Contemporary news interviews

Author: Liu Hui
Editor-in-Chief: Gu Qian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features:
Content Summary
This book is a newly compiled textbook on news interviewing that balances popularization and advancement. It teaches the knowledge, methods, and conditions necessary for news interviewing, elaborates on the development trends and adaptive strategies of contemporary news interviewing. In terms of content extension, disciplinary system evolution, and the exploration of new ideas and concepts, it offers unique insights. The book is suitable for systematic study by students and enthusiasts of journalism, as well as for training and further education of news professionals.
Excerpt:
In news practice, it is essential to adhere to dialectical materialism, oppose idealism and metaphysics, and approach the relationship between news interviewing and writing comprehensively and correctly, establishing the concept that news interviewing is the foundation of news writing. At the same time, mastering the "eighteen skills" of news writing, proceeding from reality, conducting in-depth interviews, and writing meticulously will continuously improve the quality of news reports.
Section 4: Methods of News Interviewing
General social science or natural science research surveys, due to their relatively concentrated and specific research items and interview subjects, have relatively fixed implementation forms, which can be conducted in offices or laboratories, or by immersing oneself in old documents and original materials. News interviewing, however, has its own uniqueness, and thus its implementation methods also have specific emphases. Formally, there are seven main types:
(1) Individual Interview. This is the most common basic implementation form used by journalists. In daily interviews, journalists primarily rely on this method to gather news materials from news figures or informants, often referred to as a "one-on-one" interview. The advantages of this form are: detailed discussions, in-depth insights, and ease for journalists to maintain control.
(2) Holding a Symposium. Also known as a survey meeting. Journalists can invite relevant personnel to discuss a specific research topic. The advantages of this form are: gathering a large amount of news material in a relatively short time; interviewees feel more relaxed when several of them receive the journalist, reducing tension and, creating a more relaxed and harmonious interview atmosphere; it facilitates mutual inspiration and supplementation among interviewees, and the truthfulness of materials can often be verified on the spot. This method is particularly effective for large-scale reporting topics with a broad scope.
(3) On-Site Observation. Commonly referred to as "interviewing with the eyes." The first two forms emphasize listening, while on-site observation emphasizes that journalists must immerse themselves in the scene of the news event and fully utilize their visual functions to observe things in detail. The final form of news reporting after interviewing differs from other types of research. The final form of other research can be a physical object, even if it is in written form, as long as the facts are accurate, even if they are presented in a straightforward manner, such as a "pharmacy prescription" style or dry bullet points, it may still pass. However, news reporting requires not only accuracy but also vividness and specificity. Since seeing is often more authentic than hearing, journalists must delve into the scene and meticulously capture those fleeting, engaging details that resonate with the audience. On-site observation is gaining increasing attention in the news industry. The international news community has widely recognized that we have entered an era of "on-site research." Many experts and scholars note that news reporting should "run with the feet and write with the eyes." As China's news reform deepens, the proportion of eyewitness reports from the scene will undoubtedly continue to grow.
(4) Attending Meetings. Generally, meetings are held to summarize and plan the work of a certain period, including achievements, experiences, lessons learned, and problems. Attendees discuss and propose suggestions, then make arrangements for the next phase of work. All of this often contains a wealth of news information or clues. If journalists "cast nets to fish" in meetings, they are usually successful. Meeting news reporting is primarily conducted through this method.
(5) Spot Reporting. This involves delving into a specific point, dissecting a "peach," and conducting in-depth and solid interviews. This method is typically suitable for reporting topics that are not time-sensitive but have a large volume and broad scope, such as explanatory reports, investigative reports, personality features, work reports, and report literature. This method allows journalists to gather and select materials in detail, through repeated processes of connecting the general to the specific, observing the surface to understand the essence, and refining the essence while discarding the dross, ultimately capturing typical materials and revealing the essential characteristics of the subject, writing reports with depth, strength, and substance. Xinhua News Agency emphasized in 1982 that journalists should conduct spot reporting, allowing for in-depth and continuous campaign-style reports on specific issues.
Postscript:
This textbook is the result of the unremitting efforts and joint endeavors of several generations. The School of Journalism at Fudan University has long been at the forefront of domestic news business teaching in terms of news practice, writing, editing, and criticism. Many of its predecessors have made renowned contributions in these fields. The publication of this textbook is inseparable from the guidance it has received over the years. Professor Gao Ruo-hai, Chief Editor of Fudan University Press, and Associate Professor Gu Qian, the editor-in-chief, have provided strong support for its publication, for which we express our sincere gratitude. Associate Professor Wu Wan-li provided the materials for the two sections, "The Cognitive Path of News Interviewing" and "The Application of Telephone Interviews," and we are also grateful to him.
News interviewing is indeed the soul of the entire news process, and news interviewing studies are also a major and independent discipline within journalism. Over the decades, despite dozens of specialized books or textbooks on interviewing by scholars both at home and abroad, this discipline has yet to fully mature, with many areas still awaiting exploration. While this textbook offers certain innovations and expansions, it falls far short of meeting the requirements of disciplinary completeness and scientific rigor, and undoubtedly has many shortcomings. We sincerely welcome criticism and corrections from experts, scholars, and readers. In the future, we hope to work hand in hand with colleagues to contribute even greater efforts toward the maturation and perfection of this discipline. Liu Hui
Early Spring of 1997