An Exploration of the Complexity of Journalistic Interviewing Competencies

Abstract

Journalists have engaged in interviewing practices since the nineteenth century to collect information for news stories. Today, it is considered the dominant approach in news-gathering among journalists. We know very little, however, about the theoretical breadth of interviewing and the associated competencies construct that journalists should possess to be classified as an expert interviewer. Consequently, the first appropriate step toward specification of this particular news-gathering practice is qualitative research. In the present study, we explored the breadth of journalistic interviewing competencies through 20 semi-structured interviews with journalists and journalism educators. The present study revealed 10 possible journalistic interviewing competencies: listening, interaction management, research, empathy, articulation, self-presentation, verification, news judgment, observation, and open-mindedness, based on editor and educator responses. The results demonstrate the complexity of interviewing in journalistic settings and suggest a need for greater empirical and educational focus on the art of interviewing.

KEYWORDS:

• competency
• empathy
• journalistic interviewing
• listening
• news judgment
• observation
• research
• verification

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to thank the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Newspaper and Online News Division for funding this project.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Newspaper and Online News Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication [grant number i048366].