3 Sources of Info

People

Recording:

• Pros: Accuracy, don’t miss anything, int. flows
• Cons: Solely rely on it, time consuming, device could be distracting, sub.will be guarded, VA: one party has to know that the recording is taking place-legality, ethics, technology fails

Notes

Legality

• Always ask how to spell name
• Job title, maybe even ask for business card
• Where interview is taking place
• Time

Types of Interviews:

• In Person

Pros: Better understanding, getting to know them face to face, context,

• Email:

Pros: written word, non-verbals, tone, context, accuracy

• Phone

Pros: Second best

• Social media

Pros: Verifies them, ask them to call,

• Trust
• Explain to who you are interviewing how this interview is valuable to you in order to build trust
• Your interview begins with trust and ends with a story
• TV Broadcast, web video
• Rules are same as print
• Objectives and techniques are different
• TV journalism is a performance
• Barbara Walters interview with Mike Tyson and Robin Givens
• Use words and body language to convey a story
• Goal: Sound Bite
• Rephrase the question if you need a better statement
• Thinking on your toes
• Look for emotion along with the words that are being said

Poynter Video

• 12 basics of interviewing, listening and note-taking article
• Technology will fail, so have handwritten notes
• Store your sources
• Ask questions that you cannot find the answers to online
• Build trust factor with well-prepared questions
• Don’t be tied to list of questions- MAKE EYE-CONTACT
• Nod your head when they are talking to you
• Key words and phrases/ highlight things
• If the subject is speaking too fast don’t be afraid to stop them, accuracy is important
• Be assertive and do your job
• After interview, look at your notes when they are fresh in your head
• Annotate your notes and good quotes
• Don’s just write what you hear, but also what you see
• Arrive early, stay late
• Call and ask if something seems wrong
• Ask one question at a time
• Be patient, let the question hang there, don’t break the silence (may be uncomfortable)

Interviewing

• An interview for print: conveys information
• An interview for Bcast: conveys emotions
• -How? soundbite
• A good interview always has good questions
• -BW says she prepared 500+ questions per interview
• Always over prepare
• Email is last resort
• Open ended vs close ended
• If in an email, tell the audience

Quotes

• Attribution: telling readers, viewers where your information comes from
• Direct quotes: exact words; use quotation marks; move the story forward
• Something unique
• Something memorable
• Something important
• Format for written: “Words,” name said.
• -Make its own paragraph
• Indirect quotes: Paraphrase; still use attribution.
• Peter Horwitt, who visited Nelson County from Canada, said he came this far south to make sure he saw the band before they hung up their guitars.

“It means a lot to me,” Horwitt, of Calgary Alberta, said. “I’m not religious but it’s almost like a spiritual experience.”

Sources

• People
• Interviewing process
• Primary vs Secondary vs Official:
• A journalist’s obligation is to go to primary sources whenever possible
• Primary source: person who saw something happen
• Stored sources
• Attribution: always tell your audience where the information comes from.
• Personal observation
• Information you gather by observing something
• Adds detail