The interviewing process in hindsight.

The past two stories has been fun. The interviewing hasn't really been a challenge to me surprisingly. I feel like it's been easier is because I am asking the right questions. Like the NPR assignments we had to listen to, I adapted to ask short and sweet questions that avoids a yes or no answer, and I also make comments in between while the person I am interviewing talks to make me sound not only interested, but paying attention to what that person has to say. By doing this, I get good quotes, and the answers I am looking for. 

"Sawatsky's rules are simple, but he says they get broken all the time: Don't ask yes-or-no questions, keep questions short and avoid charged words, which can distract people." ~ David Folkenflik

Sawatsky expresses the effective ways to conduct an interview, and as long as you are doing these few things, you are going to succeed. In both of my stories I felt that I did indeed ask the right questions, and the sources I used were credible. There was no unanswered questions, and it felt great to walk away from an interview knowing you did the best you could at getting answers.  As far as improvements go, there is always room for that. The more I interview, the better I will get and I think that's the only way I am going to improve. When I walk into an interview, I don't have questions written up. I am in more for the moment, and I think if you have good knowledge of what you are interviewing then you are going to have effective questions to bring to the table regardless if you have them written down or not.  I believe my sources were attributed correctly. Putting in quotes that gave the article justice rather than filler makes it effective.  Concerning sources, they have to be good, reliable, and credible to your article. When I attacked my story, I went to the performer of the event ( Mike Super), and his stage/visual manager, because they were the center pieces of the event. Also, I had to get into the audiences reactions to the show, so I went from an older woman, to a younger gentlemen, and a woman in my interview. I went for a diversity of different views instead of sticking with a couple of guys, or a couple of girls all in the same age bracket. I feel like it gives the reader a more understanding of the vent by different opinions of different people.