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Being Interviewed: Theory #medialit (Andrew Graystone)

  • How would you get us on the front page?
    • Scandal, dramatic.
    • Buy the newspaper/space on it & put the information on it.
  • The News Agenda = “truth”
    • Topical “It’s happening NOW”
    • Relevant “Relevant to the location, does it matter to the location”
    • Unusual  “Is it out of the ordinary?” 50,000 Christians in Wembley Stadium worshipping – that’s what Christians always do – but if they all give away their possessions.”
    • Tension “Has to be some drama/sense of drama/what happens next?”
    • Human “Only really care about what happens to us. The oil story – not about the oil, but about how it affects people.”
  • What makes news?
    • Michael Jackson spotted in London (but we thought he was dead – is he?)
    • Swine flu arrives in UK (will it affect those we know)
    • Amy Winehouse arrested for drug abuse (not unusual, but celebrity)
    • Obscure Durham band releases new album (new to friends/those in Durham – its not national news, but of interest to others).
    • David Cameron does deal with Taliban (important nationally)
      • Who’s interested in reading/publishing that news? Who has a stake in it?
  • Stages in the news cycle
    • Finding the news
    • Gathering the news
    • Writing the news
    • Editing the news
    • Ordering the news (newsworthiness or audience?)
    • Publishing the news
      • News cycle can repeat within one particular story – e.g. the BP oil spill – new angles are developed to keep it in the news.
      • Can be weekly, daily.. and now with online, it’s pretty much continuous.
      • For papers – 12 hours from print to read, in the meantime, many of those people will have seen more up-to-date news online or TV – how do they respond to this? Move from common news to other stories, or “anticipate”.
  • News Sources
    • Investigative Journalism (goes out and discovers – many see this as normal, but it’s a very small %age)
    • Creative Journalism (10 stories a day for a small paper – wait for stories delivered to you, e.g. press releases, if not that – e.g. see a pothole, ring one councillor, then the other – and create a new story)
    • Churnalism – re-use other news outlets (newspapers, etc.).
    • Press agencies. Collect but don’t publish – sell it to others.
    • Freelance journalists – collect & sell individuals stories. Ethical issues in deciding.
    • Friends, family & contacts
    • User-generated content (UGC).  Most noticeably from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buncefield_fire
    • PR feeds and press releases
      • The lower ones are more productive than the others.
  • Cardiff Uni Dept of Journalism
    • 60% wholly or mainly wire copy or PR material
    • 20% had elements of this that had been added to
    • 8% from unidentifiable sources
    • 12% generated by reporters.
      • Newsworthiness?
      • In the public interest?
      • Who’s wagging the tail?
      • Less & less clear – what is a journalist? Journalistic privilege –e.g. required not to give source? E.g. BBC will only publish a news story if Press Association or x 2 sources. Sky will only use one source – so get news out before the BBC, but have to retract afterwards.
    • Talking about Paul Hucker: http://ow.ly/218I5 #medialit – same story had run in 2002, but the story went global very quickly.  Simon Burgess & Paul Hucker had run similar stories e.g. Halloween, etc..
  • President Reuven Frank “News is what someone wants to suppress. Everything else is advertising.”
    • American News – particularly – need to get their sources right.  What impact did 9/11 have on the way stories are told?
    • Newspapers seen as ‘giving the wide view’ – one of the complaints is that new media – we are too niched and stick to one area – how pre-mediated is this. With Twitter, etc. can self-correct very fast?!
  • Clips
    • What is the interviewer trying to do?
      • Trying to get him to say something controversial
      • Being provocative – not just newsworthy, has to be entertaining (stop people switching off/get his contract renewed).
      • Who? What? When? Where? Why?
        • Needs tension, passion, contradiction.
        • Who has the power? Are they on the make?
        • Is this person telling the truth? What are they trying to hide?
    • What is the interviewee trying to do?
      • Trying to get his point across if interviewer lets him
    • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-152361/The-Red-Cross-bans-Christmas.html, picked up by Radio 4. How much warning would she have got? Would she have been able to say it’s up for review, etc.?
  • Giving an Interview, what would you ask?! Say YES
    • What is the focus of the interview?
    • Who’s going to be listening?
    • Why have they asked you?
    • Is there going to be more than one interviewer/interviewee?
    • How long is it going to be?
    • Is it recorded or is it live? Don’t say anything unless you’re happy to have it broadcast (no control over editing, so be in control of the interview). Live is always better.
      • Takes so long to be interviewed as tape is cheap, getting the crew there in the first place is expensive – so takes 1 hour’s tape, even if only using 60 seconds. Prepare before you go on.  If you’re not happy with something and ask them not to use it, that’s when they become interested and think that’s the best bit to use.
    • What questions are you thinking of asking? No guarantee that’s what they’ll ask.
    • When are you going to do it? Are you available? Guarantee inconvenient time so make yourself available. E.g hard to get Christian vicar to say “the Resurrection happened” as had to preach to own congregations – but the radio congregation = 0.5 million…
    • What’s before/after?
    • Who are THEY? Is this freelance, is it for a particular organisation? What media format is it for?
    • Is it on the phone? On the studio?
    • Ask for a copy afterwards. Tony Benn records his own interview.
  • Be part of the public conversation – which isn’t happening IN the churches.
    • I’ll ring you back in 10 minutes (not tomorrow!) Take time to prepare, or  institutions: Consult your Comms Officer (they usually have an overview)… unless you feel that you want to be a ‘martyr’ for a different cause – but remember you can only be a martyr once.
    • What is YOUR focus? What do you want to say? Never mind what they’re asking you..  Phone a friend and see how it sounds.
      • Is this ethical? Archbishop of Canterbury would ask is it ethical for the media to set the agenda?
      • We assume that ‘the media’ ask ‘the right questions’ – the media told us that.
      • Are there some who should never say yes? Can you pass them onto someone else who could ‘speak better’, don’t leave it hanging! Remember you’re talking to a general audience – you are the expert.
      • Most people say NO which leaves the airwaves bereft of Christian voices.
    • Why is “no comment” such a bad idea? We have been given a gift of communication from God – we are co-creators – so it’s our BUSINESS to communicate with the world – so why would you ever say “no comment”.
      • E.g. Red Cross – why is she not talking about WHAT the Red Cross DOES? This is not about Christmas Trees in shops, it’s about aid to the poorest people… he might not like it, but… !
      • What is your default message? Best way to kill a bad news story is with a good news story.
  • Listen to the programme (what speed do they talk at?)
  • Get the facts before you get there.. what the story is about & what you want to say. Take your facts and turn them into “pictures”. Radio: double-decker bus, the football pitch or Wales!
  • Decide what you want to say before you get there – do you want to sound passionate or?
  • What are the bear traps to look out for in the questions?
  • Be yourself on air, SMILE – as it comes across on the radio (need about 15% more than in real life). 2 people meeting each other. Not your title/expertise that are important, it’s your personality/personal experience that counts. People will listen to the person who has BEEN THERE.
  • Respect the listener  (radio – people usually listen individually) – it’s you and them.
  • Get your main message in FIRST. Don’t wait for the conversation to work round to it. If you want to give the impression that you’re a friendly, jolly vicar… or a web address – get it in!

PRACTICAL SESSION: Prepare for Interview

  • Do miracles happen?
  • Why does church attendance keep on falling?
  • Is it OK if your vicar is gay?
    • If it’s a story that’s your own experience – so can’t be contradicted,  and once you’ve started a story how do you get stopped?
    • Beware of Jargon, sound inclusive.
    • Can you win by personality, rather than by argument?
    • Energy & conflict…
    • Don’t necessarily need to be liked, but need to keep people listening.
    • Sandpaper Jockeys – run people up the wrong way
    • Other DJs – can draw things out of people…

By Digital Fingerprint

Digiexplorer (not guru), Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing @ Manchester Metropolitan University. Interested in digital literacy and digital culture  in the third sector (especially faith). Author of 'Raising Children in a Digital Age', regularly checks hashtag #DigitalParenting.

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