Tough Questions
Q: Your story about Norman Wells suggests reporters should tell both sides of a story. In some situations can they offer opinions?
I don't think reporters should express their own opinions. I did it back then and I admit fifty years later that I was wrong.
I should have resigned first. I should have said to the CBC: I'm going to have to resign so I can express my own views. You have to work as hard as you can to present both sides fairly. And you have to stay away from the words: 'I think…'
Q: What is your most memorable interview?
I interviewed Elizabeth Yakeleya before the pipeline hearings began. In Fort Norman, everyone called her Grannie.
We sat together and she made us tea. She looked me straight in the eye and she talked about her fears of what would happen with a thousand workers on the doorstep in Fort Norman. Of course, she had seen it before, when oil was discovered in 1921.
She could see the devastation coming. She spoke clearly, gently. She was wise.
Q: Do you approach an interview with a powerful person differently?
The Premier of Alberta was a tough guy named Peter Lougheed. I was a bit scared of him, so I did my homework beforehand.
When he retired, he gave a news conference. Afterward, he came over me and said: "You always came at me with a hard question."
So you can ask hard questions without being unfair.
Q: Do you formulate questions ahead of time? If so, how do you do that?
There are very few good interviewers today. Most of them are on a fishing expedition and they have no bait.
When I worked for NewsWorld, I would treat an interview like a story. I would get as much background information as I could: who, what, why, when and where.
Then I had to get the interviewee to tell the story. I'd ask pointed questions to encourage them to talk. If they went too far, I'd steer them back. I think it's an art.
Q: What if interviewee is shy or gives short answers?
You put them at ease. Before the interview begins, take a few moments to get a conversation going, to develop a rapport. Find a question that is familiar. "Do you remember the first time you shot a moose?" Then ease into the interview.
I always tell people what the interview will be about, in general terms. But sometimes a politician asks for the questions. Then I say: "I'm not sure", because I don't want them to provide scripted answers."
Q: What if the interviewee says something controversial?
Always follow carefully what is being said. If the interviewee says something controversial, be prepared for it. Follow up. You might say: "Give me an example."
Perhaps they'll say something you didn't know, or something that nobody knows. That's a gift.
A good reporter gets that answer. A good reporter recognizes when they get it.
Q: Can you sum up what a young journalist should keep in mind when approaching an interview?
Do your homework. I didn't always do my homework when I was in school, but when I became a reporter I learned that I had to prepare carefully.
Second, build your skills: interviewing, writing, photography. They are the key elements for getting the story out.