NO, PERO WHY?

Questions that leave room for an answer.

Tools



Plan an interview without writing the person’s story for them.



YOUR WORKING TEMPLATE

What I need to understand:

What I already know and its source:

An open first question:

A follow-up about a specific detail:

How the person wants to be identified:

What use of the conversation we have agreed to:



A FILLED EXAMPLE

First question: What happened when you arrived? Follow-up: You mentioned the entrance. Which entrance, and what happened there? Use: a class audio story, after discussing quotation and identification.



BEFORE YOU SHARE

Could someone disagree with your assumption without fighting the wording of the question?



MAKE IT YOURS

Use the notes space below, copy the prompts into your own document, or download the worksheet. A voice note or paper version works too.



READING

Society of Professional Journalists: Verification, context and accountability

https://www.spj.org/spj-code-of-ethics/

Professional ethical guidance is not a statute or a guarantee that a claim is true.



MY NOTES