1. Career Exploration: Interview a Pro
News Gathering

2. Overview Find a journalism professional whose job appeals to you.
Using Internet and database sources, research the professional and his/her job.
Set up and conduct an interview with the professional.
Compose a 500-word story about the professional and his/her job.

3. Step 1: Locate a source
Use the Internet and search for three journalism professionals whose work appeals to you.
You may choose a specific journalistic genre (broadcast, newspaper, magazine, website, columnist, blogger, sports reporter, etc.) or choose a variety.
Your potential sources may be local, state, national or international – but you must be able to reach them!
State and local Society of Professional Journalists, Women in Communications, local chapters of the national associations of Black, Hispanic or Asian Journalists, local newspapers and magazines, high school sports web sites, local TV stations, local NPR radio stations, and local informational web sites will be places to find working journalists.

4. Step 2: Research
Use the Internet and gather information on your potential sources.
Find biographical information. View or read journalistic works your potential source created and learn about their background, including education and employment.
Find out how to reach the potential source by phone or . Relying only on social media is not acceptable.

5. Step 3: Choose your source
Upon completion of preliminary research, choose the source you will interview for a story.
Having a list of three potential sources provides a backup in case your chosen source is not available.

6. Step 4: Arrange interview
Contact the source and arrange an interview. You must conduct a live, one-on-one interview.
Phone interviews are most common, but other types are available, such as Skype, live chat, FaceTime or in-person.
Interviews by , social media or text message are not acceptable.
Teachers: Encourage some students to reach out to national or state sources. Long-distance interviews will help limit saturation of local sources.

7. Step 5: More research, formulate questions
Once you have an interview set up, conduct additional research to help you formulate your questions.
Questions may focus on:
the journalist’s career journey, background and experiences
current trends in journalism
the future of journalism
skills and education needed for this career

8. Step 7: Conduct interview
Use prepared questions, but be ready for follow-up questions based on responses. Be conversational. Listen carefully.
Make sure arrangements are made for possible follow-up needs after interview.
Remember: interviews are not allowed, but can be used for follow-up questions afterward.
Broadcast advisers: You may wish to make this assignment in teams, sending them to a local station to record an interview, or invite one or more broadcast professionals to school to be interviewed.

9. Step 8: Transcribe
Within 24 hours of conducting the interview, transcribe the responses or, if you are doing video or audio, begin editing your interview.
Submit a quote sheet or video/audio script that includes background research information, paraphrases and quotes from the interview.
Decide on a focus for your story, based on the most interesting information from the interview.

10. Step 9: Write article or create a video or audio story
Write article in the form of a personality profile or Q-and-A, or create a video or audio story.
Use the interview as well as information from research and quotes from source.

11. Step 10: Evaluation
Using the rubric provided, conduct a self-evaluation and have another staff member evaluate your story.
You will be graded according to the rubric.

12. Final note: Publishing
Staff should have a mode of publishing articles.
Suggestion: Create a virtual or printed collection of finished works from past and present that can be used as a resource in your classroom.
Encourage sources to send a photo image electronically (be sure it’s one that they have the copyright to distribute).
Teachers: Most of these stories will not be for publication in your student media. Use web space, a shared Google Drive or even a loose-leaf notebook with finished works to allow students to share and view others’ work. Teachers may modify this slide to explain your method of publication for these works.