How to Carry Out a News Interview on the Phone

By CJ

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Interviewing someone over the phone for a news article is often impersonal, far more impersonal than talking to them face-to-face. In fact, if you "cold-call" your source, meaning that you caught them unprepared, it can be downright uncomfortable. Here are some tips on how to carry out a news interview on the phone.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Type out a list of questions you plan on asking your source, beginning with a non-threatening one, such as "Can you tell me a little about yourself / your company / the events in question" and working your way up to a more probing question around question 3 -- "how do you plan on proceeding with the legal case" or "what is the nature of your relationship with the suspected person?"

Step2

Dial the source's number. When a person answers, ask in a polite tone to speak to your source.

Step3

Identify yourself. If the person who answered is not your source, they will likely ask who you are and not just hand the phone to who you want to talk to. If this is a "cold call" and your source does not know you, it may be difficult to score an interview immediately. Be honest -- it is unethical to lie about your identity for the purpose of a news article. Say you are a reporter, name the publication you write for.

Step4

State quickly, if you are about to interview someone you have never spoken to, what kind of article you are writing, and that you want to present the "real story". People are more open to talking if they think they can help bring to light their side of the story, which they believe to be the truthful one.

Step5

Ask if you can put them on speaker phone and tape-record your conversation if you are bad at typing. It is illegal in most Western countries to record someone without their consent.

Step6

Type quickly and accurately and try to type every word the person says, if possible. You don't want to misquote anyone as they can sue you for libel and you want to be able to reread all your notes later to ensure you have the source's entire side to their story. A quote you may think is unimportant may turn out to be vital after rereading your notes from this interview and others you have conducted with other sources.

Step7

Ask your source at the end of your interview if there is anything they would like to add. Most of the time, there is. It is often at this point in your interview where the "juiciest" material is revealed.

Step8

Thank your source when you are finishing interviewing him or her and offer your contact information in case he or she may want to tell you anything else.

Tips & Warnings

If the source hangs up, try calling them again in five minutes. If they hang up again, try again in an hour. Be persistent, but do not harass them. If they refuse to be interviewed on the third try, consider giving up or trying to "door-stop" them, or show up in person to try to interview them, as most people find it harder to refuse this way.
When you are interviewing your source, you are still having a phone conversation. You can stray from your list of prepared questions. New ones may arise. Feel free to ask away.
Do not use accusatory words when interviewing someone involved in criminal activity, or someone suspected of involvement in such work.