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 & Soundbites  A 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, Tags  Example 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 Shows  Personality, Opinion, Information  Fully scripted, ad-lib, semi-scripted  Show content  Open: name of show, your name, guest name, brief bio, show overview (close)  Balance, conversation  Addressing the camera  Open/close, primary/follow-up questions

Studio Interviews  Semi-scripted – follow sample script  Information Interview  See book and online about hand signals  Half-way through / restatement  Knowing when to start wrapping, not end early or go over  Practice  Sign up and script deadlines