Crafting Interview Questions

Introduction

Over the last few lessons, we've built the essential mindset of a journalist. You've learned what makes a story newsworthy, how to structure it, how to evaluate and verify sources, and how to navigate the complex ethical choices that come with reporting. In short, you've learned how to think about the story.

Now, we'll focus on a crucial, active part of reporting: talking to people. This lesson will teach you how to craft effective interview questions for different types of sources.

For a data journalist, this skill is what brings numbers to life. Data can tell you the what—that a budget has been overspent, that a trend is emerging, that an anomaly exists. But interviews tell you the why. They provide the human context, the accountability, and the narrative details that transform a spreadsheet into a compelling story. This is how you'll confirm your findings and add depth that data alone cannot provide.

The Foundation: Preparation and Mindset

A successful interview begins long before you ask the first question. Thorough preparation is not just a good habit; it's a sign of respect for your source and your audience. It is the single most important factor in getting the information you need.

1. Define Your Goal

Before you even think about questions, you must answer: Why am I doing this interview? Are you trying to:

• Confirm a specific fact from your data?
• Get an expert's interpretation of a trend you've found?
• Hold a public official accountable for their actions?
• Gather a personal story to illustrate the impact of a policy?

Your goal will dictate your entire approach. As a developer, you wouldn't start coding without a clear user story or functional requirement; similarly, you don't start an interview without a clear objective.

Working from a topic list, rather than a word-for-word script, allows you to have a natural, purposeful conversation while ensuring you cover your key points. It gives you the flexibility to follow unexpected but valuable tangents.

2. Do Your Research

Once you have your goal, research is your next step. This is non-negotiable.

The "Terry Gross move" is an incredibly powerful technique for a data journalist. If you find data suggesting a company is underperforming, finding an old interview where the CEO promised "record growth" gives you a perfect, evidence-based question: "Two years ago, you told The Financial Times you were expecting record growth. Our analysis of your performance data shows a 15% decline since then. What happened?"

The Building Blocks: Types of Questions

The questions you ask are the tools you use to build your story. The most fundamental distinction is between open-ended and closed-ended questions.

• Open-ended questions invite narrative and explanation. They often start with "How," "Why," "What happened," or "Describe..." They can't be answered with a simple "yes" or "no."
  • Example: "Can you walk me through the process you used to award this contract?"
• Closed-ended questions are for confirming facts and pinning down specifics. They can often be answered with "yes," "no," or a single piece of information.
  • Example: "Was the contract awarded on March 25th?"

A good interview uses a mix of both. You might start with open questions to get the person talking, then use closed questions to nail down important details they mentioned.

Tailoring Questions to Different Source Types

The core of today's learning outcome is understanding that you don't interview a grieving witness the same way you interview a combative CEO. Your questions must be tailored to the source and your goal for speaking with them.

The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) provides an excellent framework for categorizing sources in an investigative context. We will use their categories to structure our approach.

Let's explore how to craft questions for each of these types.

1. Witnesses and Whistleblowers

• Goal: To establish initial facts and confirm information. They are often your starting point.
• Approach: Build trust. Your first priority is to make them feel safe. Your questions should be non-judgmental and focused on their direct experience.
• Question Examples:
  • "Can you tell me what you saw that day?" (Open)
  • "Where were you when this happened?" (Closed, for specifics)
  • "What did you think when you first saw the document?" (Open, explores motivation)
  • "Who else was aware of this?" (Closed, fact-finding for new leads)

2. Experts (Academics, Researchers, Analysts)

• Goal: To understand and interpret complex information. They provide context for your data.
• Approach: Show you've done your homework. Don't waste their time asking for basic facts you could find online. Your goal is to get their expert analysis.
• Question Examples:
  • "Our data shows a 20% drop in manufacturing jobs in this region over five years. From your research, what are the primary economic forces that could explain this trend?" (Open, asks for interpretation)
  • "Is this pattern consistent with what you're seeing in other regions?" (Closed, asks for comparison)
  • "What's the single most misunderstood aspect of this issue that the public needs to know?" (Open, great for finding a simple, powerful explanation)

3. Sources Involved in the Story

• Goal: To understand their role, clarify their actions, and give them a chance to respond to your findings.
• Approach: Be direct but fair. You are there to get their side of the story.
• Question Examples:
  • "You were the head of the department when this policy was implemented. Can you describe the goals you hoped to achieve?" (Open, non-confrontational start)
  • "The emails we have obtained show you were in a meeting on May 5th where concerns about the project's safety were raised. What was your response to those concerns?" (Direct, based on evidence)
  • "Is there anything about this situation that you feel has been misrepresented?" (Open, gives them a chance to respond fairly)

4. Power Holders (Government Officials, Corporate Executives)

• Goal: To establish accountability. This is often the most confrontational type of interview.
• Approach: Be firm, persistent, and armed with your facts. You should typically interview these sources last, once you have all your evidence. A common strategy is to start with broader questions and save the toughest, most direct questions for the end.
• Question Examples:
  • Start broad: "What are your department's top priorities for this year?"
  • Narrowing in: "One of those priorities is fiscal responsibility. We've analyzed procurement data and found that the use of no-bid contracts has increased 400% under your leadership. How does that align with the goal of fiscal responsibility?" (Direct, evidence-based)
  • The "killer" question: "The largest of these no-bid contracts, for €2 million, went to a company whose primary shareholder is your brother-in-law. Can you explain how that process was fair and transparent?" (The final, most pointed question, based on solid evidence).

The Art of the Interview: Advanced Techniques

Beyond asking the right questions, how you conduct the interview is crucial.

Two of the most powerful tools in an interviewer's toolkit are not questions at all:

1. Active Listening: Don't just wait for your turn to speak. Listen intently to the answer. The best follow-up question is almost always based on something the person just said. This is where your topic list helps—it frees you from reading a script so you can actually listen.

2. The Power of Silence: As both videos mention, journalists often call this "letting the tape run." After a source answers a tough question, simply wait for a few seconds. People are naturally uncomfortable with silence and will often volunteer more information to fill the void. This can elicit a more genuine, less-rehearsed response than another question would.

Conclusion

This lesson marks the end of our first module. You've now covered the essential principles of journalistic thinking, from identifying a story to engaging with sources ethically and effectively.

Key Takeaways:

• Preparation is everything. Define your goals and do your research before any interview.
• Tailor your questions to the source. Your approach for a whistleblower is different from your approach for a CEO.
• Master open and closed questions. Use open questions to explore and closed questions to confirm.
• Listen more than you talk. Your best questions will come from what you hear.
• Don't be afraid of silence. It's one of your most effective tools for getting a source to elaborate.

Preview of the Next Lesson:

You've built the foundation. Now it's time to start building the house. We are moving on to Module 2: Finding and Accessing Data. In our next lesson, we will get straight into the practical work, starting with how to identify government databases and public records relevant to investigative stories. We'll look at specific portals, including those relevant to Hungary and the EU, to begin the hunt for the data that will fuel your journalism.