CONSTRUCTIVE JOURNALISM TOOLKIT
Interview Techniques
Push the narrative in a constructive direction through rigorous questioning — with a posture of curiosity.
As in traditional journalism, remain curious and open-minded, be a good listener and challenge your own hypothesis.
1
Avoid a battle-ready posture against those with power and knowledge. Practicing “gotcha” journalism will limit the conversation and costs us the chance to learn from the interviewee.
2
Maintain rigor when interviewing, to ensure your own credibility and the substance of the story. Your critical sense remains a crucial tool to use in all interviews.
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You can use the three pillars of Constructive Journalism to evolve your technique, to better draw out insights and information that people can take forward.
Pillar 1: SOLUTIONS
To add a solutions focus to your interview, broaden the conversation beyond what has happened to include forward-looking questions.
This is easy —> To your standard 5 W’s and an H, also ask: “What now?”
Follow up on questions where your interviewee references how other groups or communities have addressed the problem you are covering. Dig deeper to uncover any documentation that can help you report thoroughly on whether the potential solution would be effective in this case.
Key questions to ask in an interview focused on solutions:
What does it take to solve the problem?
Who can solve the problem?
Can you help solve the problem?
Who is responsible for solving it?
Who can develop a solution?
Do you know of others who have solved the problem?
Do you know of any solution that has solved the problem?
Why is it a good solution?
Can you describe how the solution works?
Do you have evidence that the solution works?
What are the challenges of that solution?
What can others learn from your experience with that solution?
Can others use that solution?
To be constructive yet critical in interviews, challenge the idea of “heroes” in the same way that you might challenge “villains.” Do this by putting the same critical questions to those who propose solutions, because this provides the best answers.
Pillar 2: nuance
When preparing for an interview on a complex issue, search for an overview, for background, contradictions and context.
When our interview focuses on nuances, allow the source time and space to answer in detail. You can tease out the nuances of a story by asking the source if they have any doubts or reservations about your questions and if they have questions of their own.
Key questions to ask in an interview focusing on nuances:
What is the background to this problem?
How do you see the issue?
Has the issue developed over time?
Why is it difficult to agree or solve the problem?
What is the principal dilemma in this issue?
Which actors play key roles in this issue?
What sort of collaboration might help solve the problem?
Which of your opponent’s arguments do you think is the best?
What doubts do you have?
What’s going to happen now?
Pillar 3: Conversation
Constructive technique in a live interview
A constructive approach means paying particular attention to your technique for a live interview, whether on TV, radio or social media.
The angle of a live interview is usually clear from the beginning. Avoid false balance and be clear why you are choosing different sources to represent different ideas.
If your interviewee fails consistently to answer your question, you can try to tease out any doubts or nuances by asking why they have difficulty answering the question. Is there a specific reason? This can be a reassuring way to acknowledge that some questions are indeed difficult and do not have a simple, unambiguous answer.
Strategies to interview in a constructive way:
Approaches to interviews
Ask for solutions — so what?
Ask “heroes” some critical questions
Ask about nuances, doubts and contexts.
Ask about the dilemma.
In a live interview
Determine the angle of your questions so that our audience will understand them.
Do not repeat aggressively the same unanswered question. Instead, for transparency, ask your interviewee why they have difficulty answering.
Consider adding an introductory piece about a viable solution.
Adapted from “A Handbook for Constructive Journalism” (2022) by Kristina Lund Jørgensen & Jakob Risbro. Produced by the Constructive Institute and International Media Support (IMS).
GROUP EXERCISE IN PAIRS
Lead a Constructive Interview
Conduct an interview in which one person plays the role of a hyper-critical and highly confrontational interviewer.
Swap roles: Now the interviewer adopts a more constructive approach that seeks solutions, is more nuanced or is broadcast live.
Discuss as a group what happened in the two different interviews.