There is no predetermined set of questions to ask at each interview. Newspaper-style stories require different approaches, depending on the content. You wouldn’t ask every single person you talk to whether or not they enjoy eating peas.
Instead, you need to think ahead. Remember, it all starts with the pitch. You are pitching a story. You should have some knowledge about the subject content you’ll be covering.
But let’s road map how to get to some of those questions.
Find the key players
Whether you’re covering a one-time event on campus or investigating a problem with administration pay, it’s best to find the right people to ask questions. Don’t go “all the way to the top” and ask the college president/superintendent her views on shortened hours in Danner Hall. Does she likely have an opinion? Yes. Would it be pertinent to your reader? Maybe not.
If you’re writing about the elevators being down, don’t contact the horticulture department. Delta College has a facilities department. Don’t know who to talk to there? Ask an advanced staff member or your adviser.
You’ll know how to cater your questions if you know who you are asking.
Start with a natural conversation
It’s best if you don’t get too close to your interview subjects, as it may impact your objectivity, but it’s OK to engage in some small chit chat ahead of the question/answer time.
There’s often a weird lag between when you introduce yourself and walk into a room and when you sit down and actually start talking. Look around the person’s office. Use that to scope out information. See a degree from a university you hope to attend? Mention it.
Don’t be fake, though. People can often read when someone is pretending to be interested. As a journalist, you should be inquisitive.
This changes if you are cold approaching someone. Don’t start a conversation with a person and NOT tell them you are a journalist. You need to make it clear that you’re doing a job, not trying to be their friend.
Don’t ask “yes” or “no” questions
The best way to shut down an interview is to ask questions that will get “yes” or “no” responses. Instead ask what are considered open-ended questions.
Consider these two questions:
Is your favorite color green?
What is your favorite color and why?
Those are basically the same question, but you’ll get two responses. One will lead to a conversation. The other will lead to a one-word answer. One-word answers rarely make good quotes (there are obviously exceptions).
Whether you’re in print, broadcast or multimedia journalism, you need soundbites to make your story flow well. Aim to get those soundbites.
Write your questions down if you need to
It’s OK to show up to an interview with questions written down. In fact, it reassures your subject in many cases. It means you’ve prepared to have the conversation. Best practices would have MCOM 11 students scripting out questions ahead of every interview.
More advanced students and professional journalists often don’t have to write questions down. It does get easier over time to identify what the relevant questions are, what works and what doesn’t.
But don’t be afraid to go off script
You have 15 questions about a play you’re doing a story about, but then the student director suddenly tells you that the performances will be dedicated to the brother of a cast member who lost his life in a drunk driving incident. Do you stick to your questions about the production? It’s likely you won’t.
It’s OK to tell your subject you didn’t know that information when you where considering this story and you’d like to know more. It’s OK to be honest if the story changes midway through the interview. Don’t get flustered. Journalism is about life changing at a moment’s notice. Go with it.
Read your subject
Body language is telling. If you ask a bland question, your subject will cue you in on it. If your subject all of the sudden comes to life (hand movements, eyes awake) then you know you’re on to something.
Sometimes it means you scrap other questions in the interview. Just go with it.
The inverse of that is someone who doesn’t want you to ask more questions. You know when an interview is starting to show down often through body language.
NOTE: Sometimes an interview goes really, really bad. It happens. If you find yourself in a confrontational setting and become uncomfortable, such as if a subject begins yelling at you, excuse yourself from the interview as quickly as you can. Our intention for reporters is to never put them in danger or in a threatening situation. While we understand sometimes this can’t be avoided, and in fact happens a lot in professional journalism, at this level you’re learning.
Always ask if there is something you didn’t cover
This question typically leads the subject to reveal a lot more. Nine times out of ten, the interview subject will add more on to the interview. Be ready to write.
Be honest
Is this the first time you’ve ever interviewed anyone for an assignment like this? Be honest about it. More times than not, your subject will want to help you get through it. Interviews are hard on both sides.
Journalists are jacks of all trades and masters of none. You won’t be an expert soccer player after interviewing the women’s soccer goalie. That’s OK. If the coach makes reference to something you don’t understand, don’t pretend to. Tell her that you don’t cover sports often, or ever, and ask for clarification.
Better stories come from clarification.