Not every interview should be extractive. In fact, your reporting should be less extractive.

When going in to every story it is important to think about what type of interview this is, whether it be breaking news, a profile, an investigative piece, backgrounding purposes, etc. The first rule of interviewing is preparing. Read previous coverage clips, search widely, explore social media, and more.

Another point to make is it is important to be transparent. Journalists can and should be open about their process and be able to explain their role to others. This allows for more open communication and improves news literacy overall as more people become aware to journalists’ roles and process in content creation.

When going into an interview, always create a list of questions. BUT! Be open to straying away from your list. Sometimes the conversation takes a turn into a direction you didn’t expect or prepare for. It’s okay! But be sure to listen carefully and hard! Sometimes sources bring up new information you weren’t aware of and it is so crucial to listen carefully in order to pick up on the news and be able to ask follow up questions.

Another rule of thumb is to, usually, save the tough questions for last. This is to make the interviewee more comfortable to open up more throughout the conversation.

Ultimately, listening hard and carefully leads to understanding and accuracy. And if you listen real hard, you are able to recognize new information and follow up potential story ideas.