Table Of ContentINTERVIEWING
This is an essential guide to the art of interviewing, with checklists,
tips and examples from leading journalists and PR specialists,
covering basic to advanced techniques. Sedorkin and Forbes provide
a comprehensive, step-by-step overview of how to manage the
interview process. They cover:
• best practice for preparing for an interview (and what to do when
you don’t have time to);
• the differences between news and feature interviews (for print and
broadcast);
• techniques to break the ice and navigate tricky and sensitive
interviewees and topics;
• tips on staying safe when operating in dangerous situations;
• how best to utilise digital tools to make the most of any interview
situation.
This third edition builds on the popular previous edition and expands
its scope to include the disciplines of public relations and professional
writing, areas where practitioners require the interviewing skills of
journalists to produce materials for the media. It also contains new and
updated global examples/case studies and excerpts, including remote
interviewing technologies and techniques developed and adopted as a
response to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional
pedagogical features have been added to help facilitate learning, like
end of chapter exercises, checklists, videos and top tips.
This book provides the tools for students and professionals to
hone the necessary skill set to excel at interviewing. It is an ideal
and important resource for those studying or active in the felds of
journalism and PR, and those undertaking professional writing
courses.
Gail Sedorkin has worked as a journalist for ABC Radio, regional
newspapers and magazines, and as a journalism and public relations
educator at James Cook University, Deakin University and CQUniversity.
She is the sole author of the second edition of Interviewing and co-author
of Reporting in a Multimedia World and Get Your Message Across.
Amy Forbes is Associate Professor of Journalism and Communication
at James Cook University. She has worked as a journalist across media
platforms producing news and public affairs programs for television in
Manila, and was a writer and co-publisher of Balitang Kababayan, the
Philippines’ frst regular daily online news outlet from 1995–1999. She
was also an original staff writer for the Daily Tribune.
INTERVIEWING
A GUIDE FOR JOURNALISTS
AND PROFESSIONAL
WRITERS
Third Edition
Gail Sedorkin and Amy Forbes with
Ralph Begleiter, Travis Parry and Lisa Svanetti
Designed cover image: © getty Images
First published 2023
by routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4rn
and by routledge
605 third Avenue, new York, nY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 gail Sedorkin and Amy Forbes
the right of gail Sedorkin and Amy Forbes to be identified as authors of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. no part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
names: Sedorkin, gail, author. | Forbes, Amy, author. | Begleiter, ralph,
1949– contributor. | Parry, travis, contributor. | Svanetti, Lisa, contributor.
title: Interviewing : a guide for journalists and professional writers / gail Sedorkin
and Amy Forbes with ralph Begleiter, travis Parry and Lisa Svanetti.
Description: third edition. | Abingdon, Oxon ; new York, nY : routledge,
2023. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers:
LCCn 2022041086 (print) | LCCn 2022041087 (ebook) |
ISBn 9781032124049 (hardback) | ISBn 9781032124063 (paperback) |
ISBn 9781003224396 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Interviewing in journalism. | Interviewing—technique. |
Interviewing in mass media. | Interviewing on television.
Classification: LCC Pn4784.I6 S43 2023 (print) | LCC Pn4784.I6 (ebook) |
DDC 070.4/3—dc23/eng/20221024
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022041086
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022041087
ISBn: 978-1-032-12404-9 (hbk)
ISBn: 978-1-032-12406-3 (pbk)
ISBn: 978-1-003-22439-6 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003224396
typeset in Bembo
by Apex Covantage, LLC
Access the Support Material: www.routledge.com/9781032124063
For Nick – Gail Sedorkin
For Jack – Amy Forbes
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction xi
1 The Interview 1
2 Research 16
3 Getting Started 31
4 Icebreakers 48
5 The Questions 60
6 Print – News Interviews 80
7 Print – Feature Interviews 91
8 Remote Interviewing 108
viii
CONTENTS
9 Broadcast Interviews 124
10 Ethical, Legal and Safe Interviewing 147
Appendix: Contributor Biographies 168
Index 174
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My frst and most sincere thanks must go to my sister Lisa Svanetti,
who has researched, referenced and proofed all three editions of
Interviewing. Lisa has also supported and encouraged me, together with
my husband Nick, my mother and father, Mollie and Lou Svanetti,
brother Andrew and sister-in-law Ada. For their support and exper-
tise, my sincerest thanks to friends and colleagues, Professor Judy
McGregor (co-author of the frst edition of Interviewing), Barbara
Alysen and Dr Mandy Oakham, and co-author for this edition,
Dr Amy Forbes. Amy brought her extensive knowledge to this third
edition and a network of experts from around the world.
Sincerest thanks go to Professor Ralph Begleiter and Travis Parry
who have generously given their time, support and expertise, as have
Kirsty Nancarrow, Jodie Munro O’Brien and Pip Miller. Thank you
for letting me use your wise words Phil Simon, Mark Pearson, Joanne
Furlong, Alison Hill and Brian Clapp.
My thanks for their encouragement goes to Jennie Arnold, Sue
Chamberlain, Robyn Corner, Alison Galligan, Tony Grant, Ian
Kruger, Leanne Kruger, Fran Moore, Karen Mosley, Narelle Muller,
Jenny Waters and especially Carmen Rambow and Rosalie Rogers.
And, of course, at Routledge, editors Lucy Batrouney and Lucy
McClune, Georgia Oman who kept the project going with her
patience and knowledge, and the dedicated and expert production
team, especially Megan Tait and Hamish Ironside.
Last but not least, thanks to everyone for reading and using
Interviewing.
Dr Gail Sedorkin
