A. Interviewing-
having conversations with sources
Preparation for an
Interview
-
research both your subject and your source
-
appearance: know your source
Types of stories,
involving interviews
- News-more
attention to subject matter (neutral)
- Profile-
more attention to personal (friendly)
- Investigative-
equal attention to information and subject (distrust)
Phrasing questions
Open ended- neutral, less direct and less threatening
questions. These are not so
personal. Ideally, the source often
reveals more than they intend to.
Example from book. A pro scout
would not admit to which player he was interested in at a college game, so the
reporter asked some general questions to pry by asking, “what kind of qualities
does a pro scout look for in an athlete?”
Close ended- specific direct questions made to produce
specific answers.
Ensuring Accuracy-
take extensive notes, ask your source to explain their answers and use a sound
recording device.
Understanding
Observation- watch your source for the non verbal clues. What is their body language saying? Are they nervous?
Comprehension- if a response is unclear. Be sure that you know what they mean. When a source is quiet, take note of that.
Asking follow up questions- ask questions in response to
other questions they answer. This you
cannot usually prepare for.
B. Research Task: Find
the most compelling and interesting living personality who is presently
involved in some type of current event issue.
They must be involved in current event issue: do not just merely select
a long time interest or hero.
Here’s the process-
find current event news on the internet and select an actual person
involved in this event. The
possibilities range from the election to the war. After you have determined who this person is,
do research on the current event issue and research the actual person as
well. Discover the details of the
current event they are involved in and determine your individual’s background,
personality, motivations and anything else which will help you conduct an
interesting and productive interview.
After these considerations have been determined, you will
write a proposal for your interview. In
this proposal, you must include: the
open and closed ended questions you will ask, what you will wear, how you will
address your subject, where you will meet, how you will record the information
from the interview, and how you will accomplish an interview, in the first
place. Be as thorough as possible, as
your preparation is crucial. You must
have at least 12 questions- try to move the interview from less direct
questions to increasing directness without offending or insulting your subject
in any way; the object is to get them to divulge as much pertinent information
as possible. Be invasive without them
knowing it.
Below is space to think. Please complete what your current
event issue is and the individual you have chosen to interview, as well as the
information you will glean from your research.
Please type your proposal and save it onto your disk.
Current Event Issue
Sources:
Individual
Sources:
