ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on some of the challenges journalists might face—from the minor to the extreme. A lot of concentration goes into answering an interview question, and most people will pick one question to answer—usually the easiest. Separate the ideas, and think in terms of follow-up opportunities that are shaped by the first response. Whether the journalist agree with their subject or think them an idiot is irrelevant to their interview and, subsequently, their story. Jennifer Smith Richards of the Chicago Tribune recalls listening to an intern at her first job interview, and every single one was "painful." The reason; he had written out a series of questions, and no matter what the response was from his interviewee, he forged ahead with those questions: the journalist could tell he was not listening.
