The document provides guidance on conducting effective interviews. It discusses preparing for interviews through research, establishing rapport with interviewees, asking insightful questions, being an active listener, and following up with additional questions. The document also outlines different types of interviews including news, survey, and profile interviews. It stresses the importance of planning, preparation, and flexibility to get high-quality information from interviews.

2. The Do’s and Don'ts of Interviews
Interviewing personalities for magazines,
newspapers, television, and blogs can be
tricky. Whether you’re chatting to
politicians, celebrities, comedians, writers,
musicians, victims, witness or citizens
there are some basic rules.

3. What is Interview?
Interview is one of the most flexible methods of collecting
information because it can be conducted in person (face to face),
over telephone, television or even mail. And now of course through
online video method.
Interview can be formal and informal conversation based on the
situations and circumstances.
Interviews can be of facts, for opinions or both.
The interview can be one to one or can be multiplied on either
side or both sides.
An interview enables to know events that a reporter has not been
able to witness in person. Because the eyewitness to the event can
offer the first hand account.

4. Skills for Interviewing
The skill of interviewing can be acquired over a period of
time through experience.
A successful interview involves the factors of Planning,
Persuasion, Perception and Persistence .
The interview process helps in introducing both the
personalities, interviewee and interviewer.

5. The best option to conduct the interview at the
subjects place and time mutually convenient.
Success of the interview depends upon the
reporter/interviewer himself/herself interviewer's
personality, personal appearance and mannerism.
A reporter has to be a diligent questioner and a
careful listener.
A friendly detachment is the best attitude during
the interview.

6. Steps for Interviewing
DO ease them in
Ask how their journey was, what they’ve been up to,
how long they’re in the UK for - some friendly small
talk will help you to establish a positive rapport.
Usually a relaxed, happy interviewee is preferable. If
you’re representing a publication they’re unlikely to
know, (briefly) tell them a bit about it. With a phoner,
especially one you’ve arranged yourself rather than
through a PR, check it’s still a good time to chat.

7. “DO your research” or ‘Planning’
Planning is vital for interviewing. The source background,
personality and achievements should be noted. Based on
these, a provisional list of questions can be prepared.
At the Chances are they’re promoting a current film, show,
book or exhibition - make damn sure you’ve actually
seen it. Even better research around this. Familiarize
yourself with their earlier work, their career trajectory, the
landscape they work in, their contemporaries and rivals.
This knowledge will give you confidence, helping you
improvise on the day in response to their answers.

8. DON’T trust technology.
Dictaphone let’s down many times.
Should always carry spare batteries for your recording
device or make sure it’s fully charged.
Glancing over at it from time to time to check its still
recording is important. Having back-up tech in case it
suddenly runs out of memory is safe.
And when interviewing someone super-famous, using more
than one recorder just in case is suggested.

9. “DO ask questions they're
not anticipating.
And don't be scared to be personal.
Try to ask those questions that you can’t easily find
the answer to elsewhere. What you want from the
limited time you have is to find out stuff you
couldn’t by other means. Ideally, a scoop -
something they haven’t already said to another
publication. You can always fill in contextual or
biographical information yourself. Plus the process
is more fun for them if they aren’t answering the
same question for the billionth time.

10. DO remember your reader.
But when I’m doing an interview for another
outlet, I might ask more about themselves or
the ideas behind a particular project. I’ll
assume the reader of a specialist photography
magazine has greater knowledge of the
medium than that of a mainstream newspaper.
Be guided by your imagined reader and what
they want to get from the piece. Information?
Analysis? Amusement?

11. “DON’T be afraid to ask them to
spell names,”
Same goes for places, dates and any other
facts. Never, ever assume you’ll be able to
catch it on the recording or find it online
afterwards. I can assure you from experience
this isn’t always the case.

12. “DON’T be a fan girl or
fan boy.
 ”It never ends well,” warns journalist.
 It’s very unprofessional.
To this end, “don’t ask for an autograph and
also for a photograph”

13. “DO shut up when they're talking,”
Partly, this will help with transcribing as it can be tricky to
make out what they’re saying when you’re blathering over
them. Also, it’s just plain politeness.
Generally, let your interviewee finish what they’re saying, even
if it’s slightly off-topic, as it might take you somewhere
interesting and unexpected. That said, if they’re droning on
about boring irrelevancies, wait for them to draw breath -
they’ll have to eventually - and then leap in, ninja-style, with
the next question. Persistence pays in such situation.

14. “DO think of follow-up
questions,”
They might give one-word answers or answer
multiple questions in one. They might, if you’re
lucky, give you more time than you thought
you’d have. Be ready to make the most of it.
Likewise, figure out which are your most
important questions so that if you're unlucky
and have less time than you thought you would,
you can priorities quickly.

15. “DO have a conversation,”
You shouldn’t keep looking down to check your
notebook. Read your questions or notes through
a few times until you’ve committed them to
memory - and then freestyle.
“There are often plenty of surprises.”

16. DO ask them if they have
anything to add.
My very last question is always, “Was there
anything you'd like to mention that I didn’t ask you
about?” Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes
they just tell you their website url.
Sometimes they say something pointless. But
sometimes you get that bonus nugget of copy gold
which makes your whole interview shine.

17. TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
News Interview
Survey Interview
Profile Interview

18. NEWS INTERVIEW

19. SURVEY INTERVIEW

20. PROFILE INTERVIEW

22. Types of Attribution
•Direct Statement or On the record:
All statements are directly quotable and attributable, by name
and title, to the person making the statement.
Example: "The U.S. has no plans to invade Iran," said White
House press secretary Jim Smith.
Reporters should strive to have their sources speak on the
record whenever possible. A named source gives a story greater
credibility.
Attributes on background :
All statements are directly quotable, but can't be attributed by
name or specific title to the person commenting.
Example: "The U.S. has no plans to invade Iran," a White House
spokesman said.

23. •On deep background :
Anything that is said in the interview is usable but not
in direct quotation and not for attribution. The
reporter writes it on his or her own.
Example: The U.S. has no plans to invade Iran.
•Off the Record :
Information is for the reporter's use only and is not to
be printed or made public in anyway. The information
also is not to be taken to another source in hopes of
getting confirmation.