Journalist / Reporter Interview Questions

1.1What journalism is - the public interest function, editorial standards, and why it matters

1.2Newsgathering - finding stories, identifying sources, and building the journalist antenna for news

1.3Story types - breaking news, features, investigations, analysis, and the different skills each requires

1.4The journalist-editor relationship - working within an editorial structure and meeting publication standards

2.1Source cultivation - building and maintaining a network of contacts who trust you with information

2.2Documentary research - FOIA requests, public records, company filings, and paper-based evidence

2.3Digital research - OSINT techniques, social media research, and finding information online

2.4Protecting sources - the journalist ethical obligation and the practical measures to keep sources safe

3.1Preparing for an interview - research, objectives, and planning the questions that will get the story

3.2Interview technique - open questions, follow-up, listening, and keeping control of the conversation

3.3Difficult interviews - hostile subjects, evasive answers, and how to get the information anyway

3.4On-the-record, off-the-record, and background - the rules and how they affect what you can publish

4.1News writing - the inverted pyramid, the intro, and the disciplines of tight, clear news prose

4.2Feature writing - structure, narrative, colour, and the storytelling skills that make features compelling

4.3Data journalism - using data to find and tell stories that would otherwise be invisible

4.4Headline writing - the craft of writing headlines that are accurate, compelling, and work for SEO

5.1Verification discipline - how journalists verify every fact before publication

5.2Source verification - assessing source credibility and corroborating information independently

5.3Handling documents - authenticating documents and verifying their provenance

5.4Misinformation and disinformation - identifying false information and the journalist responsibility to stop its spread

6.1Digital publishing - how to write and present journalism for online platforms

6.2Social media journalism - breaking news on social platforms, verification challenges, and audience engagement

6.3Video journalism - basic video production, storytelling through moving image, and platform requirements

6.4Podcasting and audio journalism - audio storytelling, production basics, and the growing audio journalism market

7.1Media law - defamation, contempt of court, privacy, and the legal framework journalists must understand

7.2Press standards - Editors Code of Practice, IPSO, and the regulatory framework for UK journalism

7.3Editorial ethics - conflicts of interest, gifts, and the ethical standards that maintain trust

7.4Sensitive reporting - trauma, suicide, minority groups, and the ethical guidelines for difficult topics

8.1Investigative journalism methodology - the disciplined, evidence-based approach to investigations

8.2Undercover reporting - when it is justified, the ethical framework, and the legal risks

8.3Data-driven investigations - using databases, FOI data, and financial records to find the story

8.4Publishing investigations - legal review, right of reply, and the editorial process for major investigations

9.1Understanding the audience - who reads, listens, or watches your journalism and what they want

9.2Analytics for journalists - page views, time on page, social shares, and what the numbers tell you

9.3SEO for journalism - how to make journalism findable without compromising editorial integrity

9.4Building a journalism brand - how journalists develop their own audience and professional reputation

10.1Editorial judgment questions - newsworthiness, story selection, and editorial decision-making

10.2Law and ethics questions - defamation, privilege, source protection, and editorial standards

10.3Portfolio and story questions - presenting your best work, explaining your reporting, and what you learned

10.4Salary negotiation in journalism, evaluating a newsroom, and questions that reveal the editorial culture, freedom, and development opportunities in the role