interviews

One reason why Narrative Journalism is a better name for what we do, is that storytelling suggests one person telling a story - in print or orally. When we do an interview, two people are involved, and the interviewer loses the control they had over what the story is. You may discover the new story during the course of the interview, or sometimes only afterwards.

For example, a Minister, asked to respond to criticism of policy may announce, in the course of the interview, what the government's new policy is going to be - so that is now the story. On the other hand, he may fail to defend his corner, and once the interview is over, journalists poring over what he said, will decide that "Minister fails" is now the story!

Sometimes the story is simply that the person is giving the interview - either because they rarely give interviews, or more often, because it's not clear to the interviewer or programme team why they are doing the interview. Failing to decide in advance what the story is makes for some tedious interviewing. Wherever possible, a chat before the green light goes on should give the interviewer a better idea of where the interview is going to go, and therefore what the story is. It depends too what kind of interview it is - friendly or hostile. Is the interviewer planning to help the guest get their points across, or is the interview going to be a cross-examination of the guest's views, conduct or policy ideas? Again, it's best to know which before you start!