1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY

The core journalism 55
and the interviewee. So one of the time-honoured techniques of
the newspaper journalist – the leading question – has to be
discarded.
If a newspaper journalist asks Mr X, ‘Would you say the Mayor
has acted far beyond his powers?’ and receives the answer ‘Yes’,
the journalist will then report, using indirect speech, that Mr X
says the Mayor had acted far beyond his powers. This is no good
for an audio interview. The leading nature of the question
becomes transparent. Also ‘Yes’ does not make a sparkling
soundbite. Interviewees must express their views in their own
words. Getting them to talk is important, but so is getting them to
stop. And getting them to say something worthwhile.
As a rule, people do not like having a microphone thrust in their
face. It makes them nervous and they become either tongue-tied
or they talk too much. Either situation requires the journalist to
take as much control of the interview as possible.
But how to get that control? You cannot, and should not,
attempt to make your interviewee say exactly what you want.
However, you should ensure that the interview has structure,
focus and flow. That way, the interviewee will have to address
the key points but should also have the freedom to say
something spontaneous, maybe even unexpected. You must also
get a recording of reasonable technical quality, but this is not
rocket science.
The ground rules for conducting interviews offered earlier in
this chapter, in particular the need for preparation, are vital to the
success of audio interviews. But here are some additional
guidelines.
1 It seems obvious, but remember that people will be listening to
the end product. So make sure your topic is suited to an audio
interview. Very technical subjects, laden with factual information,
do not usually make easy listening. Also choose an
interviewee who is a good talker – someone who is fluent and
a clear speaker.
2 Be realistic about how much you can cover. Unless you have a
major interview or a very complex subject, limit yourself to
key points. This will provide your outline structure.