Bring your books because you’re gonna get schooled!

The best part about study abroad at the American University of Cairo is the awesome collection of journalism books in the library (that and, you know, culture or whatever). Georgetown doesn’t have many books about reporting, since we don’t have a journalism major. But AUC does, requiring two shelfs full of books, and I get to wallow in them.

So far, I’ve only read John Ullman’s Investigative Reporting: Advanced Methods and Techniques (out of print). His computer-assisted reporting stuff was enthusiastic but out-dated, but I appreciated his advice on interviewing.

Interviewing is always tricking for me because I’d much prefer to be dealing with documents. I don’t have to worry about looking nervous in front of them, and I don’t have to dress up to get information out of them. But Ullman’s tips have me itching for some interviews. Some of my favorite tips:

• A question: when interviewing someone hostile to the subject of your article, ask what the subject does well. If your interviewee is sympathetic to the subject, ask what they do poorly. That way you can gauge the interviewee’s objectivity and get a new angle on the subject.
• A pregnant pause: When an interviewee dodges a question, don’t move onto the next question immediately. Hopefully, they’ll be so uncomfortable in the pause that they’ll volunteer more information.
• A why?: Ullman says to keep asking why the interviewee did something. At least it’ll get away from yes-no questions.
• A controversy: Ask the interviewee how they react when other people complain about what they do (presumably, what you’re interviewing them about). That way, you don’t seem like the one bringing the issue to their attention.

While the computer-assisted reporting and database stuff is behind on technology, Ullman’s chapters about interviewing and using detective skills in investigations are worth your time. So pick up Investigative Reporting (published by St. Martin’s Press) if you see it in a library or used book store.

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