Radio. Final-converted (1)

Interviews

Introduction An interview is a special kind of conversation. It is a conversation between a journalist and a person who has facts or opinions which are likely to be newsworthy. There are two types of interviews; the first interview type aims to gather information to explain an idea, event or situation in the news. This is called the news interview. The second type focuses on an individual. A news peg often is used to justify the profile, this is called a Profile. 1

Preparing for an Interview When preparing and conducting an interview for each media, a journalist may need to apply different steps; however, some steps are general and can apply to all types of media. Preparation is key, when wanting to carry out a good interview. Therefore, steps must be taken to accomplish that by journalists. Therefore, before conducting an interview journalist must first familiarize themselves with the context in which a scientist or doctor's work occurs. Secondly, journalists must make a list of the questions they anticipate asking the interviewee. 2

Preparing Live and Edited Radio Broadcast Interviews Preparing for live interview ● The studio or intended location should be prep before the interview. This is to ensure that the interview starts on the time schedule, and if a change in location is needed the crew can do that before the interview starts. For example, two scientists are supposed to be interviewed live in 1 minute about a new drug on the market; however the studio was not set up to accommodate 2 scientists. This can delay the interview from starting on time. ● All equipment should be checked and tested before every interview to ensure that the equipment and audio is up-to par. ● It is crucial to test and source all equipment as to acquire clear audio and to prevent uninterrupted/ delayed interviews. Nobody wants to listen to an interview in which they cannot hear clearly. Prep scientist ● Warn scientist/ doctor not to breathe across the microphones, to switch background cell phones off and other things that could make noise, which can interrupt the interview. 3

● Advise scientists to speak clearly, to provide colour and detail. Encourage them to use simple language, using examples to illustrate what they are trying to say. For example, instead of a scientist saying the bacteria are about 0.4 micron, he/she can say the bacterium is smaller than a dust particle. This will make it easier for the listener to relate to the point you are making. Preparing for edited interviews The setting of an interview can be a key ingredient in telling a story. Conducting an interview in a location that is meaningful to the topic can add real colour and flavor to the content. For example, wanting to cover a story on a Marine biologist's work? It would be wise to do the interview near a body of water. This will help to give a sense of place, as well as make the scientist comfortable being in their environment. 4

During Interviews During all interviews it is important to state the purpose of the interview. To ask questions which invite details, not agreement or disagreement and asking scientists to clarify complex or vague answers to get information needed. 5

During Live and Edited Broadcast Interviews During both live and edited broadcast interviews, silent affirmation should be used – lots of nodding and eye contact – as a means to provide mid-interview feedback. For example: Uh-huh' or 'ah-ha' etc. sounds can be distracting and off-putting, it can also sound intrusive. Ideally, journalists want the words of scientists to be as clean as possible. Therefore, journalists should give scientists the floor to speak, all while still consciously guiding the interview for listeners when asking their questions. Ask further questions. As a journalist the aim is to ensure that the listeners get some important information out of the interview, so ensure that questions are asked for clarification in order to truly understand the scientist/scientist's work and therefore help the listeners to understand as well. Therefore, don't forget to establish an engaging conversation that is educational and entertaining. Although it is all about the scientist and their work, the interviewer also has the control and ability to keep things interesting. 6

Preparing For Television Interviews ● If planning to do a pre-recorded interview for television, then the following should be incorporated into your thoughts: if using a camera to film scientist/doctor, it would be helpful to make them feel at ease; before you start the interview, by making small talk. ● Ensure to inform interviewee on how to dress appropriately for a television interview. Advise them to avoid checkers, stripes, plaids, or other designs, as they can cause problems with color TV pictures. 7

During Television Interviews ● Another thing to keep in mind is that Television interviews can have intense, emotion- packed moments. As an interviewer, part of your job—along with well-prepped research—is knowing when and how to ask the right questions, as well as keeping your subject comfortable. TV interviewers should be great listeners, ask good questions, digest and analyze the information they are given, and expand on it with their interviewee in a way that provides a complete story for the audience. 8

PRINT MEDIA Here are some simple things you can do before an interview to ensure you are fully prepared. (live interviews) Develop key messages: What are the critical messages that you want to communicate? The primary messages you want your audience to hear and remember are known as key messages. Write them down before the interview and practice incorporating them into your responses. You can influence how your company is portrayed in the media by adopting these key messages. Plan your responses: You'll need to put down a game plan before you go into the interview. Consider the questions that a journalist would ask and build responses for each inquiry as you write your plan. You should also consider the main points you want to bring up during the interview and how you may do it. Practice: Once you've decided your strategy and main messages make sure you remember them. Spend some time practicing your answers to potential queries. You could even enlist the help of a colleague to play the journalist. Consider taking some formal media training if you believe you need more practice. Don't be afraid of journalists: their job isn't to catch you off guard, but to 9

establish the facts and objectively report on them. If you deliver accurate information in a clear and succinct manner, the journalist will regard you as a reliable source. Don't be afraid of journalists: their goal is to establish facts and report on them objectively, not to try to catch you off guard. The journalist will regard you as a reliable source if you deliver accurate information in a clear and concise manner. Use silence to your advantage: You don't have to respond to every question right away. Before you respond, take a few moments to consider your response; otherwise, you can wind up rambling. Don't feel obligated to fill any gaps in the interview if the journalist takes a break to think or if there is a significant period of silence. Know your audience: Conduct research to learn about the target audience of the media source with which you are being interviewed. You may give the outlet with appropriate responses and material that will appeal to their target audience once you understand what they are looking for. Edit print media Interview 10

Know Your Target Audience Print Interview It is very important for editors to know the target audience of a newspaper or magazine. Several factors of your target audience must be taken into account, such as gender, age, education level, income level, and cultural norms. Knowing your target audience will help you understand what to post. Correct any grammatical or factual errors. Mistakes can be made by a reporter or interviewee during an interview and one of the editor's main tasks is to point out and correct the mistakes so that the interview is more visible to the reader. ... These errors may be factual or grammatical. If you are confused, you can contact your interviewee again and ask for clarification. Don't be dogmatic when editing. As a professional editor, you do not have the right to influence a print interview based on your own perceptions and opinions. Your job is simply to present the facts to people and let them judge for themselves. Make it compact & choose a suitable image: To free up more space for interviews and improve presentations, editors can compress sentences and make text more concise. Editors should also select appropriate images to be printed during the interview. Then you can attract more and more people's attention. 11

General Interviews Tips • Discuss with the subject either beforehand or even when setting up the interview the general areas in which your questions on the topic are centered. ● When preparing for any interview, research is a very important aspect to do before the actual interview, including radio interviews. Research is very important because stumbling while interviewing the interviewee is not a good look for the journalist, so you want to make sure you know basic and important things about the person you are interviewing. For example, a journalist is about to interview a scientist and does not know anything about the work of the scientist or even the scientist's name. ● Location is another important thing to look at, most obviously if it is a radio interview, it would be done at a radio station. However, doing radio interviews can be very tricky so it would be best to record it then replay on air instead of doing the interview live. In addition, journalists should keep in mind that finding a location is not everything; it is finding a suitable location. Avoid interruptions during a radio interview by having a sign that says “ON AIR”. Have the studio prepared for the interview. For example, use equipment that blocks out unnecessary sounds. 12

● This is very important; get your questions together and in order. Many journalists make the mistake of not preparing their questions beforehand. Avoid short answer questions. Ask questions that allow the interviewee to have a long answer (not too long though). ● It is also essential to remember that a good journalist is ofay with the topic and has a list of prepared questions for the interviewee. ● Questions should be asked in a logical order. If you want your story to make sense and to keep your viewers or listeners engaged then questions of importance and interest should be asked. 13

Examples Example for Radio interview • https://www.facebook.com/HJ94Radio/videos/3138780219723252 Kerwin interviewing Minister Joseph Hamilton • https://www.facebook.com/HJ94Radio/videos/237173658512938 Kerwin and Remix Chick interviewing Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport; Mr. Charles Ramson Example of print interviews • https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2021/12/12/young-professional-and-women-in- business-advocate-rowena-andrea-elliot-is-a-special-person/ by Rehanna Ramsay • https://guyanachronicle.com/2020/12/17/christmas-on-the-job/ By Richard Bhainie 14

References Radcliffe, D. (2019, December 20). Six tips to improve your radio and podcast interviews. Media News. Retrieved December 17, 2021, from https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/six-tips- for-improving-interview-techniques-for-radio-and-podcast/s2/a747897/ Resource, J. (2020, December 7). Interviewing a source: Tips - The Journalist's Resource. The Journalist’s Resource. Retrieved December 17, 2021, from https://journalistsresource.org/home/interviewing-a-source/ Shimazaki, S. (2016, September 8). Broadcast Interview Tips. Resource Media. Retrieved December 17, 2021, from https://www.resource-media.org/broadcast-interview-tips-2/ tim-marsh. (2021). How to Edit a Print Interview. Stepbystep.com. https://www.stepbystep.com/how-to-edit-a-print-interview-84295/ 15