Interviews

   When interviewing anyone, you act as a witness to everything happening around them and whatever they say.

PREPARE: Bring at least two or three pens so you'll be prepared if you run out of ink. While a voice recorder may be useful, the batteries might die, the tape may be eaten, the machine may stop ... in other words, write your notes no matter what. It's better to ask the interviewee to give you a minute so that you can finish correctly writing the sentence than to come to your editor with tears and no notes.

   While waiting for the interview to begin, take notes on the surroundings. Keep an attentive eye to articles in the subject's office, home, etc. These provide the reader clues about the person being interviewed.

   Always identify yourself as a reporter to your sources. Next, ask the source to spell their name so you will correctly identify them the first time. This will keep you from making FATAL errors. It will also indicate to the source that you are interested in accuracy.

REMEMBER: The best reporters don't talk so much as listen. Have a list of questions to keep the interview going, but know the subjects well enough that you can jump from topic-to-topic if need be.

   Start the questioning with easy questions that work up to harder questions. If you start with the tough question first, you may not get an answer. Your primary objective is getting people to tell you what they're doing in their own words.

   Whenever interviewing, always consider the source to be "on the record" unless they ask you to go "off the record" first. Some sources will say, "I wish you wouldn't print that." Yet if they didn't want it printed, they shouldn't have said it. When should you allow the source to go "off the record?"

   Some sources will take a question and provide an elaborate answer, while others will take the same question and have to be prodded to explain further. Interviews with Gay Talese and William Styron in the Willie Morris Tribute Issue of The Southerner provide an excellent example of this phenomena.

   Reporters operate under ground rules (p. 336) while interviewing. However, many situations arise that are not covered. A good reporter will have alternate means of keeping the interview going (p. 348).

   As a rule, paraphrase your source unless they make an astounding insight into a situation. Direct quotations are like chili spice - you use too much and you ruin the flavor.

   IMPORTANT - When you get home, immediately type your interview notes. If you're unsure about a quote, ask the person. Call them if you must. When you interview someone, you must get the information correct. If you're unsure, ask more questions. The journalism profession is not for the meek.

If you don't understand something in this Web note, please e-mail Dr. Sitton.