Basics of Reporting: Sources from an Interview

Why some find Interviewing Difficult: 

• The perception of being taught to respect their elders.
• They must now put themselves on equal footing with older people. 
• Some interviewees are scary. 
• They must ask challenging questions of people who do not like being challenged. 
• Some interviewees lie

How to interview as a new-gathering tool:

Interviewing is the most common news-gathering tool. Though sources need to be trustworthy. Interviewees often have an axe to grind while other interviewees lie or exaggerate. Some give true but misleading answers while others fear journalists.

Detecting Lies:

Becoming aware of body language. Listen for contradictory answers. Ask yourself if answers match facts as you know them. Develop your own lie detector! Ask difficult but well researched questions you already know the answers to.

Interviewing Skills:

When interviewing a journalist must: take legible notes, interpret comments, think of the next question(s), be alert for points that might make a good intro, maintain some eye contact, listen for hints (an interviewee knows more then they say), trust their intuition about an interviewee.

Getting an Interview:

• Be courteous and polite. 
• Develop a good telephone manner.
  
• Research so you are knowledgeable when requesting an interview. 
• Try to avoid PAs and PR minders and make direct contact with interviewees. 
• Explain why you need the interview.

When things are not going well:

• Try to contact a prospective interviewee at home, at another work number, on a mobile telephone. 
• Try a third party.  They might recognise an interview's importance and convince a prospective interviewee to speak. 
• 'Door stop' the person.

Before an Interview: 

• Conduct a thorough background research. 
• Prepare a list of key questions.
• Dress appropriately. 
• Check your sound recorder, also ensure you have a notebook and spare pens. 
• Plan to arrive on time without rushing.
• Turn off your mobile phone! 

The Interview:

Ask open ended questions which require more than 'yes/no' responses.
Listen carefully for throw-away lines.
Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Telephone and email interviews:

• Telephone interviews tend to be superficial and brief, but sometimes that is all that is needed. 
• Email interviews have a place too - specially for interviewing people in different time zones - but there is no one tone of voice and no spontaneity. 

Common interview problems:

• Compulsive talkers. 
• Minders who answer for the talent. 
• People who answer questions which were not asked.
• Interviews with more than one person at once - for example, at accidents.
• Interviewees who switch between on an off record responses.

Remember a direct quote can be directed into a paraphrased quote.