Interview

Interviews in Journalism for Science and Health Stories E-Booklet Group 7 Aussia Clarke Clestine Juan Donelle Harvey USI 1024955 Oneka Fraser Precious Jones Center of Communication, University of Guyana DPC 2109 Reporting & Writing: Specialised Journalism (Science & Health) Ms. Rhonda Hamilton-Weekes December 18, 2021

Table of Contents Page No. Introduction Print Television Radio References

Clestine Juan Introduction For journalists, interviewing is just one of many crafts and like every good craftsman, you should know the tools of the trade, especially reporting on health and science. Interviews serve a dual purpose by helping journalists understand complex health and science issues. Interviews from experts in the field add authority and credibility to your story while also providing first-hand quotes and lively anecdotes that you can weave into your stories. This booklet is intended for use by journalists and communication students on conducting interviews in journalism for science and health stories.

Print - ❖ Preparation before/for the interview It is essential for journalists to research and come up with ideas on how to approach the story or picking a potential scholar, scientist or doctor on the topic and their work. Any successful interview starts with careful planning and that considers the focus and scope of the research question and interviewee. Interview, if possible at least five other people, representing a variety of perspectives, about the subject of your story.. After you finally picked your potential interviewee it is time to schedule the interview. You can conduct your interview over the phone or in-person, video conference interviews or email. Before starting your interview, grab your notebook, pen, make sure your recorder has batteries and the audio quality is good. Choose a quiet place to conduct your interview so you would not be disturbed. Make sure you clarify the name of the interview, organisation and position to avoid mistakes and errors. Always get permission from your source to record. Do not freak out during the interview. You cannot possibly write down everything word-for-word that the interviewee says. Insead take down just the stuff you know you will use and their timestamps.

❖ Establish a rapport and be responsive In print, it is crucial to build rapport and make the interviewee feel comfortable. Not only will this lead to a qualitative interview but will also build trust between the two parties. This would allow your interviewee to become more responding thus providing rich and detailed answers to your questions. Always be professional . ❖ Remember it not about you Talk less and listen more. Let the interviewee do the talking and let your questions guild them. If you are overly interactive in interviewing, you might drive the conversation in a certain direction without being aware of doing so. Listen more, but also listen actively. Silence is okay and it acts as the catalyst that will drive the conversation forward. Ask them to put their work into a context that the audience can understand. ❖ Wrapping up At the end of the interview, ask yourself if there’s anything important that you might have not asked your interview about. Ask at the end of the interview if there’s anything else they want to add or if there are other people they recommend that you speak with on the topic or research. Or ask them, ““Do you think we left anything out that the readers should know?” Interview Checklist: ● Plan: Know what you need to find out, and know the questions your readers would want answered. Prepare a list of questions. ● Research: Find out as much as possible about your interviewee before the interview takes place, and use both off- and online sources. ● Listen: Do not digress from the interview’s set purpose.Employ silence. ● Empathise: Put yourself in your interviewee’s shoes. ● Always prepare for the unexpected Do’s and Don’t ● Do use clear questions ● Do use SWs + H ● Avoid using too many technical terms or concepts. Remember you’re writing for the general public and non-science readers also.

● Do not use yes/no questions ● Do not use double barreled questions. ● Do act as the devil's advocate and do not be afraid of asking hard questions. Tips for Crafting Interviews : ● Keep it positive, while a question with a slightly negative spin can prompt creative answers, you don't want to ask more than 1-2 seemingly negative questions. ● Ask open-ended questions using words like \"who\" “when” “where” and “why”. Avoid using words like “Are you” “did you” “would you” ● The key thing to remember is that each interview is going to be different. However journalists must remember to be attentive, listen to the interviewee and keep asking “WHY?” ● Prepare and familiarize yourself with the context in which a scholar, researcher or doctor's work occurs. This is vital and helps you to ask more direct questions and also shows the interviewee that they are being taken seriously and might open up more about their work. ● Asking short, clear questions helps your interviewee understand what the question’s focus is so they can better tailor their response to it. ● Every question should have a clear purpose or aim. ● Before asking a question, ask yourself what you would like to achieve with this question. ● You can explicitly ask your interviewee for more details using questions that begin as follows - Could you tell me more …? - Could you describe …? - What/how exactly …? Physicist Chad Orzel of Union College in Schenectady suggests four techniques that you should apply to make the most out of your interviews with scientists (Orzel 2013): ● Tell us what you know: It is important to establish a common state of knowledge to avoid misunderstandings. ● Be as specific as you can: If your question is vague, the answer will be broad and vague, too. For example: What do you know about this specific paper? ● Accept that the truth may be boring: If a scientist gives you a tepid answer, do not automatically assume she is hiding something. ● Preview your paraphrases: During editing, there is a chance you will eliminate comments the interviewee considers crucial, so whenever you can, check back and clarify. This does not mean that the interviewee should authorise your statements.

Employ the following techniques while your interviewee is talking Adams and Hicks 2009): ● Nod ● Use interjections such as uh-huh, I see and right ● Mirror the interviewee’s body posture ● Tilt your head ● Lean forward ● Be attentive ● Focus on what the interviewee is saying References Krueger, V. (2016, May 23). 7 tips for conducting better interviews with scientists. Poynter. https://www.poynter.org/educators-students/2016/7-tips-for-conducting-better-intervie ws-with-scientists/