by Terry Marsh

Created on: May 09, 2009   Last Updated: May 11, 2009

Conducting interviews is the primary tool used by journalists to access detailed information from news sources. Good interviews are more than just question and answer sessions. They are well planned, well researched information gathering sessions designed to collect essential facts about news related topics or individuals.

All journalists ask questions, but not every journalist is a great interviewer. There is an art to interviewing, and not every journalist masters it. Great interviewers possess the ability to combine a natural curiosity, with an innate ability to dig deeper without alienating the person being interviewed. Every reporter develops a style of interviewing that fits most comfortably with their personality, but it's important to understand the basics of interviewing in order to conduct an effective one.

Always Be Curious

The ABC's of conducting a great interview are to Always Be Curious. Though it's always best to have questions prepared, many of the best interviewers develop the ability to come up with new additional questions from the answers of the interviewee. This is because they develop a sincere interest in the topic through detailed research and preparation prior to the interview.

Curiosity allows a journalist to preview a story as if it were the finished product, and ask the questions that a reader would. Journalistic training enables them to see the story from several angles, and choose the direction that presents the topic in a manner that best satisfies all curiosity. The goal is to hopefully leave no question potential unanswered.

Types of Interviews

Before conducting an interview, a journalist must determine what type of interview would best represent to topic. There are many interview types that should be considered, and the type used will best be determined by the information and events being covered.

- Spot Interview: Spot interviews are usually held in reaction to breaking news. The objective is to gather "on the spot" information from experts or witnesses to a newsworthy event.

- Newsgathering Interview: The Knight Citizen News Network (KCNN) defines the newsgathering interview as one "to collect facts or history about a subject, either for a story or in preparation for another interview."

- Human Interest Interview: These interviews are conducted in preparation for a feature story or event. This type of interview is designed to gather supporting information for human interest stories aimed at targeted audiences.

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