interviewing• Prepare carefully by familiarizing yourself with as much

background as possible• Establish a relationship with the source• Ask questions that are relevant to the story and that

induce the source to talk• Listen and watch attentively

Preparation• Persistence may be necessary to persuade people to be

interviewed• Preparation can vary dramatically, depending upon the

interview, but background research is a must• Research serves four purposes:

1. It suggests tentative themes for the interview & specific questions

2. It provides the reporter with a feel for the subject

3. It provides useful background

4. It enables the reporter to establish an open, friendly relationship with sources, who are pleased that the reporter took time to learn something about them

Establishing a Relationship

This is a process of Give-and-Take:• The interviewee balances his or her gains and losses from

divulging info the reporter seeks, and the reporter tries to show the source the rewards the source will receive through disclosure of the info, such as publicity, respect, etc.

The Questions• Direct Questions• Open- and Closed-Ended Questions• Tough Questions• Intrusive Questions

The Interviewer’s Ground Rules1. Identify himself or herself at the outset of the interview

2. State the purpose of the interview

3. Make clear to those unaccustomed to being interviewed that the material will be used

4. Tell the source how much time the interview will take

5. Keep the interview as short as possible

6. Ask specific questions that the source is competent to answer

7. Give the source ample time to reply

8. Ask the source to clarify complex or vague answers

9. Read back answers if requested or when in doubt about the phrasing of crucial material

10. Insist on answers if the public has a right to know about them

11. Avoid lecturing the source, arguing or debating

12. Abide by requests for non-attribution, background only or off-the-record should the source make this a condition of the interview or a statement

The Profile Story

General qualities• The profile is a minidrama, blending dialogue, action and

description• Momentum is crucial to a profile piece

Reporting is the key• Need to focus on asking the right questions and

encouraging people to talk

Quotes!• Make effective use of quotes, with proper attribution

Listening & Hearing• Cut down on your ego• Open your mind to new or different ideas, even those you

dislike• Grant the interviewee time to develop his or her thoughts• Rarely interrupt• Concentrate on what the person is saying and make

secondary the person’s personality, demeanor or appearance (unless, of course, it’s highly relevant to who the interviewee actually is)

A Guide for the Profile

Let the reader:• See the person – physical characteristics (respectfully)• Hear the person – lots of quotations• Watch the person – lots of action• Know the person – education, job, age, family, income,

likes & dislikes, hobbies, successes & failures

Do’s and Don’ts• Don’t judge!• Be careful with way in which invasive questions are asked• Be a good observer of detail, whether in the answers

being told or in the way a person behaves when answering a question

• RECORD YOUR INTERVIEWS!• TAKE NOTES!