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Module 04 / Lesson 15 · Read, apply, check
Prepare interviews that produce original evidence, accurate quotations and a coherent story for readers.
An interview request should explain the publication, audience, subject and practical arrangements. Ask for a person with direct knowledge of the question, not automatically the most senior spokesperson. State the expected duration and whether you need a demonstration, data or a customer example. A focused request is easier to accept than an invitation to “tell your story.” It also signals that the resulting article will serve readers rather than simply repeat the company’s promotional language.
Begin with the problem and ask how the source knows it exists. Follow with a concrete example, comparison, limitation and implication. For a technology launch, ask what changed for a customer and what remains difficult. Request the source and time period for quantitative claims. Prepare enough background to avoid wasting the interview on basic facts available online. Leave room to follow an unexpected answer; a rigid list can miss the most useful part of the conversation.
Agree the interview arrangements and any recording or attribution terms before relying on them. Keep notes that distinguish direct quotations, paraphrases and your own interpretation. Confirm names, roles, figures and technical details. If an answer is unclear, ask a follow-up rather than allowing AI to complete the missing meaning. A transcript is a useful working source, but it still requires checking against context and the actual recording or notes before publication.
Combine interviews with independent context, relevant documents and other perspectives where appropriate. Explain what the evidence supports and what it does not. Avoid presenting a vendor’s claim as an established industry fact. Send factual queries where necessary without promising editorial approval to a commercial source. Meet the publication’s standards and deadline. The resulting coverage becomes valuable because it contains original reporting and informed judgment that a generic AI summary could not obtain on its own.
What changed, for whom and compared with what?
Separate quotations, facts, interpretation and unanswered points.
Check names, numbers, context and supporting material.
Write the reader-relevant conclusion and its limitations.
A fictional reporter covering warehouse automation asks an exhibitor for a twenty-minute interview with its deployment lead. The invitation explains that the article examines why pilots struggle to scale. During the interview, the lead describes a customer installation and a training bottleneck. The reporter asks for the period measured, the baseline and whether the customer can be identified. She records the exact quotation separately from her interpretation and requests a supporting document. A second source offers a different explanation for failed pilots. The final article compares the evidence and acknowledges its limits. Later, the agency can discuss its reporting competence with prospects, but the article stands on its usefulness to readers rather than serving as a disguised sales brochure.
Another interviewer asks only what makes the company innovative, copies the answers into an AI tool and publishes a polished summary without checking figures. The article repeats promotional claims and attributes a stronger conclusion to the source than the interview supports. It may look professional, but it contains little independent value. The missed opportunity is the original evidence that could have distinguished the story if the interviewer had asked for examples, limitations and verifiable details.
An interview is not automatically original insight. If every question invites a rehearsed slogan, the output will remain generic. Ask about decisions, tradeoffs, unexpected results and specific examples. These details create useful reporting and also reveal how well a future agency client can support evidence-led communication.
Recording, attribution and publication arrangements depend on the circumstances and applicable requirements. Agree them clearly. Do not promise a source control over editorial conclusions unless the publication’s actual process provides it, and do not invent a quotation to make a story read more smoothly.
Do this today · 30 minutes
Prepare an interview plan about a product launch or a fictional warehouse automation deployment.
A document or spreadsheet and the public information described below. You can use the illustrative scenario without a website, paid account or live prospect.
Before: A list of broad promotional questions and unchecked vendor claims.
After: An interview plan that captures examples, quotations, measurement context and unresolved fact checks.
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Review this worksheet after your next real conversation or campaign review. Record what changed, the evidence for that change and your next dated action.
Before you move on
An exhibitor tells you that its new system “doubles productivity,” but provides no baseline or measurement period. Your article deadline is approaching and an AI draft has presented the claim as an industry fact. What is the strongest editorial next step?
Next lesson →Society of Professional Journalists: ethics code
CES: media overview and qualification requirements
Lesson edition 1.0 · References reviewed 16 October 2026 · Practical exercise reviewed 16 October 2026. Examples are illustrative teaching scenarios.
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