Interviews To gain information about a story, like a live
interview To gather information to put in a story and
generate sound bites As a program content segment – ‘soft news’
Interviews To find the sound bite “gems,” journalists
must conduct thoughtful and thorough interviews with credible sources
Good interviews contribute a lot to a news story: Immediacy of the information Create a mood Give essential detail Interpret events Add flavor to the story
Good interviews contribute to a good show
Interviews Skilled interviewers:
Ask insightful questions Ask questions at the right
time Probe for honest
answers without offending
*This comes from knowing as much as possible about the source before doing an interview
Interviews Good interviewers
write a few key words and plan for only their first four or five questions - the rest of the interview comes from the dialogue exchange, based on planned questions and content
interested you?background?qualifications?
stance on…future?
Interviews Tough questions…
are warranted but can also offend the audience if asked without just cause
Play hardball with the interviewees who try to “dodge” the issues
Don’t ambush
Interviews Avoid Yes/No questions or questions that “lead”
sources to only answer a certain way Ask questions that require an articulate response Ask questions that require a focused response
Avoid saying “I see” or “uh-huh.” This may indicate an understanding to the
interviewee, but the audience may assume you are agreeing.
Also creates audio and transition problems
Interviews Avoid asking two-part questions
One or both parts may be forgotten and it may allow the interviewee a chance to avoid unwanted questions
Avoid obvious questions It is a waste of time for you, the interviewee and the
audience
Avoid questions of bad taste Be sensitive to a situation - let your conscience and
sense of humanity guide you
Interviews Put your sources at ease with these
techniques: Appear relaxed yourself
Prepare interviewees before you begin; let them know what story is about and what to expect
Use constant eye contact
Be a conscientious listener
Encourage the camera crew to consider the interviewee
Keys to interviewing success Break the ice with questions you do not
intend to use Start a conversation so the source gets comfortable talking
with a mic and camera
Jot down two or three key questions for reference This will help you remember what information you are
seeking, no matter where the conversation may try to take you
Know when to shut up Nothing is more annoying than watching the interviewer ask
questions that are longer than the answers
Keys to success Ask a subject to explain an important point again
This will serve two purposes - ensure you get the key points AND send the signal to the interviewee that you care about important information and want to get it right. This will also help sources have faith in your reporting
Always remember the goal … to elicit a powerful, concise statement from a credible source that will enhance the information for the audience Using sources to provide “evidence” for the facts with their
comments is crucial for strong reporting
Interviews & SoundbitesA good soundbite should reflect reality:
Provide factual information Help prove a visual is reality Reveal the person’s inner self - who they are,
what they believe, what they think
How long should a soundbite be?
Soundbites
Electronic media have the power to… Involve the audience psychologically and
physiologically because of the dramatic effect of sound and motion
This is most commonly done through the soundbite…
Soundbites SOUNDBITES = a short excerpt from an
interview, news conference or spontaneous comment aired as part of a broadcast A source speaking on camera adds a different
dimension to the script Provides credibility to the news report
how do we get those soundbites?…
Interviews & Soundbites Soundbites are the
electronic journalists’ version of direct quotes “Soundbites
should be no longer than 12 seconds.”
Interviews & Soundbites LEAD-INS
The sentence of copy that leads into a soundbite in a radio or television report
TAGS The sentence or two
of copy that immediately follows a TV or radio soundbite
“The lead-in should last about 15 seconds.”
“The tag should be no more than 10 seconds.”
Lead-ins, TagsExample
Lead-in: Blazing out of control for three days, forest fires have caused the Sonora
residents to evacuate their homes.
Soundbite: “We stayed as long as we could before firefighters practically dragged
us out of our houses and away from the neighborhood.
Tag: Officials estimate it could be seven to ten more days before it is safe for residents
to move back in to their homes.
Editing soundbites Pull out the gems
allow them to illustrate the essence of the story
Save only the useful nuggets cut and then cut again to make sure you are only using the
best part
Do not “parrot” the soundbite in a lead-in Words used in the lead-in should be unique and not a repeat
of what listeners will hear in the soundbite
Write “bridges” (or audio links) between clips You need transitions between voice overs and soundbites
so report sounds smooth
Editing the soundbite Almost NEVER start a soundbite with the reporter’s
question
The focus should be entirely on the interviewee, so his/her voice should be the only one on tape
Use the lead-in to help listeners understand the context for the soundbite
In the RARE event that the reporter’s question is on tape, the lead-in should introduce the reporter and the interviewee so listeners are prepared to hear two people speaking
Interview ShowsPersonality, Opinion, InformationFully scripted, ad-lib, semi-scriptedShow content
Open: name of show, your name, guest name, brief bio, show overview (close)
Balance, conversationAddressing the cameraOpen/close, primary/follow-up questions
Studio InterviewsSemi-scripted – follow sample script Information InterviewSee book and online about hand signalsHalf-way through / restatementKnowing when to start wrapping, not
end early or go overPracticeSign up and script deadlines