Interview Questions to Ask as a Journalist
For student reporters and new journalists who have a source to interview for a news story, a feature or a profile and want to know what to ask. The 48 questions follow the order an interview usually takes: openers and ground rules, the facts and the sequence of events, detail and quotes, follow-ups, hard questions, then checking and closing. Each has a note on what a strong or a worrying answer sounds like and what to do with it.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Openers
How do you spell your name, and what is your exact title?
Why ask it
Ask it even when the name looks obvious, and read the spelling back letter by letter. A title that comes out vague, such as 'I help with operations', is a cue to ask what the person is actually responsible for, because that decides what they can speak to with authority.
Is it all right if I record this so I get your words right?
Why ask it
Ask before the recorder is running and keep writing notes anyway, since batteries and apps fail. Rules on recording a conversation differ by place and by newsroom, so find out from your editor or adviser how it works where you are. If the source hesitates, say plainly what the recording is for and who will hear it.
I am reporting this for a story. Can I quote you by name?
Why ask it
Say who you are and where the story will run before the first real question, so nobody can say later they thought it was a private chat. If the source asks to go off the record or on background, have them say what they mean by it, because those terms are used differently from one newsroom to the next. Tell them you need to check with your editor before you promise to leave a name out.
How did you come to be involved in this?
Why ask it
An easy question the person can answer without bracing, and it tells you whether they were there or heard about it later. Note any dates and names that come up. They are the frame for the sequence questions you ask next.
What should I understand about this before we get into the details?
Why ask it
This lets the source give their framing first, which shows you what they came to say. Write it down and test it against the facts as the interview goes on. If it sounds polished and the same phrase returns later, you may be hearing a prepared message, so move to specifics.
How much time do you have?
Why ask it
Ten minutes and an hour are different interviews. With ten, drop the warm-up and go straight to the three questions you cannot leave without. If the time runs out with one of them unasked, ask when you can call to finish.
The facts
What happened, starting from the beginning?
Why ask it
Then stay quiet and let the whole account run. You get their order of events and their own words, which is where quotes come from. Put a mark in your notes wherever they skip ahead or go vague, and return to those spots once they have finished.
What time was that, and how do you know?
Why ask it
Memory rounds times off, so look for something that fixes it: a call log, a receipt, a shift change, a bus they missed. 'Around lunchtime' with no anchor goes in the story as an approximate time, said as such.
What did you see yourself, and what did you hear from someone else?
Why ask it
The answer sorts a witness from a messenger. Anything secondhand is a lead to follow, so ask who told them and how to reach that person. Be wary when a source cannot tell you which parts are which.
Who else was there?
Why ask it
Every name is a possible next call and a way to confirm or contradict this account. Ask for spellings and how each person fits in. If nobody else can be named, you have a single account and the story should say whose it is.
Where exactly were you when it happened?
Why ask it
Position decides what a person could have seen or heard. Sketch the room or the street in your notebook and have them point. Someone who was down the hall heard a noise and did not see a fight, however sure they sound.
What happened right after that?
Why ask it
Use it again and again to move through an event one step at a time. Slow down wherever the account jumps, from the phone call straight to the hospital, say. The missing stretch is often where the questions are.
Can you put a number on that?
Why ask it
'A lot of complaints' could be four or four hundred. A good answer comes with a source for the figure. If the person is guessing, ask who keeps the count and whether you can see it, and report an estimate as an estimate.
Who is most affected by this, and what changes for them?
Why ask it
Officials and organizers are easy to find, and the people a decision lands on are not. Get the change in concrete terms, such as a longer walk to class or a fee that goes up in the fall, then ask how you can reach someone it applies to. A source who speaks only of 'the community' may be further from those people than they sound.
Why is this happening now?
Why ask it
Timing is what makes something news, and the answer often gives you the second paragraph: a deadline, a vote, a budget gap, a complaint that finally reached someone. If the source says nothing has changed, ask what made them agree to talk this week.
What happens next, and when?
Why ask it
It gives the story an ending that looks ahead and gives you a date for the follow-up. 'We are looking into it' is not a next step. Ask who decides, what they are waiting on and by what day.
Detail
Can you give me an example?
Why ask it
The hardest working question in the notebook. It turns 'the building is unsafe' into a stairwell, a date and a person a reader can picture. When no example comes, the claim may be something the source believes or has heard, and you should find out which.
What did the place look like, and what could you hear?
Why ask it
For features and scene writing. Take one sense at a time and wait, since the first detail tends to be general and the third is the one worth printing. These are memories, so attribute them to the person and do not write them as if you had been there.
What was going through your mind at that moment?
Why ask it
Ask this where you were about to ask how it felt. 'How did you feel' gets one word, terrible or relieved, and this gets a thought in a full sentence, which is usually the quote. Give it time and do not offer them a word to choose.
What did you say, and what did they say back?
Why ask it
Dialogue puts a reader in the room. It is also one person's memory of a conversation, so mark it that way in the story and ask the other person for their version whenever you can reach them.
What surprised you?
Why ask it
Surprise marks the distance between what someone expected and what happened, and that distance is often the story. A specific answer is a good sign. 'Nothing, really' from a person in the middle of events may mean they are being careful, so try asking what they would have predicted a year ago.
When did you realize this was serious?
Why ask it
Turning points give a feature its structure. You are looking for a single moment with a place and a time: a letter opened at the kitchen table, a number on a screen. If you get a general drift, ask what they did that day that they had not done the day before.
What would I see if I spent a morning with you at work?
Why ask it
A profile question that brings out routine, tools and the people around the subject without asking for a self-description. Take the answer as an invitation and ask whether you can come and watch. What you observe yourself is stronger than what you are told.
Why does this matter to you personally?
Why ask it
The first answer is often a slogan about giving back or doing the right thing. Stay with it and ask when they first cared. A story with a person and a year in it usually follows, and that is the one to use.
Could you say that again? I want to get it down exactly.
Why ask it
Use it when a good sentence goes by faster than you can write. The second version often comes out stiffer than the first, so if you are recording, note the time on the recorder instead and keep the person talking. Only the words that were said go inside quotation marks, never your tidied memory of them.
Follow-ups
What do you mean by that?
Why ask it
For jargon and soft words: restructuring, an incident, stakeholders. If you do not understand the term, your reader will not either, and guessing is how errors get into print. More jargon in reply means asking again, this time for what it looked like on the day.
How do you know that?
Why ask it
Ask it kindly and often. Good answers name a source: I was there, I have the report, my manager told me. 'Everybody knows' means you have an opinion to attribute and a fact still to check.
Why?
Why ask it
One word, asked flat, then silence. It works best after a decision or a strong statement, and asking it a second time often reaches the real reason under the official one. Drop it if the person starts to feel cross-examined over something small.
Can you tell me more about that?
Why ask it
Reach for it when something interesting goes by in the middle of another answer. It costs nothing and does not steer the reply. Mark the spot in your notes, because the detail that follows is often what you came for.
How would you put that for a reader who is new to this?
Why ask it
Experts tend to give a second version that is shorter, plainer and quotable. If the simple version changes the meaning, say so and ask which one is right. Never simplify a technical point yourself without running your wording past the person who made it.
A few minutes ago you put that differently. Can we go back to it?
Why ask it
Read their earlier words from your notes and let them sort it out. Most mismatches turn out to be a slip or your own misunderstanding, and asking calmly loses you nothing. When both versions stand, you have found something that needs a second source.
I do not think I got an answer to that. Can I ask it again?
Why ask it
For the reply that covered everything except what you asked. Repeat the original question in the same words, since rewording gives a fresh way out. After two tries, note that the question went unanswered and ask your editor how your publication reports that.
What would someone who disagrees with you say?
Why ask it
You get the other side sketched and often a name to call. A source who can state the opposing case fairly generally knows the subject. One who says no reasonable person disagrees has told you to go and find that person.
Hard questions
What is your response to the people who say this could have been prevented?
Why ask it
Give the criticism in full and say who is making it if you are able to, since 'some people say' is easy to wave off. A reply to the substance is a good answer. A reply about the critics' motives is a dodge, so follow with 'but are they right?'
Did you know about the problem before it became public?
Why ask it
A closed question on purpose. Yes, no and a refusal to say are each worth reporting. Follow a yes with when and what was done, and a no with when they did find out. Keep your voice level and do not apologize for asking.
Who made that decision?
Why ask it
The cure for 'mistakes were made' and 'it was decided'. You want a name and a title, or the body that voted and how the vote went. If the source will not say, ask where the decision is written down, since minutes and memos often answer what people won't.
The records I have seen do not match what you just told me. Can you explain the difference?
Why ask it
Bring the document and show the line. An honest gap usually has a quick explanation, such as a different date range or a later revision. If they need to check, agree on a time for their answer. Springing paper on a source who has never seen it gets a poor answer and can make the story unfair.
How much did this cost, and where did the money come from?
Why ask it
Ask for the figure, the budget line and the document it sits in. A round number from memory is a starting point only. How to request financial records differs from one institution and one place to the next, so ask your editor or adviser how it is done where you report.
Do you stand to gain or lose anything from how this turns out?
Why ask it
Put it to friendly sources as well as hostile ones, in the same even tone. Most people say no and move on. A yes does not rule a source out, but readers should be told, and an offended refusal to answer is worth a second look.
Looking back, what would you do differently?
Why ask it
Gentler than asking whether they admit fault, and it often gets further. A specific answer, such as telling parents the same day, is an acknowledgment you can quote. 'Hindsight is easy' is not an answer, so ask what they have changed since.
What do you say to the people this has hurt?
Why ask it
Keep it for late in the interview, after the factual questions, so it cannot stand in for them. Listen for whether the reply speaks to those people or to the organization's reputation. Quote it in full if you use it, since a trimmed apology can read as something else.
Closing
Is there a document, a photo or a message that backs this up?
Why ask it
Paper holds up better than memory. Ask to photograph it on the spot, and note its date and where it came from. If they promise to send it later, agree on a day and say you will call if it has not arrived.
Can I read back the key facts to make sure I have them right?
Why ask it
Go through names, figures, dates and the order of events. Listen for the difference between 'that is not what I said' and 'that is not what I meant': the first is a correction and the second is a second thought. Whether sources may hear their quotes or see a draft is a matter of newsroom policy, so check yours before you offer.
Can I check a few details for the story, such as your age and where you live?
Why ask it
Collect them now, because calling back only for an age is awkward on deadline. Say why you are asking, since people balk at giving an age to a stranger with a notebook and relax once they hear it is routine. Which details get printed is a style question for your editor, so do not promise to leave one out.
Who else should I talk to about this?
Why ask it
Ask for two kinds of people: someone who knows more and someone who sees it differently. Find out whether you may say who sent you, because a call that opens with a familiar name tends to get returned.
What is the one thing you want readers to understand?
Why ask it
It often produces the cleanest quote of the interview, because the person has spent the past half hour working out how to say it. Compare it with what they told you at the start. If the two differ, the later one is usually closer to what they think.
Is there anything I did not ask that I should have?
Why ask it
Wait through the first 'no, I think that covers it'. People often add the thing they had been waiting to be asked, and now and then it changes the story. Keep the notebook open until you are out the door, and if something said while you are packing up matters, say you would like to use it.
What is the best way to reach you before this runs?
Why ask it
Get a direct number and the hours they will pick up, not the front desk. Tell them when your deadline is. A source who knows you will call to check a fact is less surprised by the story and more likely to talk to you next time.
How to ask good interview questions as a reporter
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the interview
Write down what the story needs
Put the story in one sentence before you write a single question, then list what you must leave with: the facts you lack, one person's account in their own words, and a name to call next. An interview with no list tends to end with a pleasant conversation and a hole in the second paragraph.
Read before you ask
Go through earlier coverage, the organization's own statements and any public records you can reach. Asking a source for something you could have looked up wears out their patience, with one exception: spellings, titles and dates are always worth confirming aloud.
Rank your questions
Write more questions than you need and mark the three you cannot leave without. A promised half hour can shrink to ten minutes, and the marked ones are what you ask when it does. Keep each question to one sentence on the page, since a question you cannot write briefly will not come out briefly.
Settle the terms first
Say who you are, which publication you work for and what the story is about before the first question. Agree on recording and on whether the person can be named. What the terms mean and what the rules on recording are vary by newsroom and by place, so ask your editor or adviser how it works where you report, and do not promise anonymity or a look at the draft unless your editor has said you can.
Pick the best channel you can get
Face to face gives you the most, since you can see the room and the person. A call is next, and written answers come last because they arrive composed and cannot be followed up in the moment. If you have to take answers in writing, ask your editor how your publication tells readers that.
During the interview
One question at a time
Asked two things at once, a source answers whichever half is easier and you may not notice until you read your notes. Ask, stop and wait. If a question needs a preamble, put the preamble in a separate sentence and make the question itself short.
Open questions for the account, closed ones for the fact
What, how and why invite a person to talk, so use them to get the story and the quotes. Did, when and how many pin things down, so use them to confirm. A common beginner's interview runs the other way around and collects a page of yes and no.
Let silence do some of the work
When an answer stops short, count to five before you speak. Many people fill a pause with the sentence they were deciding whether to say. Nodding and writing is enough of a reply.
Follow the answer, not the list
The list is there so you forget nothing, and the best material usually comes from a follow-up that is not on it. When something unexpected comes up, stay with it, then look down and pick up where you left off.
Easy to hard
Begin with questions the person can answer comfortably and move to the difficult ones once they are talking freely. Do not leave the hardest question for the last minute, though. The person needs time to answer it properly and you need time for the follow-up.
Take notes even when you are recording
Write down the time on the recorder when something quotable is said, along with what you see: the room, what the person is doing with their hands, what is on the desk. A recording holds the words and nothing else.
Mistakes new reporters make
Leading the source
'You must have been devastated' gets a yes, and now the word devastated is yours and not theirs. Ask what it was like and use the word they choose. The same goes for facts: ask what color the car was, never whether the car was red.
Pretending to understand
Nodding along to a term or a process you did not follow feels polite and leaves you unable to write the paragraph later. 'Sorry, can you explain that to me again?' is a normal part of the job, and most experts would rather be asked than misquoted.
Talking too much
Nerves make new reporters explain their questions, share their own stories and finish the source's sentences. Listen to one of your recordings and compare how long you talk with how long the source does. If it is close to even, shorten your questions.
Skipping the hard question
It is tempting to keep a friendly interview friendly and leave the uncomfortable point for an email afterward. Ask it in the room. Anyone your story criticizes should hear the criticism from you and have a fair chance to answer it before publication.
Promising what is not yours to give
Sources ask to approve quotes, to see the article first or to have a remark taken back. The answer depends on your publication's rules, so the safe reply is that you will check with your editor and get back to them. Then do it.
Treating everyone like an official
A press officer knows how interviews work, and a neighbor, a classmate or a grieving relative may not. Tell people who are new to this where their words will appear and that they can decline a question. Ask your editor or adviser what your publication requires before interviewing children or people in distress.
After the interview
Go over your notes within the hour
Fill in the abbreviations and half sentences while you still remember what they stood for, and star the quotes you expect to use. Notes that made sense in the room can be unreadable by the next morning.
Check what can be checked
Compare names, titles, dates and figures with a document or a second person. An accurate quote can still contain a claim that is wrong, and quotation marks do not hand the error to the source alone. What you cannot confirm should be attributed clearly or left out.
Quote exactly, paraphrase the rest
Put inside quotation marks only what was said, checked against the recording. Where a sentence is long or tangled, paraphrase it and attribute it. How far a quote may be tidied for grammar is a style question, so ask what your publication allows.
Call back
Almost every story needs one more call, to fill a gap or to put another person's account to the first source. It is ordinary practice and most sources expect it. A reporter who calls back to check tends to be trusted with more the next time.