Learn how to research a source, prepare better interview questions, confirm facts, and conduct focus
A good interview starts before the first question. The stronger your preparation, the more focused, useful, and accurate the conversation becomes.
Preparation helps you understand who you are speaking to, what you need from them, and how their experience fits into the wider story. It also helps you avoid wasting the source’s time with questions you could have answered through basic research.
Before every interview, your goal is simple: know enough to ask better questions, but stay open enough to hear something unexpected.
Before preparing questions, define the purpose of the interview.
Not every source plays the same role in a story. Some sources provide personal experience. Others explain policy, verify facts, offer expert context, or respond to criticism.
Ask yourself:
- What do I need this person to help me understand?
- What can this person tell me that I cannot get elsewhere?
- Is this person a witness, expert, official, affected person, or background source?
- What part of the story will this interview support?
If you do not know why you are interviewing someone, the conversation will likely become broad and unfocused.
A useful sentence to write before the interview is:
> I am interviewing this person because they can help me understand [specific part of the story].
That sentence keeps your preparation focused.
## Research the person before the interview
Do basic research before contacting or speaking to a source.
This does not mean you need to know everything about them. It means you should understand enough to avoid asking obvious questions and to spot useful follow-ups during the conversation.
Check:
- Their role, title, or relationship to the issue
- Their previous public comments, if available
- Their organization or community context
- Any relevant reports, articles, or documents linked to them
- Their connection to the story
- Any possible interests, risks, or conflicts
Good research shows respect. It also helps the source trust that you are taking the story seriously.
Do not rely on the interview alone to teach you the whole story.
Before the conversation, review the wider context so you can ask sharper questions. Depending on the story, this may include:
- Recent news coverage
- Official statements
- Public data
- Reports from credible organizations
- Previous interviews
- Local context
- Timeline of key events
- Relevant laws, policies, or decisions
Context helps you recognize what is new, what is unclear, and what needs confirmation.
It also helps you avoid treating one person’s experience as the entire story. A source can give you a powerful perspective, but your job is to place that perspective in context.
Every interview should help you confirm something, clarify something, or discover something.
Before the interview, write a short list of what you need to verify.
This can include:
- Dates
- Names
- Locations
- Sequences of events
- Numbers or estimates
- Quotes or claims
- Responsibilities
- Decisions
- Consequences
- Documents or evidence
Do not wait until after the interview to realize you missed the basic facts.
Good interviews depend on open questions.
Open questions invite the source to explain, describe, or reflect. They usually begin with words like:
- How
- Why
- What
- When
- Can you describe
- Can you explain
- What happened after
Examples:
- How did this situation begin?
- What changed for your family after the new rule was introduced?
- Can you describe what happened that day?
- What do people outside this community often misunderstand about this issue?
- Why do you think this problem has become worse now?
Closed questions are still useful when you need confirmation.
Examples:
- Did this happen in March?
- Were you present at the meeting?
- Did the official give you a written response?
Use open questions to learn. Use closed questions to confirm.
Do not prepare a long list of random questions. Organize them.
A simple structure is:
### Warm-up questions
These help the source begin speaking comfortably.
Examples:
- Can you tell me a little about your role?
- How did you become involved in this issue?
- When did you first notice the problem?
### Core story questions
These focus on the main angle.
Examples:
- What changed?
- Who has been affected?
- What are the consequences?
- What does this reveal about the wider issue?
### Evidence questions
These help you verify details.
Examples:
- Do you have documents, messages, photos, or data that support this?
- Who else witnessed this?
- Can this be confirmed by another person or organization?
### Accountability questions
These are for officials, institutions, companies, or people with responsibility.
Examples:
- What is your response to people affected by this decision?
- Why was this policy introduced?
- What action has been taken?
- What happens next?
### Closing questions
These help catch anything you missed.
Examples:
- Is there anything important I did not ask?
- Who else should I speak to?
- Is there a document or source that would help me understand this better?
This structure helps you stay in control while leaving room for the conversation to develop.
## Prepare follow-up questions
The best answers often come from follow-up questions.
A source may give a short answer, a vague claim, or a detail that needs explanation. Prepare yourself to ask for more.
Useful follow-ups include:
- What do you mean by that?
- Can you give me an example?
- What happened next?
- How do you know this?
- Who told you that?
- When did that happen?
- Can you describe the scene?
- Why does that matter?
- What was the impact?
- Is there evidence for that?
Follow-ups help you move from general statements to specific, usable material.
Some interviews involve risk. This is especially true when sources are vulnerable, exposed to political pressure, facing legal risk, experiencing trauma, or speaking about sensitive topics.
Before the interview, think carefully about:
- Could speaking to you put this person at risk?
- Do they understand how their words may be used?
- Should their name be used or withheld?
- Is there a safer way to contact them?
- Are you asking for details that could identify them unintentionally?
- Do they need more time before speaking?
Be clear about who you are, what you are reporting, and how the interview may be used.
Do not promise anonymity unless you understand your outlet’s policy and can protect the source properly.
Interviews can happen in person, by phone, video call, voice note, email, or messaging app. Each format has strengths and limits.
Before choosing the format, consider:
- Source safety
- Internet access
- Language
- Time zones
- Urgency
- Sensitivity of the topic
- Whether you need exact wording
- Whether you need observation and scene detail
The best format is the one that helps you report accurately and responsibly.
Before the interview, make sure your tools are ready.
Check:
- Your recorder or recording app
- Battery level
- Internet connection
- Notebook and pen
- Backup note-taking method
- File storage
- Headphones, if needed
- Quiet location
- Consent to record, where required
If you plan to record, ask for permission clearly.
Is it okay if I record this conversation so I can make sure I quote you accurately?
Even when recording, take notes. Notes help you mark important moments, follow up during the conversation, and find key points faster later.
At the beginning, explain the basics.
Say:
- Who you are
- What story you are working on
- Why you want to speak with them
- How the interview may be used
- Whether you are recording
- How long you expect it to take
A clear start builds trust and reduces confusion.
Example:
Thank you for speaking with me. I’m reporting a story about how recent school registration delays are affecting Sudanese families in Cairo. I’d like to ask about your experience and what happened when you tried to enroll your children. I may use parts of this conversation in the article. Is that clear, and is it okay if I record for accuracy?
This kind of opening is simple, professional, and transparent.
Preparation matters, but do not become trapped by your question list.
Sometimes the source tells you something more important than what you planned to ask. Listen carefully for:
- New facts
- Contradictions
- Strong examples
- Emotional turning points
- Names of other sources
- Documents or evidence
- Gaps in your understanding
- Details that show the story more clearly
If the source says something surprising, follow it.
Your prepared questions are a guide, not a script.
Do not wait too long before reviewing the interview.
Soon after the conversation, write down:
- The strongest quotes
- Key facts
- Anything that needs verification
- Names or terms to check
- Possible follow-up questions
- Other sources mentioned
- Any documents promised
- Your own observations
This step protects you from forgetting important details.
It also helps you see what the interview gave you and what reporting still needs to be done.
Do not use interview time for basic information that is already public.
### Preparing too many questions
A long list can make you rush. Prioritize the questions that matter most.
Every question should connect to the story you are reporting.
A powerful quote still needs fact-checking.
The interview is not about proving how much you know. It is about learning what the source knows.
### Ending without next steps
Always ask who else you should speak to or what documents you should review.
## Final checklist before the interview
Before starting, ask yourself:
- Do I know why I am interviewing this person?
- Have I researched their role and background?
- Do I understand the basic context?
- Have I prepared open questions?
- Do I know what facts I need to confirm?
- Have I prepared follow-up questions?
- Have I considered safety and consent?
- Is my recording or note-taking setup ready?
- Do I know how I will explain the interview clearly at the start?
A strong interview is not only about asking good questions. It is about preparation, listening, verification, and respect.
When you prepare well, you give the source a better conversation and give your story stronger reporting.
