Interview questions in journalism

Open-Ended: “Tell Me About...”

Get a source started with an open-ended question that does not frame the issue. This allows your source to define the issue himself / herself and gives you a glimpse into his / her mindset, feelings and basic understanding of the issue or event. Variations include “Tell me a little about yourself”; “What do you know about this event or issue?”; and “What did you see or hear when the event took place?” None of these questions blocks the source into a corner or makes any assumptions or judgments about his / her own role in the event or issue.

Clarification: “What Did You Mean by...”

Ask a source to explain what he / she means. This helps you avoid engaging in “gotcha” journalism, which is inherently biased and burns the bridge between you and your source. Although you may gain a few points from roasting your source, you lose any future chance at more information and make other possible sources more skeptical of your motives. People do not volunteer information when they are at risk. Asking for clarification of a point or explanations about why the source does or believes something respects that person’s right to frame his / her thoughts and actions to his / her own context.

Fact-Checking: “How Do You Know...”

Ask questions that help you determine the validity and authority of the source's information without making him / her feel like you are calling him / her uninformed or a liar. “Where or when did you first learn...?”; “What is the source for that fact?”; “Where or when did you hear that?”; and “What made you believe the source of that information?” Even if you already have reputable, reliable sources for the basic facts, asking these questions helps you discover new sources of information and keeps you from presenting inaccurate information, perpetuating stereotypes or giving misinformation.

Follow-Ups: “Is There Anything I Haven't Asked...”

This allows your source to share what they think is the key information about the topic or issue. It sometimes provides you with a new direction for your story, confirms or contradicts the way you have framed the issue or exonerates one or more participants. Key unasked questions can have long-range consequences. Lillian McEwen, who dated Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, stated that she did not provide information at his confirmation hearings that might have confirmed Anita Hill's assertions of a hostile work environment because no one asked her, leaving Hill a lone voice.

www.ehow.com/info_7791963_ good-interview-questions-journalism.html

6.4.3 Conducting Interviews

Now you are going to get acquainted with some information about conducting an interview. If you are interested in more details, you can find this information on the following Internet site: www.roguecom.com/interview/module5.html. On the basis of this text create a cognitive map to help you understand the whole procedure of conducting a journalistic interview.

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