CAJ live events

Investigative Interviewing with Julian Sher

Julian Sher, Senior producer, CBC's The Fifth EstateAll interviews – but especially investigative ones -- are battlegrounds. The journalist and the subject are fighting for control of the interview. Your target has an agenda and a list of talking points – your job, much like a prizefighter in a boxing ring, is to seize and keep control of the match, throw your opponent off balance and push them into corners they don't want to go. What are the tricks and traps to avoid?

• 
  Speaker: Julian Sher, Senior producer, CBC's The Fifth Estate
  
  All interviews – but especially investigative ones -- are battlegrounds. The journalist and the subject are fighting for control of the interview. Your target has an agenda and a list of talking points – your job, much like a prizefighter in a boxing ring, is to seize and keep control of the match, throw your opponent off balance and push them into corners they don't want to go. What are the tricks and traps to avoid?

  by CAJ 5/7/2014 9:06:37 PM

3rd & 7 37yd

3rd & 7 37yd

B

S

O

close

close

-

• 
  We all know how frustrating it can be to try try and try again to get real answers to our questions., especially for important stories. Investigative pro Julian Sher is about to share how to gain and keep control of the interview .

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:32:28 PM
• 
  Sher has written six investigative books and is a senior producer on CBC's amazing The Fifth Estate.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:34:09 PM
• 
  Sher is sharing with us a condensed version of a six hour course that he teaches to media organizations

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:35:12 PM
• 
  Most of us do interviews badly actually, for a bunch of reasons.....

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:36:52 PM
• 
  A little more about Julian ....

  JulianSher.com

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:40:09 PM
• 
  First thing to decide is what type of interview---three types information, emotion and accountability. Most good interviews have all three.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:41:50 PM
• 
  .@juliansher : nobody can see your stupid interview mistakes in print reporting, on TV it can be a train wreck. #cdnmedia #CAJ14

  by Mike Hager via twitter 5/10/2014 6:43:34 PM
• 
  I'm definitely going to listen to @juliansher today. I want to learn how to do investigative reporting like @cbcfifth . #CAJ14

  by Karla Karcioglu via twitter 5/10/2014 6:43:50 PM
• 
  @juliansher says three types of interviews are in search of accountability, emotion, information. #CAJ14 #laurier

  by SylviaHrnandzRssvng via twitter 5/10/2014 6:45:38 PM
• 
  First find your focus! A simple declarative statement a five-year old would understand--action reaction conflict, cause and effect and always on a human being

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:46:09 PM
• 
  The four Cs --always follow--every story and interview are based on these:
  Character: the protagonist
  Context: what you need to know, why you should care,
  Conflict: the guts of the story
  Conclusion

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:48:28 PM
• 
  The focus of a story should have action/reaction, cause and effect, conflict, drama- Sher #CAJ14 #laurier

  by SylviaHrnandzRssvng via twitter 5/10/2014 6:48:51 PM
• 
  Sher actually blocks out the four Cs---asks what he needs for each and follows them in order.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:49:18 PM
• 
  Write down the four Cs and plan out the interview.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:49:46 PM
• 
  Carol Off's interview with Conrad Black on allowing Rob Ford to slander Daniel Dale is a classic example of use of the four Cs. Here's the transcript: read.thestar.com

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:55:31 PM
• 
  "It's always your fault if your interview doesn't go well because that's your job."

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:57:33 PM
• 
  

  @juliansher talks about interviewing #CAJ14 #laurier http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnS8EuuCIAAaCEc.jpg

  by SylviaHrnandzRssvng via twitter 5/10/2014 6:57:48 PM
• 
  You get the answers you deserve: don't blame the interviewee.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 6:58:34 PM
• 
  The five basic rules of the interview:
  1.Ask open-ended not closed questions--- don't limit the person's answers.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 7:00:39 PM
• 
  ...unless you're Oprah. See a great yes or no here:
  m.youtube.com

  by sunny.freeman via YouTube 5/10/2014 7:01:38 PM
• 
  2.Don't give people easy escape routes. A double-barreled question is a classic example...an either or allows them to escape. A question mark is the end of your talking. Ask and shut up! Don't keep talking after the question.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 7:06:16 PM
• 
  Charlie Rose, you're a great interviewer...why did you give President Obama an opening here?
  m.youtube.com

  by sunny.freeman via YouTube 5/10/2014 7:08:07 PM
• 
  A question mark is the end of a question. It's not a comma. If you utter a question mark, stop talking. #interviewskills @juliansher #CAJ14

  by Karla Karcioglu via twitter 5/10/2014 7:08:18 PM
• 
  

  @juliansher at #CAJ14 talking about investigative interviewing. @caj @VancouverCAJ http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnS--0CCcAA32mb.jpg

  by meagan.gill via twitter 5/10/2014 7:11:30 PM
• 
  Curious if interview master @juliansher has seen this "personal relations question" reporter posed to #Obama thedailybanter.com/2014/04/jon-ka… #CAJ14

  by Mike Hager via twitter 5/10/2014 7:15:44 PM
• 
  The worst question is not asking one. Don't make a statement and put a question mark at the end. Ask a real question, avoid making statements, opinions or getting into a debate.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 7:19:41 PM
• 
  And...possibly the most memorable soundbite in Canadian media came at the end of an interview that went off the rails. If you're going to confront power,don't get into a debate. Take a look at how Trudeau arrived at his "just watch me" answer:
  m.youtube.com

  by sunny.freeman via YouTube 5/10/2014 7:25:28 PM
• 
  5.Listen, listen, listen--grab their words, make them yours and throw them back. Shift the weight back to the subject.

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 7:26:14 PM
• 
  Once you know the rules, know when and how to break them....
  use the either/or--phrase in a certain way that forces them to use the words
  massaging the answer
  repeating quotes

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 7:34:14 PM
• 
  And finally: Repeat repeat repeat until you get the answer!! Classic example from Paxman--he repeats it 8 times!
  
  youtu.be

  by sunny.freeman via YouTube 5/10/2014 7:38:15 PM
• 
  That's a wrap.Thank you Julian Sher. For more inspiration, find his books here:
  www.juliansher.com

  by sunny.freeman 5/10/2014 7:40:09 PM

Powered by ScribbleLive Content Marketing Software Platform