Journalistic Interview Technique

                                                       Journalistic interview technique

        Journalistic interview technique is a method of extracting information from sources to find basic, advanced, or complete information that already exists. The following are interview techniques written by Satrio Arismunandar. What is the interview called? An interview is a question and answer with someone to get information or opinions about a matter or problem. Interviews are often associated with journalistic work for news writing purposes broadcast in the mass media. But interviews can also be carried out by other parties for purposes, for example, research or employee acceptance.The person interviewing is called the interviewer and the person being interviewed is called the interviewee or also the respondent. Like ordinary conversations, interviews are the exchange of information, opinions, or experiences from one person to another.In a conversation, controlling the flow of discussion goes back and forth from one person to another. Nevertheless, it is clear that in an interview the interviewer is the one who causes the discussion and determines the direction of the questions asked.
The following are the ways used by a journalist to interview someone :

1. DETERMINING INFORMANT

       After the reporter believes he has mastered the problem, the next step is to determine who the source will be interviewed. People can be useful as interviewers for a number of reasons. The ideal interviewer is one who fulfills all of these factors. For long coverage projects, these factors are important: accessibility. Can journalists easily interview this person? If not easy to contact, how long will it take to be able to contact? Does the interview have to be done by telephone or written, rather than face to face? If this resource person is vital for coverage, journalists must be realistic about the prospect of this interview.
Reliability. Can this person be trusted before? Can the information provided be proven true by other independent sources? Is this resource expert who really knows the problem? What is the background of his interests so he is willing to be interviewed? Journalists must be careful, because he will look stupid if he reports an issue or rumor that is not yet clear.
Accountability. Is this person directly responsible for the information the journalist wants or for the actions being investigated? Are there other sources who have more authority over direct responsibility than this person? How many real people are represented by someone who calls himself a spokesman?

Quotability can be quoted (quotability). Interviewing an expert who is eloquent and has complete information may develop writing, such as an outspoken public official who likes to make controversial statements. Community leaders or celebrities usually already know, what kind of words reporters like to quote. While ordinary people are usually not experts in "engineering" good comments for journalists.

2. FIND A GOOD LOCATION

      Avoid Starbucks! It’s often easiest to suggest a centrally located corporate coffee shop, but if there is any way you can interview in a place that has some relevance to the story or your subject, you’ll have much greater success. Not only because you’ll gain a further sense of context, but people are often more comfortable (and open) when they’re in a familiar place or what feels like “their territory.” Ask to meet at your subject’s house, work, or the location of an incident relevant to the story. Even meeting at the interviewee’s favorite restaurant is more interesting than a Starbucks.

3. OVERCOME UNDERSTANDING INFORMANT

      First, write down the coverage without the interview. Second, write the results of the coverage with additional information that after trying to be contacted repeatedly, the resource person still did not answer the phone call, fax message, or interview request letter. Third, convince the resource person to be willing to be interviewed.

People who do not want to be interviewed may refuse interviews for several reasons, such as:

Time. The interviewing candidate, who said "I don't have time to interview," actually wanted to use his time to do something else rather than being interviewed by reporters. They estimate the length of time spent on interviews, and calculate the benefits of the interview compared to if the time is used for other purposes.
Guilty feeling. People may not want to be interviewed for fear of being able to speak out, admit to having done something wrong, or say something they don't really want to say. Worry. A shy person may be afraid of interviewed experience. Fear of something not yet known makes them tend to resist the risk of new experiences being interviewed. Protection. People may refuse to be interviewed because they want to protect their family, friends, or someone else they love, or someone else who is known to do wrong. Prospective interviewers may also be afraid of being associated with statements or comments that can embarrass or criticize others.
Ignorance. The potential interviewee may refuse the interview, because he does not want to admit that he does not know anything or knows very little about the problem that is the focus of the interview.
Embarrassing. People may refuse interviews because the problems they want to question make themselves feel embarrassed, uncomfortable, or considered too intimate and personal. Tragedy. People who have just experienced a serious disaster may not want to disclose the problem to the public. Even though journalists with their writings will turn personal problems into public consumption. 

4. PREPARE YOUR GOALS AHEAD OF TIME.

      Know what questions you’re going to ask and why you’re going to ask them. Heading to an interview with a sense of what you want to get out of it (a colorful re-enactment of an event, an on-the-record opinion on the issue you’re covering, general background, etc.) is critical to conducting a successful interview. You should already be thinking about what you want your piece to look like and what you need from this interview to get your article closer to that end result.

5. WRITE DOWN YOUR QUESTIONS.

       Be sure and bring prepared questions with you. I usually go into an interview with twice as many questions as I expect to ask. The security of knowing I’m not going to get stuck helps my confidence, and you never know what question will get you the information you’re really looking for.

6. WORK ON YOUR FLOW.

      This is probably the most challenging but also the most important interview skill you can develop. You want to strike a balance between a conversation (which helps make your subject feel comfortable and aids candor) and getting the job done. As your subject is answering your question, be thinking about what you’ll ask next and why. The flow of questions needs to seem natural and conversational — don’t spin your subject off on a completely different topic just because that’s the next question on your list. Think about segues and transitions. This way your subject doesn’t feel forced to give you soundbites and may open up a little (particularly important for anyone working on an audio piece where you may need blocks of the raw interview).

7. THINK ABOUT THE MEDIUM.

     Interviewing techniques definitely vary for different mediums. If you’re interviewing for audio or video, you want to ask two-part questions, which encourages subjects to talk for longer blocks of time. Conversely, when you’re interviewing for print, try and break questions up so you can get shorter and more concise answers (easier for taking notes and for quoting later). You can be more conversational with interviews for print — you can say “yeah,” and “uh-huh,” etc. Not doing this is one of the biggest challenges when you’re interviewing for audio. Nodding and smiling accomplishes the same sort of conversational encouragement and keeps your tape clean. Another great trick for audio interviews is to have your subject re-enact the story. It makes for good sound and helps you avoid having too much of your own narration later on.

8. ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED.

       Seriously, sometimes interviewees are frustrating not because they’re trying to bust your chops, but because they just don’t understand what you want from them. I find that many interview subjects get a kick out of having you “pull back the curtain” a little and tell them about your process. You can say, “Listen, I really need a quote from you encapsulating your feelings on this issue,” or, “I really need you to walk me through the chronology of this,” or even, “I really need you to take me to a location that is relevant to this issue so I can set a scene.” For the most part people want to be helpful, and you just need to tell them how they can.

9. NATURE OF INTERVIEW

       In the international press environment, interviews are different. Among other things are:
On the Record. The name and position of the interviewer can be used as a source, and the information may be quoted directly and published in the mass media. This is the best and most common form of interview conducted in the mass media. Off the Record. The interviewer cannot be used as a source and his statement must not be published in the mass media at all. Journalists must strive to avoid situations like this. Background. May use direct quotations or broadcast any information given, but without mentioning the name and position of the interviewer as the source. For example, the term "according to sources in the department / agency ..." is used according to the terms agreed with the interviewer. Sometimes it is also called "not for attribution". Deep Background. Information can be loaded, but may not use direct quotations or mention names, positions, and interviewing agencies.