Page 5
page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | page 4 | page 5 | page 6 page 7 | page 8 | table of contents | references | test The Inside Scoop on Reporters The questions a journalist asks - and doesn't ask - may reveal three things. They show his/her views of nursing. They may show his/her ignorance of nursing. Overall, they reflect the paradigms and prejudices about nursing circulating in the broader culture of which s/he is a part. You may be frustrated with the level, "quality," or perceived fairness of questions a reporter asks. Your answers can help the reporter improve his or her understanding of your issue, and s/he can convey that fuller awareness to the audience. Every interview is an opportunity for nursing and an opportunity for you to help "grow" a nursing-friendly reporter. In an interview, if the reporter asks you a pointed or difficult question, it's most likely that s/he is probing for different sides of the story, or working from the perspective that controversy is news. The reporter also may simply be attempting to focus your response or to elicit more than a simplistic answer. It is truly rare to be confronted with a hostile reporter or an intentionally hostile question. The key to a successful response is to know your message in advance, to be prepared to deliver it in a positive way without being deflected, and, if necessary, to be prepared to build a verbal "bridge" back to your message if you are sidetracked. Difficult Questions This is not to say there will never be difficult questions - or even the infrequent hostile one. The best way to prepare for difficult questions is to anticipate them and to formulate your responses. Think of the question you mostly hope you won't get, then develop an answer or a way to "bridge" back to your message. Brainstorm with a colleague, friend, or family member. Encourage them to toss you some curve balls. When talking about RN wages, for example, if you are asked a question such as "Isn't this just all about the money?" don't say, "That's not true," or "It's not all about the money." To do so is to repeat the negative slant of the question. Instead, say something like, "If we want to keep nurses working as nurses, we need to be paid enough to support ourselves and our families. We're expected to be there for our patients; we expect our employers to be there for us." When challenged by a difficult question, don't say, "No comment," or "Can this be off the record?" To the reporter and to the audience, a "no-comment" response invariably sounds like the interviewee has something to hide. Nothing is "off the record" to a reporter. From the moment you accept the reporter's call until the moment you disconnect from the call - or from the moment you walk into a studio reception area until the moment the door closes behind you and your feet hit the sidewalk as you leave - you are actually, or potentially, "on the record." The receptionist and the production and technical staff - are all "ears" for the reporter. After the interview, it's best not to ask to see a draft of the story before it runs. Reporters almost always decline to show their drafts, because interviewees frequently backtrack, trying to "correct" or second-guess themselves. Reporters prefer to go with the first "take." The interviewee's initial response is likely to be fresher -- less formal or academic sounding. That's another reason why it's important to prepare for the interview - so your first response is your nursing organization's best response.
previous: Lights, Camera, Action Step! next: Building a Verbal Bridge