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Some tips on how to do interviews in emotional or contentious stories, stories that often are the
Most have to do with interviewing people in highly emotional situations — a person who’s experienced a
I remember knocking on the door of a woman whose son just murdered two people and committed
Or calling on the sister of a man who’d died from Agent Orange
Or approaching a member of a crime “family” whose straw corporations had been bilking the federal government
During my career, though, I worked with colleagues who did it better than I did
Kymberli ascribes some of her skill to her dad, who died when she was nine, and who
Sounds like a line in a song, but it’s the truth nonetheless
He taught us to be respectful because so many people he dealt with were grief-stricken
She’s no longer at the Beacon Journal which, like so man news organizations, has laid off
Hers was one of the most unusual applications I’ ever received at the Beacon Journal, winner of
But something stood out about her stories, most of which dealt with community controversies and tragedies: Not
To fulfill a promise to her mother, Kymberli worked low-wage jobs wherever she could to feed and
Recently we chatted about her career and how she has always, or almost always, been able to
I always was the person that my mother told to shut up, that my teacher told to
Actually, it is her — her approach, her preparedness, her attitude, her persistence
If you think, ‘This woman just got raped, and, oh my God, she’s not going to
But if you think they will talk to you, you have a better chance they will
At someone’s door she identifies herself, tells them why she is there
“People are like rusty engines, you can’t just turn them over and have them … start talking
“A lot of times I ask them if they’ve eaten; it’s a stupid question, but
If I’m at the door, I might ask them if there’s anybody else in the
A lot of times you’ll get somebody or at that point they just invite you in
And I end up sitting at the kitchen table looking at a scrapbook
“I get all the documents that can be had … They help you know what to ask, what
Because the targets of the story “don’t want to talk with you
… I tended to know as much as could possibly be known about a thing before I called
Her mentor at the Beacon Journal, Keith McKnight, was a brilliant writer and editor
She asks them: “how does that work?” or “I’m not sure I understand
With public officials, Kymberli makes sure they see her often, that they know who she is and
She happened to know every morning he went running with his wife
“I knew if I caught him on that run with his wife, he wouldn’t say anything
She believes that a story — or an angle — that most people don’t want told is important
Is this person the victim or a family member? Is the person the instigator or source of
Approach every story as if you are ignorant — because you are
Find out as much as you can before approaching the difficult interview
Before making the approach, understand your own feelings or reticence
When you talk to people in emotional or controversial stories, remember just to get the conversation going
Kymberli and I agree on this: It is a privilege to be able to enter people’s
Neither Kymberli nor I have ever had too many doors slammed in our faces; if there’s
The most difficult stories are often the best and most important stories you can do
Your community is better off from the knowing than the not-knowing
And if you do tackle a tough story, please share the url of your piece in the
And if you’ve tackled difficult interviews for nonfiction narratives, what are some of your tips? What