Press Interview Fundamentals Press_Interview_Fund - digital | Page 22

Press Interview Fundamentals
Things To Consider
In general, most interviews are
con-ducted to report on one of five
areas:
conflict,
contradiction,
controversy, colorful language, cast
of characters. Understanding these
considerations
helps you best
prepare for the press interview, give
consideration to “why” you are to be
interviewed, and/or to respectfully
decline the interview if necessary.
Following is a detailed breakdown of each area to enlightened you and help
you understand what may be behind the interviewer’s intent:
Conflict
• The slightest hint of conflict becomes the central element of the story,
out of all proportion to the rest of the story
• The higher up in an organization, the better
Why?
• We identify conflict as a central narrative device
• It’s easy to write and read conflict stories – which is why political re-
porters focus on who’s ahead/behind – rather than on policy.
©2016 Austin Group Consulting.llc
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