DPHU1003 Chap.5 Researching and Interviewing
Researching and Interviewing
Reporting begins before the first question. Research establishes what a source can know, what records exist and which claims remain unresolved. Open questions invite an account, while precise follow-ups test sequence, evidence and certainty. During the interview, accurate notes distinguish direct quotation, paraphrase, observation and inference.
After the interview, the reporter identifies contradictions, gaps and the next source. A vox pop can illuminate experience but cannot establish population-wide prevalence. Claim-source fit prevents one compelling speaker from becoming unsupported proof of a larger proposition.
Application test. The absolute bus claim becomes a set of checkable dates, records and independently witnessed experiences.
Operator data distinguishes cancellation from delay or diversion, while attribution preserves any remaining disagreement instead of turning one commuter's frustration into a system-wide fact. When a source uses always, never or everyone, ask for the first concrete instance and the record that could confirm it.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Open question: A prompt that invites explanation rather than steering the source toward a yes or no answer.
- 02
Follow-up: A question built from a source's answer to test detail, evidence, sequence or meaning.
- 03
Vox pop: A small set of public responses illustrating experiences or views without proving population prevalence.
- 04
Corroboration: Independent evidence that supports, qualifies or contradicts a claim.
- 05
Source fit: The match between a claim and a source's knowledge, authority, independence and access.
- 06
Ground rule: An agreed condition governing whether and how information may be attributed or used.
Turn a broad claim into a reporting plan
- +1The marks shown here are not a published university assessment scheme. Ask for specific dates, stops and scheduled services to convert the absolute statement into checkable instances.
- +1Request any alerts, screenshots or notes the commuter retained.
- +1Check the operator's service record for the identified dates.
- +1Contact another independent user or observer who travelled at those times.
- +1Seek the operator's explanation and any distinction between cancellation, delay and diversion.
- +1Write only the scale established by the combined evidence, attributing remaining disagreement.
Key terms
- Open question
- A prompt that invites explanation rather than steering the source toward a yes or no answer.
- Follow-up
- A question built from a source's answer to test detail, evidence, sequence or meaning.
- Vox pop
- A small set of public responses illustrating experiences or views without proving population prevalence.
- Corroboration
- Independent evidence that supports, qualifies or contradicts a claim.
- Source fit
- The match between a claim and a source's knowledge, authority, independence and access.
- Ground rule
- An agreed condition governing whether and how information may be attributed or used.
Researching and Interviewing FAQ
What makes an interview question neutral?
It seeks information without embedding the preferred answer or accusing the source through its premise. Neutrality does not mean softness: a precise question can confront a contradiction by naming the record and asking the source to explain it.
How should I use a vox pop?
Use it to reveal experiences, language and questions circulating among a small set of people. Describe selection honestly and avoid numerical claims about the wider public unless a representative survey or other valid evidence supports them.
When is one source not enough?
A single first-hand account can establish that person's experience, but broader claims about frequency, cause or institutional practice usually need records, additional witnesses or an accountable decision-maker. The size of the claim determines the verification burden.
What should happen immediately after an interview?
Secure the recording and notes, mark exact quotations, list facts needing confirmation and write a short source memo while context is fresh. Then contact the next source rather than allowing a fluent interview to become the entire story.
How can I tell whether a follow-up is genuinely useful?
A useful follow-up narrows ambiguity, tests evidence, restores sequence or clarifies responsibility. If it merely invites the source to repeat a polished message, return to a specific noun, date, action or contradiction in the previous answer.
Assessment move
Prepare interviews with a claim map rather than a rigid script. Put each unresolved proposition in the centre and list the records or people capable of confirming it. Draft an open invitation, a clarifying probe and an evidence-seeking follow-up for every proposition. After practice interviews, highlight moments when you interrupted, supplied an answer or ignored a surprising noun.
Transcribe one minute exactly to hear the difference between polished memory and actual speech. Finish with a source memo that names what the conversation established and what it could not. Add a final verification pass in which you explain the weakest evidentiary link to another student, identify the exact wording it affects and name the next source or editing action that would strengthen it.
Final synthesis: The absolute bus claim becomes a set of checkable dates, records and independently witnessed experiences. Operator data distinguishes cancellation from delay or diversion, while attribution preserves any remaining disagreement instead of turning one commuter's frustration into a system-wide fact.
