Part II: Interview fundamentals

When a reporter calls

If a reporter reaches out to you for an interview, it’s important to respond in a timely manner. Often, they will be on deadline and if you don’t respond quickly, they will move on to someone else. Your first interaction gives you a chance to gather important information:

• Who is the reporter? Get the correct spelling of their name.
• What is the outlet?
• What is the subject of the interview and why are they working on this story now?
• What expertise are they looking for?
• What is the format (e.g., TV, radio, print, phone/email, or online; one-on-one interview or panel discussion; live or recorded)?
• What’s the deadline?

Deciding whether to accept

This information will help you to determine whether you should do the interview. Ask yourself:

• Am I available and do I have time to prepare?
• What do I want to accomplish with this interview?
• What do I want to say about this subject?
• What do I have to gain by doing it?
• Will there be more opportunities for me in the future?

Interviews to turn down

Choose wisely in accepting interviews. You do not need to grant every request.

Carefully consider whether to participate in an interview that:

• would compromise you or your research in any way
• is out of your range of expertise
• is with a medium that has a controversial slant, whether highly left-leaning or right-leaning

If you decide not to accept, tell the media representative as soon as possible. All you need to say is, “No, thank you.” You might also say you don’t have time or it’s not your area of expertise. However, if you are able to recommend a colleague instead, that will help you build a relationship with the reporter.

Developing your key messages

Before you start an interview, know what you want to say. Prepare three to five points you want to make and integrate into answers during the interview. Write them down and practice a few comfortable ways of saying them.

Stories or case studies are useful to support a point, but remember to keep them short. It’s important to infuse psychological science into your response, but summarize only—phrases like “the research shows...” or “psychological science tells us that...” are helpful. Also, state your conclusions first, then follow up with your supporting evidence.

If there are any controversial or easily misinterpreted aspects of your work, frame and practice those answers beforehand.

Always speak in plain language during an interview and avoid jargon or overly academic language. A good rule of thumb for an interview is to imagine that you are talking not to your academic peers or a fellow psychologist but to a stranger unfamiliar with your area of expertise.

Preinterview preparation

Before you do any interview, think about what you want to say and how you want to be quoted. Don’t just answer on the fly because a reporter called you. Say you will get back to them at a specified time. Then, prepare the three to five key points that you intend to make during your interview.

Outlining your main points in advance and sticking to them are key to any successful interview. Practice your talking points out loud in advance. If you have time, ask a colleague or family member to run through a practice interview with you.

During the interview

Remember that journalists are doing their job by talking to you. They are trying to tell a story and hope you will help them do so. Aggressively steering a reporter away from their main line of questioning can be counterproductive. But if a reporter is going in a wrong direction, present the facts and a fresh perspective as you respond.

Will you receive questions in advance? Sometimes—it’s certainly OK to ask or at least ask for an overview of what the reporter is looking for when you set up the interview. Journalists will typically tell you the gist of the story they are after, which will help you shape what you say.

Handling difficult questions

Reporters often will ask you to draw conclusions from research that is inconclusive or does not exist. Explain the difference between preliminary research results and “known” behavioral science. Remember that preliminary research is often more interesting and thus more newsworthy than established science.

Reporters may also not understand the difference between causation and correlation. As the psychological scientist, you need to help them understand these concepts.

If a question is beyond your expertise, the best response is, “I don’t know,” or “That’s not my area.” It can help if you refer the reporter to someone who might be able to answer that question.

Techniques for difficult questions:

• Do not repeat the negative premise
• Bridge to your key points using phrases like “what’s important here is...” or “what I’m here to talk about is...”

Postinterview considerations

Will you get to read a story before it appears in print? Not usually, and some reporters will be offended if you ask. Sometimes, the reporter or a fact checker will run portions or quotes by you to check for accuracy, but typically this only happens in cases when your information is complex. When this happens, they are looking for factual corrections, rather than giving you an opportunity to edit or refine a quote.

Take precautions. If there are any aspects of your work that may easily be misinterpreted, explain that to the reporter, emphasizing that your information may be inaccurate if stated another way.

“Off the record” and “on background”

“Off the record” means what you are telling the reporter cannot be used or referenced in any way.

“On background” means the reporter can use what you say but not attribute it to you by name. Rather, you might be identified as a “knowledgeable source who declined to be named.” But unless you know the reporter well and are very experienced in dealing with the media, don’t try these techniques. Say only what you would be comfortable seeing/ hearing in the story.