on interviewing. and other stuff.

This is mainly (but not only) for the mag class:

Go here for a thoughtful look at the tricky ethics of the Q-and-A by Clark Hoyt, the public editor of The New York Times. Make you uncomfortable?

Go here and here for some background info on Gary Smith, whose work we will be discussing this week. The first is a piece by Marketwatch's Jon Friedman, who writes that smith is the journalist he would most like to meet. The second is a Q-and-A with Smith posted on Mediabistro. You can also read more about him via a search on jlinx.

Go here for a link to a compelling obit for Studs Terkel, who died this past fall, and who is the master of the oral history. Go here for a sample oral history (you can find others, from several of his other books, thanks to amazon online reader) from "American Dreams: Lost and Found".

If you need a refresher on John Sawatsky's interviewing techniques, go here.

And finally, to continue the riff on Cecile's micro-discussion from Friday: where does a journalist draw the line when it comes to either rescuing a source or observing illegal activity? When do you step in -- or do you? This question could certainly apply to Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's "Trina and Trina", yeah? Comments? bk

I don't know who's writing your questions...

One of my loyal readers told me tonight that today's post was a big fat bore. I didn't think so, but whatever...

So anyhow, remember that post about interviewing a few weeks back where I referenced John Sawatsky's interviewing techniques vis-a-vis (oops, getting boring again) Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin re the Supreme Court?

Here's a case study in how NOT to interview -- in how the opposite approach can backfire bigtime. Object lesson: any time your source responds to a question with "Is this a joke? Is that a real question?" -- you've blown it. Watch the video of an exchange between vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and WFTV reporter Barbara West. It hits the fan about two minutes in. (Be sure to jump past the online ad.)

Biden: 1, West, 0.

This one, not a bore. Alrighty? bk

...can you think of any?

According to interview guru John Sawatsky, you don't need to be a pit bull named Bruiser to conduct a good interview. In a piece I read so long ago that i can't remember where I put it, he posits that the best interviews, in fact, are about discipline on the part of the reporter, rather than the power differential between interviewer and source. They are about listening, leading the source down the path toward the given goal: staying in control by playing nice.

Which brings up Katie Couric's exchange with Sarah Palin wrt the Supreme Court. Watch how Couric's quiet little follow-up gets the job done: