TIPS TO INTERVIEW &
WRITE LIKE A PRO
RAY MURRAY
Assistant Professor
Oklahoma State University
Ray.murray@okstate.edu
INTERVIEWING BASICS
 When you’re interviewing someone,
what’s your most important skill?
 Listening.
 Do your homework before going to an
interview.
 Try to make it a conversation and not a
cross examination.
GET MOVIN’
 Ask politely for interview time. What
time works best? Office? Home? Coffee
shop?
 You’re busy, they’re busy, so don’t put it
off. Rush jobs are obvious and stink.
 Please and thank you go a long way.
KEEPING CHASING
 “I e-mailed him two weeks ago and he
hasn’t e-mail me back.”
 “I left a message for him and he hasn’t
called me back.”
 Keep digging/chasing.
 It’s amazing how few students think of
GOING TO MEET THE PERSON IN
PERSON.
 It’s allowed and encouraged.
LITTLE THINGS ARE BIG
 Show up 10 minutes early.
 Make sure you know where you’re
going.
 Make sure you have a notebook, plenty
of WORKING pens.
 Should you record it? Yes, but take
notes. Check the machine during the
interview to see whether it’s working.
 Carry extra batteries/tapes.
LITTLE BIG THINGS
 Dress appropriately; “young
professional” and not “college kid with
holes in my pants, my butt hanging out
and my hat on backward.”
 Put your source at ease; get him/her
talking by mentioning something on the
walls or the weather or ain’t the
Cowboys great.
GROUND RULES
 Everything is on the record.
 Say it’s possible this will be submitted
for publication.
 Don’t agree to a list of questions.
 Don’t let them review the story.
 Conduct an accuracy check on needed
items.
 NO anonymous sources.
WHOM TO INTERVIEW

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Highest officials possible.
Experts on an issue.
People with opposing views.
People affected.
Diverse sources.
ONCE YOU GET GOING
 Give the source an overview of what
you plan to talk about.
 Start with open-ended questions; listen,
listen, listen.
 Be prepared to change directions if the
source says something that dictates it.
 Observe your surroundings/take notes
that help give the story flavor.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
 First question to ask . . . “May I have the
correct spelling of your first and last
names?”
 People will like that you’re trying to be
accurate.
 Second question: “May I have your
home/work phone number(s)/email/Blackberry/what gadget you have
addresses so I may call or text you
later if I have more questions?”
NOW WE’RE ROLLIN’
 Ask the easy questions first to get the
source talking.
 Open-ended questions are good.
 Save the tough stuff for the end.
 “Did you embezzle $2 million from the
bank?”
SILENCE IS GOLDEN
 Don’t be afraid of silence. It can help the
source get organized.
 Keep questions short; let the source do
most of the talking.
 Highlight the good stuff. Mark tape
number.
FAVORITE QUESTIONS
 From Pat Stith, a retired investigative
reporter for the Raleigh News and
Observer:
 Why?
 What makes you say that?
 How do you know?
 How am I going to explain that to people
in …?
 Another I like: Explain this to me as if
I’m a third-grader.
WRAP IT UP
 Two questions to ask at the end of the
interview:
 “Is there anything else you think we
need to discuss?”
 “Is there anyone else I should talk to
about this story?”
 Let the source get the last word.
AFTERWARD
 Tell the source you will call back if you
have any questions or need clarification
on anything.
 Review your notes quickly; don’t wait
three days and then you can’t read your
handwriting.
 Transcribe the tape soon so the
interview is fresh in your mind.
NOW WHAT?
 Writing is easy.
 As Red Smith said, “You sit down and
open up your wrists.”
WRITING AS A
JOURNALIST
What are the six keys to good
journalistic writing?
Short paragraphs
Short sentences
Short words
Be objective
Follow style rules
Know the journalism story formulas and
how to use them.
STORY ORGANIZATION
Traditional Structure: Inverted Pyramid
Present the news in order of descending
importance.
Lede summarizes the news.
Each of the following paragraphs presents
additional information in order of
descending importance.
INVERTED PYRAMID
 Advantage:
Least important information is at the
bottom where a cut in length is most
likely to occur.
 Disadvantage:
Doesn’t give the reporter a clear direction
on how to report beyond who, what,
when, where, how and why.
INVERTED PYRAMID
The Inverted Pyramid often can use an
Immediate ID lede. The name is in the
lede.
 The name must be well-known, at least
to the area.
 President Barack Obama vetoed a bill
that would have given OSU students
$20,000 each to go to Cancun.
HIGH FIVE
New Way of Thinking: The High Five
 News
 Context
 Scope
 Edge
 Impact
 Reporting and writing are connected.
You can't write what you don't know.
 Think of the High Five as a checklist.
The idea is to make you:
 think about the stories you report;
 ask questions about why the news
occurred and where it's leading;
 seek details that will help you tell
news with precision; and
 raise questions that your readers
may want answered.
GET TO IT
 Get these five elements into the top five
or six paragraphs:
 News: What happened, or what is
happening?
 Context: What is the background for
the event or trend?
 Scope: What is the magnitude of the
event? How many people are
affected?
 Is this local event part of a larger,
national set of events?
 Is there a local focus to this larger,
national event?
 Think numbers.
 Edge: Where is the news leading?
What happens next?
 What is the time element?
 What is the next development?
 Impact: So what? How does the
news affect anything?
 Why should the reader care?
 A good quote can often be an
impact.
Remember, the elements must appear
in the first five to six paragraphs.
 News must be in the lede.
 Other elements can appear in any
order.
 Some elements can overlap.
 The High Five should be on the first
page (OK, a line may spill over).
High Five Practice Story
A State University student said the board
of trustees’ decision to eliminate a
religious studies program was done to
punish professors who testified against
the university in a lawsuit. (NEWS)
 The board of trustees decided Friday to
end the program as a cost-cutting
measure unless it is able to attract more
students by next year. Religious studies
is an interdisciplinary program that was
begun in 1980. State University had 20
religion minors last year but now has
only 15, a drop of 25 percent.
(CONTEXT/SCOPE)
Thomas Efraim, a student in the minor,
said he believes the professors in the
program are being targeted because
two of them testified on his behalf when
he unsuccessfully sued the university
three months ago for the right to be
excused from a science requirement he
said violated his religious beliefs.
Professors Peter Hinkleson and Keshia
Bernard testified on Efraim’s behalf.
(CONTEXT)
Bernard, who coordinates the religious
studies program, said she received a
letter from university president Ned
Dallas informing her that if the minor is
eliminated, some faculty members could
lose their jobs if they cannot find other
courses to teach. She received the
letter one week after Efraim lost his
lawsuit. (IMPACT)
Supporters of the program are attempting
to recruit more students to the minor by
putting up posters and holding midweek
discussions on religion. Efraim will
speak about his lawsuit at this week’s
meeting, and Hinkleson said he plans to
meet with Dallas to discuss the
program. (EDGE)
. . . Then the rest of the story…