Interview Formats for Journalists: In-Person, Phone, Video, and Email

Choosing the Right Interview Format

Interview format is a reporting tool: it shapes what you can observe, how quickly you can work, what can fail, and how much control each side has. Selecting a format is less about preference and more about matching the constraints (time, access, sensitivity, location, safety, and technology) to the kind of information you need.

Decision shortcuts (practical)

• If observation matters (demeanor, setting, interactions, documents on a desk): default to in-person or video.
• If you need speed (same-day update, breaking news, quick confirmation): default to phone.
• If you need exact wording (technical explanations, policy language, numbers, lists): consider email or video with screen-share.
• If the source is cautious and wants time to check details: email can work, but plan for follow-ups to avoid “statement-only” responses.

In-Person Interviews: Rapport and Observation

Strengths

• Richer observation: you can notice pauses, side glances, who enters the room, what materials are visible, and how the environment influences answers.
• Stronger rapport: eye contact, shared space, and small moments (walking to a location, looking at a document together) can unlock detail.
• Better for complex timelines: you can use paper, maps, photos, or objects to anchor memory.

Weaknesses

• Logistics: travel time, scheduling, and cost.
• Less control over setting: the source may choose a location that favors them (their office, a busy café, a tour with handlers).

Risk points to plan for

• Interruptions and “audience effects”: colleagues, family, or public settings can shape what’s said.
• Safety and privacy: meeting in isolated locations or in spaces where you can be overheard.
• Recording conditions: echo, street noise, or a table that vibrates when someone taps it.

In-person checklist

• Environment setup: choose a quieter location; avoid loud HVAC vents; position yourself to see entrances if appropriate; minimize backlighting if you’re also filming.
• Audio quality: test your recorder before you sit down; place it on a stable surface; keep it away from cups/plates; carry spare batteries or a power bank.
• Backup plan: a second recording device (phone + recorder); a plan if the location becomes unusable (move to lobby, car, hallway); a way to continue if the source is interrupted (pause and restate where you left off).
• Consent: confirm recording permission before starting; if the setting changes (e.g., moving outdoors), re-check that recording is still okay.

Step-by-step: arriving and setting the room

1. Arrive early to assess noise and seating options.
2. Pick the least noisy spot (away from kitchens, doors, music speakers).
3. Do a 10-second test recording and play it back on headphones.
4. State the ground rules you need (recording, time, whether others will join).
5. Start with a simple orientation question that anchors time/place (useful for later transcription and context).

Phone Interviews: Speed and Access

Strengths

• Fast scheduling: easier to fit into a source’s day.
• Access: useful when the source is traveling, in another region, or reluctant to meet.
• Sometimes more candid: some people speak more freely without a camera or face-to-face pressure.

Weaknesses

• No visuals: you lose facial cues and environment observation.
• Harder to manage documents: unless you coordinate screen-sharing separately.

Risk points to plan for

• Identity verification: ensure you’re speaking to the right person (especially for sensitive topics).
• Multitasking: sources may be driving, walking, or in a noisy place, leading to shallow answers.
• Call drops and audio artifacts: can distort names, numbers, and quotes.

Phone checklist

• Environment setup: ask, “Is now still a good time to talk somewhere quiet?” If not, offer to call back in 10 minutes.
• Audio quality: use headphones; avoid speakerphone if possible; record via a reliable method; do a quick level check.
• Backup plan: agree on what happens if the call drops (“I’ll call you right back”); have an alternate number; keep a text channel open for quick reconnection.
• Consent: get explicit permission to record at the start; if you switch from phone to another app mid-call, re-confirm.

Step-by-step: preventing “thin” phone answers

1. Set expectations: “I have about 20 minutes and I’ll ask for specifics—dates, amounts, and who was present.”
2. Control the setting: if you hear traffic or wind, ask them to move or reschedule.
3. Use verbal signposts: “Let’s go step by step,” “I want to make sure I have this right,” “Now I’m going to ask about the timeline.”
4. Repeat key facts back for clarity (names, titles, numbers) and ask for confirmation.

Video Interviews: Technical Reliability and Body Language

Strengths

• Visual cues: facial expressions and some body language return, improving turn-taking and follow-ups.
• Remote observation: you can still notice context (office setting, interruptions), though it’s curated.
• Screen-sharing: useful for walking through documents, data, or visuals together.

Weaknesses

• Fragile setup: internet, microphones, cameras, and platforms can fail.
• Artificial interaction: lag can create interruptions; people may speak less naturally.

Risk points to plan for

• False confidence in “seeing”: video shows a frame, not the full environment.
• Audio drift and compression: can garble key phrases; quotes may be less reliable if the recording is glitchy.
• Privacy/security: meeting links forwarded, uninvited participants, or recordings stored in the cloud unexpectedly.

Video checklist

• Environment setup: neutral background; face a light source (window/lamp) rather than having it behind you; position camera at eye level; close noisy apps and notifications.
• Audio quality: prefer a headset or external mic; ask the source to use headphones if echo occurs; do a 15-second test before the formal start.
• Backup plan: exchange phone numbers in advance; agree to switch to phone if video fails; record locally if possible and confirm the file is saving.
• Consent: confirm recording permission on video; if the platform shows a recording indicator, still ask verbally; clarify whether anyone else is in the room off-camera.

Step-by-step: a 60-second technical preflight

1. Join early and check your mic/camera.
2. Ask the source to confirm they can hear you clearly.
3. Confirm recording (permission + method).
4. Confirm privacy: “Is anyone else there with you or listening in?”
5. State the fallback: “If the connection drops, I’ll call you.”

Email Interviews: Precision and Control (and How to Use Them Well)

What email interviews are (and aren’t)

Email interviews trade spontaneity for exact wording. They can be useful when you need a documented response, when time zones make live conversation difficult, or when the questions are narrow and factual. They are not a substitute for real-time questioning when you need narrative detail, accountability under pressure, or the ability to challenge contradictions in the moment.

When email interviews are appropriate

• Factual, bounded questions with clear parameters (e.g., “Please confirm the dates and locations of X” or “Provide the current policy language for Y”).
• Technical explanations where precision matters and the source needs to check terminology.
• Accessibility needs (hearing, speech, scheduling constraints) when the source prefers writing.
• Initial outreach to reluctant institutions where you need an on-the-record statement, while planning parallel reporting.

When email is a poor choice

• High-stakes accountability interviews where follow-up pressure is essential.
• Emotionally complex narratives where rapport and pacing matter.
• Situations prone to strategic ambiguity (the source can answer around the question indefinitely).

Risk points in writing

• Misunderstandings: your wording may be interpreted differently than intended.
• PR-polished responses: answers may be crafted to minimize disclosure.
• Selective answering: sources may respond to the easiest parts and ignore the rest.
• Delay as a tactic: long waits can blunt timeliness and reduce leverage.

Email checklist

• Environment setup: organize questions in a numbered list; keep each question to one idea; include definitions if a term could be read multiple ways.
• Audio quality: not applicable, but version control is—keep a clean thread, avoid multiple parallel chains, and save sent messages.
• Backup plan: propose a short phone/video follow-up if answers are unclear; set a deadline; offer to accept partial answers now with a scheduled live follow-up.
• Consent/on-the-record clarity: specify whether responses are on the record and how you will attribute them (e.g., name/title/organization). If the source requests special terms, clarify before they answer.

Step-by-step: writing questions that reduce misunderstandings

1. State the purpose of the email in one sentence (what you’re trying to understand).
2. Set scope and deadline: “If possible, please respond by 3 p.m. Friday.”
3. Use numbered questions and keep them short.
4. Ask for specifics explicitly: dates, amounts, names, documents, and who made the decision.
5. Include a “confirm/deny” line for key points: “Can you confirm whether X occurred on Y date?”
6. Invite correction of your framing: “If I’m misunderstanding the process, please correct it and describe the correct steps.”

Templates: email question sets that invite substance

Subject: Questions about [specific event/policy] — response requested by [deadline]  Hi [Name],  I’m reporting on [one-sentence description]. I’m seeking your on-the-record responses. If any question is best answered by someone else, please tell me who.  1) Please confirm: [specific fact you believe is true]. If not correct, what is correct?  2) Who made the decision to [action]? Please include titles.  3) What evidence/data was used to support the decision? Can you share or link to the document(s)?  4) What alternatives were considered, and why were they rejected?  5) What is the timeline (dates/times) from [start] to [end]?  6) What should the public understand about [impact]? Please be as specific as possible.  Thanks,  [Your name] [Outlet] [Phone for quick follow-up]

How to follow up to avoid incomplete or PR-polished responses

• Use “answered vs. not answered” tracking: reply with the numbered list and mark which items remain open.
• Ask for examples and documents: “Can you provide one concrete example?” “Which report supports that claim?”
• Pin down vague language: if they write “rare” or “appropriate,” ask for definitions and counts.
• Offer a quick live clarification: “I can do a 10-minute call to make sure I’m not misquoting or misunderstanding.”
• Set a second deadline and explain what happens next: “If I don’t hear back, I’ll note that you did not respond to questions 2, 4, and 5.”
• Prevent “statement-only” substitution: if they send a generic statement, reply with targeted prompts: “Thank you—can you address questions 1 and 3 directly?”

Consent and Backup Planning Across Formats

Consent: make it explicit and repeat when conditions change

• Before recording: ask clearly and wait for a clear yes/no.
• If you switch tools (phone to video, video to phone, recorder to app): ask again.
• If others join (in-person or video): confirm everyone understands the recording/attribution terms.

Backup plans: assume something will fail

Practical habit: end every interview with a format-aware next step

• In-person/video: confirm the best way to reach them quickly for fact checks or clarifications (phone/text/email) and whether they can share documents.
• Phone: ask if they can email spellings, titles, or figures immediately after the call.
• Email: schedule a short live follow-up window in advance (“If anything is unclear, can I call you between 2–4 p.m.?”).