tips on writing news cues/questions for interviews. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

karsey · 03-29-2005, 09:46 AM

has anyone got any tips for writing cues and questions for radio interviews/news?

thanks

BigBen · 03-29-2005, 11:25 AM

Know the story.

Research, Research, Research.

I can tell in 5 seconds if someone has done their backstory. If you ask during the interview about the basics, you lose the credibility of the person interviewed.

Of course the 5 W's. The cool thing is if you can get the subject to say it so you don't have to. More powerful in the viewers head.

Just come out and ask "Can you give me the 5 w's?" or if there is a communication barrier, lay it out for them: What Happened? Why? What did YOU DO exactly?

The STAR principle is good:
Situation - context
Task - What was supposed to happen
Action - What actually happened
Result - Was there luck involved? Careful planning? Why?

The STAR principle is good for a story that could have happened to anybody, but some crazy shit happened instead.

The 5 W's are good for a human interest thing, like why this person deserves an award.

Are you a good story teller? Do you see a story in everything?

Any question that can be answered in one word is a dud. Kill it.

Lastly, having an hour of good stuff is useless if the producer only wanted a soundbite. Tell your subject how much time you think the story will get. I answer questions differently depending on the timeframe. It is also easier for the subject to complain that you took them out of context if you sit them down for a half hour and only use 30 seconds. At the end of a long one, I finish off by saying, "If there is one thing you want to get across, in 1 sentence, what would you say?" Then if they spout off for 5 minutes you know you have a dumbass on your hands. Smart people get to the point and stay there.

Did this help in any way?

Oh, one last thing. Make sure you are talking to the right person. Why talk to the manager when you can get the president? Conversely, why talk to the president of the company if it was the person on the assembly line who was there when it actually happened? Knowing who is important comes with research, which you will always be perfect at.

flamingdog · 03-29-2005, 11:57 AM

While doing exhaustive research on a story is a sound idea, don't be afraid of asking your source for the basics. I always swear by getting a version of 'the basics' from everyone i interview. Nuance can lend a different slant to events, and getting all the different versions allows you to highlight where the truth lies.

You don't lose credibility by asking basic questions, you lose credibility by getting the basics wrong through arrogance. Check. Make sure you have it right.

Don't over-plan your interview. I guess this depends on the medium you work in, but if you go in with a rigid interview plan, you'll get a rigid interview that no-one wants to read/hear. Make your interview like a conversation. You'll earn their trust, you'll feel more comfortable, and you won't be constricted by your list of questions. I never, ever went into an interview with a list of questions prepared beforehand, for exactly that reason. Just be aware that you need to cover your basics. As above, the five Ws, and one or two choice quotes.

Avoid closed questions, questions that will result in a yes or no answer. Consider 'How did you feel about X?' rather than 'Were you upset by X?'

Check, check and check again. Make sure that what you've got is what your subject intended to say... although be careful of giving them the opportunity to twist out of a self-tied noose.

Close the interview by asking 'is there anything you wanted to add?' This can often point up things you may have forgotten, or give you a killer quote when they sum everything up.

The best overall advice I can give you is to begin at the beginning, and go forward chronologically. Don't skip around in time, you'll just confuse yourself. If they give you another avenue of inquiry, note it down and exhaust your current line before you go off on a tangent. Then go back to the other lines you uncovered.

Take some time before you leave to check what you've got. Make sure it's what you want, that you have everything you need. Make sure you get contact details before you leave, in case something occurs to you when you're done.

03-29-2005, 09:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
karsey Upright	tips on writing news cues/questions for interviews. has anyone got any tips for writing cues and questions for radio interviews/news? thanks

03-29-2005, 11:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
BigBen Comedian Location: Use the search button	Know the story. Research, Research, Research. I can tell in 5 seconds if someone has done their backstory. If you ask during the interview about the basics, you lose the credibility of the person interviewed. Of course the 5 W's. The cool thing is if you can get the subject to say it so you don't have to. More powerful in the viewers head. Just come out and ask "Can you give me the 5 w's?" or if there is a communication barrier, lay it out for them: What Happened? Why? What did YOU DO exactly? The STAR principle is good: Situation - context Task - What was supposed to happen Action - What actually happened Result - Was there luck involved? Careful planning? Why? The STAR principle is good for a story that could have happened to anybody, but some crazy shit happened instead. The 5 W's are good for a human interest thing, like why this person deserves an award. Are you a good story teller? Do you see a story in everything? Any question that can be answered in one word is a dud. Kill it. Lastly, having an hour of good stuff is useless if the producer only wanted a soundbite. Tell your subject how much time you think the story will get. I answer questions differently depending on the timeframe. It is also easier for the subject to complain that you took them out of context if you sit them down for a half hour and only use 30 seconds. At the end of a long one, I finish off by saying, "If there is one thing you want to get across, in 1 sentence, what would you say?" Then if they spout off for 5 minutes you know you have a dumbass on your hands. Smart people get to the point and stay there. Did this help in any way? Oh, one last thing. Make sure you are talking to the right person. Why talk to the manager when you can get the president? Conversely, why talk to the president of the company if it was the person on the assembly line who was there when it actually happened? Knowing who is important comes with research, which you will always be perfect at. __________________ 3.141592654 Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.

03-29-2005, 11:57 AM	#3 (permalink)
flamingdog Still fighting it.	While doing exhaustive research on a story is a sound idea, don't be afraid of asking your source for the basics. I always swear by getting a version of 'the basics' from everyone i interview. Nuance can lend a different slant to events, and getting all the different versions allows you to highlight where the truth lies. You don't lose credibility by asking basic questions, you lose credibility by getting the basics wrong through arrogance. Check. Make sure you have it right. Don't over-plan your interview. I guess this depends on the medium you work in, but if you go in with a rigid interview plan, you'll get a rigid interview that no-one wants to read/hear. Make your interview like a conversation. You'll earn their trust, you'll feel more comfortable, and you won't be constricted by your list of questions. I never, ever went into an interview with a list of questions prepared beforehand, for exactly that reason. Just be aware that you need to cover your basics. As above, the five Ws, and one or two choice quotes. Avoid closed questions, questions that will result in a yes or no answer. Consider 'How did you feel about X?' rather than 'Were you upset by X?' Check, check and check again. Make sure that what you've got is what your subject intended to say... although be careful of giving them the opportunity to twist out of a self-tied noose. Close the interview by asking 'is there anything you wanted to add?' This can often point up things you may have forgotten, or give you a killer quote when they sum everything up. The best overall advice I can give you is to begin at the beginning, and go forward chronologically. Don't skip around in time, you'll just confuse yourself. If they give you another avenue of inquiry, note it down and exhaust your current line before you go off on a tangent. Then go back to the other lines you uncovered. Take some time before you leave to check what you've got. Make sure it's what you want, that you have everything you need. Make sure you get contact details before you leave, in case something occurs to you when you're done.