DPC1209 Group Assignment-converted

Centre for Communication Studies DPC2109-Reporting and Writing 3: Specialised Journalism (Health and Environment) Lecturer: Mrs. Rhonda Hamilton-Weekes Date: 18th December, 2021 Group Members Shekola Anderson Kesi Henry Dewayne Stephens Marlene Willie Reanna Chase Serena Hope 1

Table of Content Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Preparing and Conducting Radio Interviews…………………………………………….....4 Preparing and Conducting Print Interviews………………………………………………...7 Preparing and Conducting Television Interviews…………………………………….…….10 Further Readings……………………………………………………………………….……..12 References………………………………………………………………………………….…..13 2

Introduction Journalism is the act of assembling, organizing, and presenting news and information to the general public through print and non-print mediums. 3

Preparing and Conducting Radio Interviews Preparing Know and understand your audience It is important to take your audience into consideration. This means asking questions about the type of demographic you are trying to reach, and the kind that would most likely tune into your program, and making sure that the two coincide. Most radio programs have different types of listeners for each segment-the older listeners may tune in early and mid-mornings, and the younger ones would tune in late afternoons and evenings. Therefore, once you are sure of your audience, choosing a guest will be easier, as well as selecting which topics you would like to cover. In this case, it helps to think like your audience. If, for instance, you are targeting the younger audience in a late afternoon program, brainstorm the kind of information of topics that your audience would be interested in hearing about. This will also help you to come up with good questions and follow-up questions to ensure that you broadcast enough information. Do your Research Conducting in-depth research on the topic or what the interview is based on or who you will be interviewing, is vital in a radio interview. By doing a good research you will be more equip to ask the right questions that would bring out the information you need for your interviewee. In instances where you will be interviewing a person, it is necessary that you first obtain relevant information about the person which will give you much needed insight on the type of person. This will help in better structuring of your questions. Being knowledgeable of your guest enables you to contribute to the conversation and formulate questions from different angles to add variety to the interaction. (Ruoff, 2019) advises that we “read, listen to, and watch any other interviews they have been in and be sure to note questions they've been asked before. This way, you can ask 4

new questions and find different angles on the topics at hand. Your guest does not want to answer the same questions in every single interview and listeners dislike hearing people answer the same questions over and over again, so try to be creative with your questions to encourage new answers”. Furthermore, doing research on the topic at hand has the same effect, especially in health and science news. Remember, as the person conducting the interview and relaying the news, you should have more information about the topic than the audience does, so it is important to do research prior in the event that you may need to clarify a concept or term. Test your Equipment Another preparatory task is testing the equipment beforehand. A technician may ask you to test the sound level by speaking into the mic. Ensure that the proper steps are taken to avoid audio issues while on-air or recording. Conducting Radio Interviews Listen A very important tip in conducting radio interviews is listening. Not only do we give the interviewee a chance to voice their responses freely, but we also open the floor for on-the-spot follow up questions or responses to keep the conversation going and uncover details that our interviewee may have glossed over. It is also a good way of conveying to your listeners that you are invested in the conversation. This kind of impression makes it easier to listen to the program since it feels like more of a discussion than a robotic question-and-answer session. This tip is especially important when interviewing for science and health stories. Sometimes the interviewee may say something that comes off as technical or complex, so it would be necessary to ask clarifying questions to ensure that the audience is able to understand what was said. Do not Interrupt Additionally, we should avoid interrupting the interviewee. Listeners would find it difficult to follow and understand what’s going on if multiple persons are speaking at the same time. It would be chaotic and disorienting. Also, interrupting our interviewee would could cause them to lose their train of thought and therefore omit certain important details. Conversely, knowing 5

when it is necessary to smoothly and politely interrupt is an acquired skill. For example, when interviewing political affiliates or politicians, you may ask a sensitive or delicate question that they would avoid answering in clever ways. They may try to diverge or deflect by going off on a tangent and subverting actually answering the question. In this case, it may be necessary to politely interrupt and redirect the interviewee to the question at hand. Structure your Questions Avoid asking “yes or no” questions. The focal point of the radio interview is to garner information about a particular topic. Asking too many straightforward questions that would only require a yes or no answer makes it difficult to have a conversation that flows easily, and it also provides a bland answer with little to no detail, which is not what we want. Primarily, in interviews, it is ideal for the interviewee to do most of the talking since this allows them to get all of their points across. Additionally, given the complexity of certain science related topics, asking vague or intricate questions will only confuse your audience. Therefore, be direct and succinct. Improvise Do not rely too much on your notes. Remember that the interview is supposed to feel like a conversation, so it would be better to let your follow up questions and responses come or appear natural. This point goes hand in hand with ensuring that you listen, in order to formulate natural responses, and to appear engaged. Avoid Feedback/Audio Issues Pay attention to your audio quality. In order to avoid emitting a grating sound that discomforts the listener, the interviewer should be sure to regulate tone and proximity to the microphone. Do not breathe or keep your mouth too close to the microphone. Be Confident Even though your listeners would not be able to see you, smiling and using hand gestures as you speak can carry into your voice and produce an upbeat and natural tone that will keep them engaged. Also, use simple language that the listeners will be able to understand and connect with (CPCommunications, 2019). 6

Preparing and Conducting Print Interviews Print media generally refers to newspapers or any other reporting of events or research in printed form. The print media is one of the oldest and primary form of mass communication. Initially it was focused on informing the public specifically on the daily news but it has evolved to entertainment, games, educational topics and more. Daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, journals, trade publications, and newsletters are all examples of print media. The most important and significant goal of print media is to disseminate information through a textual interface to a particularly targeted audience for whom the information or data was actually intended. Newspapers collect, edit and print news reports and articles. There are newspapers published in the evening also. They are called eveningers. Things to consider when preparing and conducting interview for science or health stories: • Do your homework – Some background study on the doctor or company should be done by the journalist. This can help you establish a relationship and may spark some interesting questions. You could: On the hospital's website or LinkedIn, look up the doctor's profile. Search for published research on Google. Read any blog posts written by the doctor. • Define your purpose - Be specific. each parties ought to have a transparent understanding of the aim of the interview and who the audience is. 7

• Set a date and time. Some interview via Skype or Google repair may have a good audio quality which is best for recording. Set and ensure the time (and time zones!) a minimum of once when creating the appointment. If face to face – request an interview as far in advance as possible by calling or sending an email. Tell the doctor or company office assistant how much time you'll require and when you'd like to speak with them. Explain why you think this doctor is the greatest person to help tell the narrative and what your story's healthcare marketing purpose is. This will guarantee that you receive the information you require during the interview. Meet within the research laboratory or field, or different house wherever analysis is done! • Do your analysis. Search or ask scientist prior to for links/PDFs of scientific papers they need written, or news clips concerning their research or their space of research. If you're news on a study, scan IT first, take notes, and ask queries supported your notes throughout the interview. • Be as specific as you'll be able to concerning what you would like to know. Master the art of active listening. Be in tune with wherever the interview is going, what you’ve got to this point and what alternative data you need. Listen actively. • Ask, listen, repeat - Ask an inquiry and listen for details that will pique your readers' attention. \"Why is that?\" and \"Tell me more about that?\" are common follow-up queries. 8

• Record your interview, it helps to arrange the information accurately and kept as evidence. If you record the interview (on two devices – have a backup), you'll be able to connect with the person more easily than if you have to stare down and write the entire time. Inquire about recording permission or inform the interviewee that they are being recorded. • Say it back – as the scientist, doctor or company representative explains the research or scientific concept, to see if you understand it, repeat it in your own words. If you are incorrect they will briefly explain again. • Accept silence - silence has the effect of making people feel obligated to fill it. Keeping quiet after someone responds can be just as useful as asking another question: they continue to speak, giving you more information than they would have given otherwise. It is critical to plan ahead of time: Science interviews should not be conducted over the phone. Spend 15 minutes before the interview reviewing the backgrounds and any biases of your sources. You should be knowledgeable enough about your subject to ask a few critical questions. 9

Preparing and Conducting Television Interviews The planning and execution process of live and edited television interviews are widely considered since as an interviewer, your content visuals, should be one to be remembered while providing credibility. According to Maura Fitzgerald (2016) some steps to utilize for a television interview should be basic groundwork, having a focus for your message, preparing a document for Q & A, practicing and the setup before the interview. As for science and health interviews, one would need to have the basic groundwork of what the nature of the interview should be like, who is the audience and the relevance of the information, how many persons will be interviewed, and whether it should be a live or edited broadcast. This builds the foundation of the setting and atmosphere the interview will take. Ms. Fitzgerald also mentioned having a pointed message, this is the path the content should take, and having the message in such a way that the interviewee provides proof or facts to back up information the interviewer is trying to provide the audience with. The Question and Answer is the backbone of the interview as such the questions should be concise and structured with open-ended questions for the interviewee to give a detailed answer to. Similarly, to have a smooth execution of the television interview the interviewer can prepare a few days prior to the interview by practicing beforehand to be familiar with the questions and structure. By doing so, there is a rollout of the way the questions are intended to be asked as well as the equipment and clothing suitable for the interview session. This reduces major setbacks and failures before and during the interview. The setting and clothing being used are just as important as the message since persons viewing the television broadcast can easily be distracted by the barrier induced by the visuals. An example of a science interview is the COVID -19 update with the Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony published by the Department of Public Information (2021), Guyana who covers COVID-19 and vaccines. A positive of the television 10

interview is the immediateness of the interviewer of the message. Rather than ranting and giving a long introduction, she jumped right into the readiness of the interview. The same also is the process where she allowed for an open release of information by the Minister. This allowed for the Minister to provide the necessary information for the audience with also the statistical representation of the vaccines. Taking the setting into consideration the background used for the interview was very much suitable and it can be observed that both the interviewer and interviewee were comfortable during the interview. 11

Further References Interviewing Skills: How to get great stories from scientists, researchers and health care professionals- By Angilee Shah https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/blogs/interviewing-skills-how-get-great-stories-scientists- researchers-and-health-care-professionals Department of Public Information. (2021, April 27). COVID -19 update with the Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony. [ Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DolyMhsAG8 12

References CPCommunications. (2019, April 4). How to prepare for a radio interview. Retrieved from CPCommunications: https://cpcommunications.com.au/prepare-radio-interview/ Fitzgerald, M. (2016, September 5). The TV & Radio Interview: A Step-by-Step Guide to Prepare for Success. Retrieved from PR News: https://www.prnewsonline.com/tv-radio- interview-step-step-guide-prepare-success/ Hsiung, P.-C. (2010, August). Lives and Legacies: A Guide to Qualitative Interviewing. Retrieved from Lives and Legacies: https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~pchsiung/LAL/interviewing/phrasing/avoid_yesorno Media, A. (2021). RADIO INTERVIEW TIPS. Retrieved from Adoni Media: https://www.adonimedia.com.au/radio-interview-tips/ RadioKing. (2019, June 17). How to conduct a great radio interview . Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h1sCpXUXRI Ruoff, M. (2019, February 8). 10 Tips for Becoming a Great Radio Interviewer. Retrieved from Live365: https://live365.com/blog/10-tips-for-becoming-a-great-radio-interviewer/ Fitzgerald, M. (2016). The TV & Radio Interview: A Step-by-Step Guide to Prepare for Success. https://www.prnewsonline.com/tv-radio-interview-step-step-guide-prepare- success/ 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- interviews-with-scientists/ pubhtml5.com. (2020, December 8). DPC 2106 Group #6 First Assignment - Interview- Retrieved november-Journalist | PubHTML5. PubHTML5. https://pubhtml5.com/gvyk/tsfh/bbasi C.C. (2021, October 3). Interviewing doctors: How to get a great healthcare story. MarTech.Health. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://martech.health/articles/interviewing-doctors-how-to-get-a-great-healthcare-story 13

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