Questions to Ask at a Press Conference
For reporters, student journalists and students in a class mock press conference who get one turn at the microphone with an official, a coach, a company spokesperson or a visiting guest. The 60 questions are short and single-part, and grouped the way a briefing tends to run: the facts, the numbers, accountability, what happens next, follow-ups for when the speaker dodges, then a group for class mocks and postgame sessions.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The facts
What do you know for certain right now?
Why ask it
The opening question at a briefing on something still unfolding. A good answer separates confirmed facts from early reports and says where each came from. Anything that arrives with 'we believe' or 'it appears' goes in your notes as unconfirmed, next to the name of whoever can confirm it.
What do you still not know?
Why ask it
Speakers will often answer this readily, because a list of unknowns covers them if the picture changes. Each item on that list is a story to come back for. A flat 'we have the full picture' an hour after an event is worth quoting exactly and checking later.
When did you first learn about this?
Why ask it
Ask for a date and a time of day. The gap between that moment and the public announcement is often the story, so have the announcement time in your notebook before you stand up. 'Recently' or 'as soon as we could' is a cue for someone else in the room to ask again.
Why are you announcing this today?
Why ask it
Timing is rarely an accident: a deadline, a leak, a vote, a report about to come out somewhere else. A straight answer names the trigger. 'It was the right time' names nothing, and the follow-up is what would have happened had they waited a week.
Who will feel this first?
Why ask it
It turns the speaker from the organization to the people outside it: which neighborhood, which customers, which grade. What you need is a group you can go and find once the room empties. A reply about 'all our stakeholders' has not told you about anyone.
Is anyone still at risk?
Why ask it
For a briefing after an accident, an outbreak, a recall or a data breach, and worth getting in early because it is what the audience needs before anything else. A clear reply says who, where and until when. 'Out of an abundance of caution' with no detail attached leaves you to ask what, specifically, people are being cautioned against.
Can you confirm the report that came out this morning?
Why ask it
Name the outlet and the specific claim, and keep it closed so that yes, no and 'no comment' are the only ways out. All three are usable. Listen for a denial of something slightly different from what was reported, which sounds like a no without being one.
What have you ruled out as a cause?
Why ask it
'What caused it' tends to get 'that is under investigation', and this is the way around. A speaker who will say it was not the weather, not the software or not a deliberate act has narrowed the story without naming a cause. Report what was ruled out as exactly that, and no more.
What has changed since you last briefed us?
Why ask it
For the second or third briefing on a running story, when most of the statement repeats the last one. It asks the speaker to do your sorting for you, and 'nothing new' raises the fair question of why the briefing was called.
Will you release the full document?
Why ask it
When a report, a contract, a review or a set of test results is summarized from the podium, the summary is the speaker's choice of what matters. A yes should come with where and when. After a no, ask who decided that, and find out separately how records requests work there, because the rules differ from place to place.
Can we speak to someone who was there?
Why ask it
The person at the podium usually heard it from someone else. A request made from the floor, with the room listening, is harder to turn down than one sent by email, whether it is for the firefighter, the engineer or the team captain. Get a time as well as a yes.
Numbers
How much will this cost in total?
Why ask it
Ask for the whole figure, including the years after the first one. What you want back is a number with a time span attached. 'A significant investment' is not a number, so someone should ask again, and it can be you if the moderator allows a follow-up.
Where is the money coming from?
Why ask it
There are only a few possible answers: an existing budget, a new charge, borrowing, a grant or a cut somewhere else. Listen for which one, and whether the money is in hand or only applied for. 'From efficiencies' needs a second question about which ones.
How many people does this affect?
Why ask it
A count turns an announcement into something readers can size. Get the number and the date it was counted. If the speaker offers a percentage, ask what it is a percentage of, because the same share of a small school and of a whole city are different stories.
What was the figure this time last year?
Why ask it
A number alone tells you nothing about direction. With last year's beside it you can write up, down or unchanged without leaning on the speaker's adjective. Should the speaker not have it on hand, ask for it by the end of the day so it can go in the same story.
What is the source for that number?
Why ask it
Aimed at any statistic quoted from the podium. The reply you can use names a dataset, an audit or a count you can ask to see. 'Our internal figures' means you report it as the organization's own claim and say so in the story.
Is that number final or an estimate?
Why ask it
Early counts of injuries, costs, attendance and damage tend to move as the day goes on. Knowing which kind you have tells you whether to write 'at least', 'about' or the bare figure. Ask when the final one is expected.
What does that come to per household?
Why ask it
Swap in the unit that fits: per student, per ticket, per customer, per month. A total in the millions means little to a reader, and the per-person figure is the one people repeat. If they have not worked it out, do the division yourself and ask them to confirm it.
What is left out of that figure?
Why ask it
Headline numbers often exclude something: interest, staffing, maintenance, the second phase, cases still under review. A careful speaker lists the exclusions without fuss. A long pause and 'I would have to check' suggests the number was chosen for how it sounds.
Accountability
Whose decision was this in the end?
Why ask it
Statements are full of 'it was decided' and 'the decision was taken'. You are after a name and a title, or the body that voted. If the answer is 'it was a collective decision', ask who signed it.
What other options did you turn down?
Why ask it
Every announcement is one choice out of several, and the statement rarely mentions the others. A speaker who can name the alternatives and what each would have cost has thought it through. 'This was the only option' is a claim to test afterward with people who were not on the stage.
Were you warned about this beforehand?
Why ask it
A closed question, on purpose. A yes leads to when, by whom and what was done about it, and a no can be checked later against emails, inspection reports and minutes. Watch for 'not in those terms', which tends to mean a warning of some kind existed.
Why was the public not told sooner?
Why ask it
Only worth asking once the gap between finding out and announcing is on the record. Reasonable answers exist: families were told first, a test result needed confirming, the police asked for time. Find out which applied here and how long it really took.
The residents' group says it was never consulted. Is that true?
Why ask it
Put a named critic's actual claim to the speaker, whether the critic is a union, an opposing coach, a parents' group or a rival company, and quote it accurately. Ending on 'is that true' asks for a position, where 'what is your response' invites a prepared paragraph. Take the reply back to the critic before you write.
Do you accept responsibility for what went wrong?
Why ask it
The real answer is short. 'Yes', followed by what they will do, is an acknowledgment you can lead with. 'Lessons will be learned' and 'I take this very seriously' are something else, and it is fair to write that the question was put and not answered.
Will you apologize to the people affected?
Why ask it
Keep it until the factual questions have been asked, so it cannot be used to run out the clock. Listen for who the apology is addressed to and what it is for. 'We are sorry if anyone was upset' regrets the reaction and not the act, and readers can tell when you quote it in full.
Has anyone lost their job over this?
Why ask it
It asks about a consequence that has already happened, not one that might. Expect 'that is a personnel matter', then ask whether anyone has been suspended or moved while it is looked into. What an employer can disclose depends on its own rules and the place, so ask what they are able to say.
In March you said this would not happen. What changed?
Why ask it
Swap in the real date and the real words, and bring the quote on paper so you can read it exactly. There may be a fair reason, such as new information, and the speaker should be able to say what it was. Should they dispute having said it, read the whole sentence aloud, with the date.
Who is reviewing this from outside the organization?
Why ask it
An internal review means the people involved are examining themselves. A good answer names an outside body, says what it is allowed to look at and when it will report. Where there is none, the next question is whether one was considered and who said no.
Did you follow your own policy here?
Why ask it
Many organizations have a written procedure for the kind of thing that went wrong, so read it before the briefing if it is public. A yes means the policy itself is the story. A no means you ask which step was skipped and by whom.
Why should people believe it will be different this time?
Why ask it
For a repeat problem: the second recall, the third missed deadline, another losing season after a promised rebuild. The useful answer points to something that has already changed, such as a new person in charge, a new inspection or money spent. A promise with nothing behind it reads as one in print.
What next
What happens tomorrow morning?
Why ask it
'Next steps' invites a paragraph about process. Tomorrow morning invites a thing someone will actually do: crews on site, letters sent, a practice at nine. If nothing happens tomorrow, you have learned how urgent it is.
What date should we hold you to?
Why ask it
A plan with no date cannot be late. Take the date down in the speaker's own words, then check what exactly will be done by then: open to the public, or only signed off. Put it in your calendar before you leave the room.
Who is in charge of carrying this out?
Why ask it
Quite often a different person from the one who decided. You want a name and a role you can call when the date arrives. 'A task force' or 'the team' with no named lead is something for the next questioner to press on.
What should people affected do right now?
Why ask it
The service question, and an editor will want the answer high in the story: a number to call, a product to stop using, a road to avoid, a form to fill in. A prepared organization has this ready. If the speaker has to turn to an aide, the plan for the public was not finished.
How will we know whether it has worked?
Why ask it
It asks for a measure and a date to check it: fewer complaints by spring, a test result, a win total, a wait time. Prefer a measure you can verify yourself over one only the organization can see. Keep the answer and bring it to the next briefing.
Who else has to approve this before it goes ahead?
Why ask it
Announcements often run ahead of a board vote, a permit, a league ruling or a funding decision. The answer tells you whether you are reporting a done deal or a proposal. Where approval is still needed, the date of that meeting goes in your calendar, along with whether the public can attend.
What is the backup if this does not work?
Why ask it
Good planners have a second option and can describe it in a sentence. 'We are confident it will work' answers a different question. Report the confidence, and note that no fallback was offered.
When will you brief us again?
Why ask it
Ask near the end if nobody else has. A set time means the organization expects to have more to say, and it lets you plan the follow-up story. 'When we have something to report' leaves it in their hands, so ask who to call in the meantime.
Follow-ups
That did not answer the question. Is it yes or no?
Why ask it
Say it evenly, without raising your voice, and only when the first question really was a yes-or-no one. The room hears a second dodge more clearly than the first. If it comes, write that the speaker declined to say.
When you say 'soon', what date do you mean?
Why ask it
Works for every soft time word: shortly, in due course, in the near future, at the appropriate time. Offer a choice if you need to, this month or this year, since people who will not give a day often accept a range.
Are you declining to answer, or do you not know?
Why ask it
The two are written up differently, so it matters which one it is. 'I do not know' leads to who does and when you can have it. 'I am not going to get into that' is a refusal and can be reported as one.
Who can answer that, if you cannot?
Why ask it
For the spokesperson who keeps saying a subject is outside their area. You are asking for a name and a way to reach that person today. Asked from the floor, it also tells every other reporter where to go next.
What does that mean in plain words?
Why ask it
For 'a rightsizing', 'an adverse event', 'a lower body issue' and anything else you could not explain to a reader. Asking does not make you look unprepared, since others in the room are usually wondering the same thing. If the plain version sounds worse than the jargon, quote the plain version.
Can you name one example?
Why ask it
For claims such as 'we have made real progress' or 'the players have responded well'. One named case, a repaired bridge or a substitution that worked, gives you something to check and something to describe. When the podium cannot produce one, your story can say that none was given.
Can I go back to my colleague's question, which was not answered?
Why ask it
Use it when another reporter's question was dodged and the moderator moved on. A press conference only works when the room refuses to let a non-answer stand, and picking up a rival's question is fair play. Repeat it in their wording so the speaker cannot treat it as a new subject.
Is that a commitment or an aim?
Why ask it
Answers padded with 'we hope to' and 'our ambition is' sound like promises until you read them back. A commitment is a sentence that begins 'we will', and that is your quote. If none comes, the hedge is the news: they hope to, and would not promise.
By when will you send us that information?
Why ask it
'I will get back to you' is where questions go to be forgotten. Ask for a day, ask who will send it, and give your outlet's name so the promise is attached to someone. Then send a short reminder that afternoon.
Is that the organization's position or your own view?
Why ask it
Handy when a coach, a scientist or a junior official says something more candid than the prepared statement. The answer tells you how to attribute the quote. Ask once and lightly, since pressing can make them take the remark back.
Class and sports
What was the hardest decision you had to make?
Why ask it
A strong opener for a mock press conference with a historical figure, an author or a character from the class novel. The person at the podium has to pick one moment and explain it, which shows how well they know the role. Follow with what the other choice was.
What did people at the time get wrong about you?
Why ask it
It pushes the speaker past the textbook summary to how the person was seen in their own day. A well-prepared answer mentions a real critic or a real rumor. If your classmate is stuck, ask who their loudest opponent was.
Who helped you that we have never heard of?
Why ask it
Good for scientists, explorers, leaders and athletes, none of whom worked alone. It can give your write-up a second name and a fresher angle than the famous one. In a mock, it rewards the student who read past the first page of their research.
If you had that day again, what would you change?
Why ask it
Fits a real guest, a role-played figure or a coach after a loss. One substitution, or one letter not sent, is worth more than 'nothing, it made me who I am'. In class, check the answer against what the person really did afterward.
What should the history books say about you?
Why ask it
The legacy question, a staple of the mock press conference with a historical figure, and best asked late, once the facts of the life are out. Compare the reply with what the books do say, since the gap makes a good paragraph in the write-up. With a living guest, change it to what they hope to finish next.
What should someone our age know about this?
Why ask it
It asks a guest to drop the adult version and talk to the class in front of them. The reply often makes the last line of a school newspaper story. If you get a slogan such as 'follow your dreams', ask what they were doing at your age.
What changed for your team after halftime?
Why ask it
A postgame question about a decision and not a feeling. Coaches answer it with tactics: a switch in defense, a different matchup, fresher legs. Swap halftime for whatever break your sport has, and have the score at the break written down first.
Which play decided the game?
Why ask it
Players and coaches often pick a different moment from the one the crowd remembers, and that difference can be your opening paragraph. Note the minute or the inning as they describe it so you can check it against the scorebook.
What did you say to the team afterward?
Why ask it
You are asking for words spoken in a room you were not in, so the answer is a quote inside a quote. After a loss, keep your tone level and expect a short reply. If the coach says it stays in the locker room, move on and do not ask twice.
What has to be fixed before the next game?
Why ask it
It looks forward, which suits a coach after a loss, and it still asks for something concrete: tackling, free throws, a slow first ten minutes. Write the answer down and watch for it at the next game. After a win it tends to draw more than 'what went right' does.
What question were you hoping someone would ask?
Why ask it
A closer for a mock or a friendly press conference, and a poor choice at a tense briefing, where it hands the speaker free airtime. Guests usually arrive with a story they want to tell. Let them tell it, then decide whether it belongs in your piece.
Getting an answer with one turn at the microphone
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the briefing
Bring three questions, ranked
Someone else may ask yours first, so one question is not enough. Write three in order of importance, each short enough to say in one breath. When a rival asks your first, do not repeat it. Listen to the reply and either ask the follow-up it left open or move to your second.
Read what is already public
Go through the press release, the last statement and the earlier coverage before you sit down. A question the handout already answers spends your turn on nothing, and the speaker will say so in front of the room. The best questions start where the handout stops.
Carry the record on paper
If you plan to quote the speaker's earlier words, a past figure or a date, have it written out exactly with where it came from. 'You said something like' gives the speaker room to dispute the wording. Reading the sentence as it was said leaves only the substance to answer.
Find out the rules of the room
Ask the press officer or organizer before it starts: who picks the questioners, whether a follow-up is allowed, whether you may record, whether anything is under embargo, and how long it will run. These differ by organization and by place, so do not assume the last room's rules apply to this one.
Sit where you can be seen
Arrive early and take a seat in the moderator's line of sight. Raise your hand the moment questions open and keep it up between answers. Reporters at the back with a hand half raised are the ones still waiting when time is called.
At the microphone
One question, one sentence
A two-part question lets the speaker choose the easier part and skip the other. Ask one thing. If it needs context, give one sentence of it and then the question, as in 'The inspection report was dated in May. When did you first read it?' Then stop talking.
Say who you are
Give your name and your outlet, class or school paper before the question, unless the moderator has already done it or the room plainly works another way. It puts the exchange on the record with a name attached, and it makes a promise to send information later harder to lose.
Listen to the answers other people get
Cross off your questions as others ask them, and mark each reply as answered or dodged. The strongest question in the room is often a follow-up to somebody else's. A reporter reading from a list without listening will ask what was settled five minutes earlier.
Keep the floor for a follow-up
If follow-ups are allowed, stay standing and keep eye contact while the answer comes, then ask yours before the moderator moves on. If they are not, rely on the room. A quiet word to the reporter next to you about what was dodged can get it asked again, and on your own turn you can pick up a question someone else had to drop.
Take down the words, not the gist
Write the key sentence exactly and note the time, even if you are recording. After the briefing, check every name, title and spelling with the press officer, and ask where the documents mentioned from the podium can be found.
Running a mock press conference in class
Give the speaker a fact sheet
Whoever sits at the front, a student in role as a historical figure, a book character or a coach, or the teacher as a company spokesperson, needs a page prepared the day before: who they are, what happened, three things they want to say and one thing they would rather not be asked. That last item gives the reporters something to dig for.
Make the reporters prepare too
Hand out a short press release in advance and have each reporter write three ranked questions from it. Sort the class into outlets, such as a local paper, a sports desk and a school radio station, so the questions come from different angles.
Ban repeats
One question per turn, called on by a student moderator, and nobody may ask what has already been answered. A reporter whose question was taken has to follow up on the reply or go to the next one on their list. This single rule teaches more listening than any other.
End with a deadline
Give everyone ten or fifteen minutes right afterward to write a headline and an opening paragraph from their notes. Then compare: which answers made it into most stories, which questions got a real answer, and which dodge nobody followed up.
What wastes a turn
The speech with a question mark on the end
A long preamble tells the room what you think and gives the speaker time to prepare a reply to the easiest part of it. If you cannot say the question in fifteen words or so, you have not found it yet.
How does it feel?
It gets 'devastated' or 'thrilled' and nothing more. Ask what the person did, decided or said at the moment in question, and the feeling tends to arrive inside a fuller sentence.
Arguing with the answer
You are there to put the question on the record and report what came back, including a refusal. Debating the speaker from the floor uses up other reporters' time and turns the story into one about you. Ask, follow up once, write down what was said.
Leaving when the cameras stop
The few minutes afterward are when documents get handed over and spellings get checked, and sometimes the speaker will take one more question in the hallway. Whether what is said there is on the record varies, so ask before you write it down as a quote.