From: Journalist
“Hi, I’ve seen your paper, and I’d like to write about it. Are you available for an interview?”
From: Me
“Yes, that sounds great!”
From: Journalist
“Awesome. Are you free this afternoon?”
From: Me
“…”
Journalists live in their own world, a world where deadlines are on the order of days or hours instead of months or years. Because of this, you might find yourself in a situation where you are asked to give an interview on very short notice. I certainly did.
I had recently published a journal article about my research, and I shared the news on LinkedIn. A day later, a reporter saw the post and reached out to me for an interview. I was excited – I’d never done an interview with the press before! But I was also wary – I had no idea what to expect from the experience and I had very little time to prepare.
When the day came, I was nervous. And my nerves were only heightened when the Zoom call actually began. I had expected some kind of small talk or introduction from the journalist before we began the actual interview, but there was none. Instead, she immediately began to ask me questions. Her briskness made me feel as though I needed to answer every question quickly, even if I wanted to take more time to think about my answer. This was especially challenging because I sometimes felt that she was trying to extract a compelling quote from me, rather than wanting to understand the nuances of the research. I was glad that I’d re-read my paper right before the interview because it was easy to recall numerical results and major conclusions. I felt prepared for the straightforward questions she asked about the research, and I’d taken some time to formulate clear and concise answers to those. But, when the interview came to a close and she asked me if there was anything else I wanted people to know, my mind went blank.
All in all, the interview was only about fifteen minutes long. I asked the journalist if I could see the article before it was published so that I could review it for accuracy. She said no. That once again made me nervous, but when the article came out a few weeks later, I was pretty pleased with how my work was represented. I was surprised, however, to learn that my paper was not the only subject of the article, and that the reporter had interviewed several other people in the field.
Since that interview, I’ve had a little time to do some research about what I should and shouldn’t have done in such a situation. Spoiler: I mostly did okay but I could have done better. Here are some of the tips I wish I’d known before my interview:
Tips for before the interview:
- You can reach out to the MIT Media Relations office. I didn’t know this resource existed at the time of my interview, but they can help you both get in contact with journalists and prepare for an interview. They can also tell you if there’s anything that you shouldn’t speak to the press about. For certain topics, they may ask you to have the journalist reach out to their office instead of you commenting directly.
- Talk to your PI. They likely have done their own interviews and thus will have a more specific idea of what to expect for your research area. And they can also advise you on topics that you should or shouldn’t stay away from.
- You should also work with the communications team in your department. They can support you as you prepare and they may want to share about your work as well.
- Research the journalist and read some of their other work to get a sense of their style and what kinds of pieces they like to write. This can help you anticipate what questions they might ask and what angle the story might be taking.
- When the journalist first reaches out to you, ask for more information. There probably won’t be time to do this during the interview, and this information can really help you prepare. What is the story about? Are other people being interviewed? (I didn’t ask these things before my interview. I assumed the article would just be about me and my work, but the journalist also spoke to a few other people doing similar work.)
- Brainstorm some questions you are likely to be asked and practice what you’re going to say! Be prepared for both straightforward and open-ended questions. You can even write up some notes and talking points to reference during the interview. (I did a mock interview with my friend beforehand.)
- Prepare a few sentences that summarize the main point of your research concisely. Journalists are often looking for a few key quotes that they can highlight. Think of a few of these ahead of time so that you don’t have to come up with one on the spot.
- And of course, you can make an appointment with your department’s Communication Lab! Comm lab fellows (like me!) can help you prepare and fine-tune your message.
Tips for during the interview:
- Take your time answering! It’s okay if you need a moment to think, so don’t feel pressured to respond immediately.
- Beware of click-bait quotes. Journalists may be looking to elicit an inflammatory answer so that their article has an exciting hook. Once again, take your time and think about your answers before you speak.
- Share anecdotes and personal stories. Reporters love these and they can help make your work more accessible to a general audience.
- Remember that most journalists will not be experts in your field. Even if they’ve read your work, they are likely not technical experts. Try to avoid jargon and make your explanations concise and easy to understand.
- Don’t be offended if they ask tough questions! Journalists are paid to be inquisitive and skeptical, so don’t take it personally if they challenge your work. If you don’t know the answer to a question, that’s okay! Just be honest and say so, don’t feel pressured to guess or make something up. And if you can think of someone who might be able to answer the question (your PI, a labmate, etc.), you can direct the interviewer towards them.
- Similarly, if they ask a question that you don’t feel like you’re in a position to answer, feel free to just say that you prefer not to comment. You can always follow up and give an answer later if you change your mind or get permission from a supervisor.
Tips for after the interview:
- Congratulate yourself!
- Ask to see a draft of the article before it gets published. This gives you a chance to ensure that you and your work are being represented accurately. However, journalists may or may not be willing to let you do this. (I asked, but mine wasn’t.) If that’s the case, don’t worry about it – the journalist is just doing their job. Many reporters choose to do this as a way to maintain journalistic integrity and to prevent the truth of the article from being called into question.
- Share any images or visualizations that you have that you think may be helpful to include in the article, especially if they make your work more accessible.
Talking with journalists is a great way to help your work reach a broader audience. It’s also just pretty cool to see your name in print and be quoted as an expert in your field. However, interviews like this can be stressful, especially if you don’t know what to expect or don’t have a lot of time to prepare. If you ever find yourself in that situation, like I did, I hope that this blog can provide a little guidance. Good luck!
If you’re curious about how my interview experience worked out, you can read the finished product here: