Writing a News report from an interview
How
to conduct an interview:
Conducting interviews for news stories is an important skill for any journalist. A “source” – anyone a journalist interviews -
can provide elements that are vital to any news story:
·
basic
factual information
·
perspective
and context on the topic being discussed
·
ideas
on how to approach the story
·
names
of other people to interview
Things
You’ll Need
·
a thin reporter’s spiral notebook (can be purchased at most office
supply stores)
·
several
pens and a pencil if it’s winter (pens freeze in cold weather)
·
a
tape recorder or digital voice recorder (optional)
·
a video camera for
interviews you plan to webcast
Preparing
for the Interview:
Research – Do
as much research as possible. If you’re going to interview, say, a cardiologist
about heart attacks, read up and make sure you
understand terms such as “cardiac arrest.” A well-prepared reporter inspires
confidence in the source.
Developing Questions – Once you’ve thoroughly researched your
topic, prepare a list of questions to ask.
That will help you remember all the points you want to cover.
Keys to a Successful Interview
Establish a Rapport – When starting out, don’t abruptly
launch into your questions. Chitchat a little first. Compliment your source on
her office, or comment on the weather. This puts your source at ease.
Keep it Natural – An interview can be uncomfortable, so
keep things natural. Instead of mechanically reading out your list of
questions, weave your queries naturally into the flow of the conversation.
Also, maintain eye contact as much as possible.
Nothing is more unnerving to a source then a reporter who never looks up from
his notebook.
Be Open – Don’t be so focused on getting through
your list of questions that you miss something interesting.
For instance, if you’re interviewing the
cardiologist and she mentions a new heart-health study that’s coming out, ask
about it. This may take your interview in an unexpected - but newsworthy -
direction.
Maintain Control – Be
open, but don’t waste your time. If your source starts to ramble on about
things that are of no use to you, politely – but firmly – steer the
conversation back to the topic at hand.
Wrapping Up – At the
end of the interview, ask your source if there’s anything important that you
hadn’t asked about. Double-check the meanings of any terms they used that
you’re unsure about. And always ask if there are other people they recommend
that you speak with.
A Note About Note-taking – Beginning
reporters often freak out when they realize they can’t possibly write down everything the source is saying, word-for-word.
Don’t sweat it. Experienced reporters learn to take down just the stuff they
know they’ll use, and ignore the rest. This takes practice, but the more
interviews you do, the easier it gets.
Taping – Recording an interview is fine in
certain circumstances, but always get permission to do so.
The rules regarding taping a source can be
tricky. According to Poynter.org, recording phone conversations is legal in all
50 states. Federal law allows you to record a phone conversation with the
consent of only one person involved in the conversation - meaning that only the
reporter is required to know that the conversation is being taped.
However, at least 12 states require varying degrees of consent from those
being recorded in phone interviews, so it's best to check the laws in your own state. Also, your newspaper or website may
have its own rules about taping.
Transcribing interviews involves listening to the taped interview and
typing out virtually everything that's said. This is fine if you're doing an
article with an extended deadline, such as a feature story. But it's too time-consuming for breaking news. So if you’re on a tight
deadline, stick to note-taking.
·
Finally, ALWAYS take notes, even if you’re using
a recorder. Every reporter has a story about the time they thought they were recording an interview,
only to get back to the newsroom to discover that the machine’s batteries were
dead.
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