man  on  the  street  to  be  an  expert,  but  it  expects  the interviewer  to  be  thoroughly  knowledgeable  of  the subject being discussed. INFORMATION  INTERVIEWS The  information  interview  is  the  most  common form   of   interview   used   at   NBS   detachments.   The civilian   broadcast   equivalent   is   the   public   service interview. Your subject maybe the chief master-at-arms discussing   local   activities   during   Crime   Prevention Week or the MWR director talking about what activities are planned at the recreation center. You might do an interview with a physician for a health series or the CO for your weekly captain’s call. Whatever  the  topic  may  be,  your  goal  during  the information  interview  is  to  inform  the  audience.  You should  research  the  topic  and  prepare  your  questions well in advance. You do not have to show your questions to the interviewee before the program, but it helps if you give your subject an idea of what you will ask This helps you keep your topic on track during the interview. As  a  Navy  broadcaster,  you  may  be  assigned  to cover  a  wide  range  of  adverse  news  situations.  When you  conduct  an  interview  in  conjunction  with  an accident or disaster, be sensitive to the feelings of others. Be  careful  how  you  phrase  your  questions  and  watch your tone of delivery. Use tact in finding out the five Ws and  H  and  double-check  your  facts.  If  you  need assistance in gathering the facts, consult your colleagues in the public affairs office. PERSONALITY  INTERVIEWS Another form of interview often assigned to Navy broadcasters is the personality interview. In this case, the  person  is  important  because  of  what  happened  to him, what he has done or the position he holds. It may be a timely feature story interview, a regular series or a celebrity interview. During   the   personality   interview,   you   must   be versatile enough to make your delivery match the event. You must be sensitive to the situation and not antagonize the interviewee by making light of something he takes seriously. Often,  Navy  broadcasters  will  be  assigned  to interview famous recording artists, motion picture stars or   sports   celebrities.   Be   aware   that   celebrities   are accustomed to being interviewed and are well-seasoned at this art. If you are not careful, the celebrity you are interviewing may try to run the show. Again,  the  key  to  producing  a  good  personality interview is research. Read every available newspaper or  magazine  article  on  your  subject.  Know  about  his past, his rise to success, what he is doing now and his plans  for  the  future.  Write  intelligent  and  stimulating questions. Personality subjects appreciate new material and grow weary of answering the same questions time and time again. INTERVIEW METHODS LEARNING  OBJECTIVE:  Recognize  the  most common interview methods. What   method   should   you   use   to   conduct   an interview?  The  answer  depends  on  the  subject,  time, place  and  other  intangibles  that  make  each  interview different. In  most  circumstances,  you  will  use  one  of  the following three interview methods to get the required information for your program: l   Scripted l   Semi-scripted c   Ad-lib SCRIPTED In  the  scripted  interview,  all  the  questions  and answers are prepared in advance and the interviewee(s) simply read(s) the prepared text. While  certain  high-ranking  officers  and  officials involved in sensitive or security areas may prefer this method, the scripted interview must not sound like it is being read. If it does, then the program becomes stilted and the conversational aspect of the interview is lost. Likewise, listeners or viewers will lose interest and tune out the message you are trying to deliver. Unless security or policy concerns dictate the use of the scripted interview, you should avoid it. SEMI-SCRIPTED The semi-scripted interview method is the best for most  interviews.  With  this  interview,  the  interviewer researches   the   subject   and   interviewee,   discusses possible   questions   in   advance   and   perhaps   even rehearses  the  interview.  This  method  provides  an excellent  balance  between  the  ad-lib  (covered  next)  and the fully scripted methods and is personal, yet focused. 15-2