Interviewing Techniques: New York Times

 New York Times Learning Network Article on Interviewing

"Interviewing Techniques

Interviewing is almost certainly the most important way that reporters get the information that forms the basis of their articles. Like playing the piano or guessing well on multiple-choice exams, some people seem to have a gift for it, while others do not. Yet for all these activities, there are basic principles to learn, and those who spend the time learning them will be better than those who do not. Being a brilliant interviewer may be an art form; being a competent one is not.
Here are some tips for student journalists preparing for that most fundamental of all reporting methods, the interview:
· If your deadline allows it, call ahead or send e-mail to schedule an interview. And if you think ahead, deadlines almost always allow it. Even on daily newspapers, most articles are not written the day and hour an event occurs.
· Identify yourself by name and publication. Give the nature of the article. Trying to trick people into telling you things they shouldn't is almost always a recipe for disaster. There are occasions for relying on subterfuge and misdirection in gaining information, but they are few and are always the absolutely last resort. Any dishonesty in reporting - which includes misleading your source both by not stating clearly what the article is about as well as by not identifying yourself as a reporter - cheapens and diminishes whatever article you get. If you think a straightforward approach won't work, get advice from your editors and your faculty adviser.
· Respect your subject's time. It is probably as valuable as your own. Try to schedule an interview at the source's convenience. Frequently, accompanying a source on scheduled rounds is a way to minimize the inconvenience for your source. There is an added bonus to that strategy: You are almost always able to see the source interact with someone. That's a plus.
· For the same reason, be punctual. If the appointment is for 2 p.m., be there at 1:55. Sources become irritated when they are kept waiting, and it makes a good impression to be just a few minutes early.
· Do your homework. There is very little more embarrassing than arriving for an interview and not knowing what has already been written about your subject. A question on the order of, "Well, Mr. Jones, have you been teaching here long?" almost guarantees a poor interview. Mr. Jones almost immediately begins to look at his watch to try to figure out a way to get out of this. A far better question, in the same area, may be, "Can we talk about the changes that have occurred during your eight years here at Central?" Or: "You were at East High for a number of years before coming here. Why did you move? Are glad you did?" Or, "What are the major differences between East High, where you taught before coming here, and our school?"
· Dress with respect for the person you are interviewing. That does not necessarily mean that you should wear dressy clothes - although for an interview with, say, the president of the school board or the mayor, that is not a bad idea - but it does mean that you should not show up for an interview with torn jeans and a T-shirt from the Head-Bangers World Tour.
With the mechanics of setting up and dressing for the interview taken care of, it is time to consider how to conduct the interview itself. Planning is important here. Give some serious thought to the information you want to get from the news source and how to elicit those answers. But don't be so focused on the point of the interview that you jump right in with substantive questions. An interview is also a social interaction; the best ones start with a minute or two of polite small talk about the weather, last night's game or whatever.
You might want to write down some of the questions, but reading from a list of questions guarantees a mediocre interview. It is one of the clearest signs of a beginner when a reporter arrives with questions all written out and three lines or so left between questions to write down the answers. It is far better to let the conversation follow its own path, with a little steering and nudging from the interviewer. You need to listen to the response to one question - while taking judicious notes and not trying to transcribe the entire interview - while framing the next one in your mind. It sounds harder than it is. Anybody who's ever done homework while watching television, listening to music and fielding instant messages that pop up on the screen every two minutes can master it."