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Test your ‘Interviewing Quotient’
Take this brief quiz to help you decide which chapters of the module might be most helpful to you.
Keep track of your answers, and we’ll tell you what they mean.
Quiz 1
1. My citizen media outlet primarily aims to:
A) Reflect and advocate for a community with shared interests.
B) Inform the public about a specialized area of knowledge.
C) Let people know what’s going on in the community.
D) Provide a forum for community involvement and opportunities to participate.
2. Most of the content in my citizen media outlet:
A) Is written off-the-cuff, reflecting the knowledge and opinions of myself or other writers.
B) Relies on some research (on the Web or by talking to other people), but still comes from the perspective of the writer.
C) Includes attributed insights or direct quotes from a variety of people.
D) Solicit posts or comments directly from readers.
3. I attend an event with a speaker who would be of interest to my audience. I:
A) Take in the talk without being distracted by note-taking, and then convey my impressions of the speech.
B) Jot a few notes, or make a video or audio recording, and share those on my site.
C) Take extensive notes, and then approach the speaker after the talk to ask a question that specifically interests my audience.
D) Am more interested in writing an advance piece on the talk, and encouraging my readers to go, than in telling them about it after the fact.
4. I think MSM (mainstream media) reporters are:
A) Exploitive – they quote the wrong people and spin stories in ways that don’t allow real voices to be heard.
B) Missing the mark – they don’t write about issues the way people I know talk about them.
C) Admirable – I don’t try to reinvent the news, but rather localize it for my community.
D) Not engaged enough – I’d like to see media help more people get involved in their communities.
5. When I am writing about an issue for my site, I:
A) Come up with the most convincing ways to make my arguments.
B) Chat with friends and family about it, and their perspectives often find their way into my writing.
C) Ask everyone I can about it, seeking out public officials as well as community members.
D) Find ways to encourage my readers to get involved: by going to public meetings, writing letters, etc.
Quiz 1 results
What kind of citizen media producer are you?
Mostly A’s: Your site is a platform for opinions, and you prize the immediacy of first-hand views. You probably don’t use many traditional interviews, and may not see the need to do so. That’s OK – this module can tell you how to incorporate more voices in non-traditional ways, and how those voices can strengthen and enliven — not dilute — your arguments. Chapter 1, “To Interview … or Not to Interview,” will be particularly useful to you. See Chapter 1.
Mostly B’s: You see yourself as a resource for your audience, and like to informally collect ideas and information in the world around you. You already are interviewing, whether you know it or not. This module will show how thinking like an interviewer will give your site more appeal and humanity, and how to incorporate everyday conversations into interview material in ways that won’t make your friends and neighbors uncomfortable. Chapter 4, “Ethics of Interviewing,” will be particularly useful to you. See Chapter 4.
Mostly C’s: Interviews are a part of your repertoire, and you’ve already used them to bring a range of voices to your site. This module will help you sharpen your interviewing skills, make the most out of your conversations with sources and find new ways to present interview material. Chapter 3, “Interviewing Tips,” will be particularly useful to you. See Chapter 3.
Mostly Ds:You’re as much a community organizer as a citizen media producer, and you see media as a powerful tool for more civic engagement. For you, developing an expansive and flexible approach to interviewing — one that isn’t limited to long, sit-down inquiries — can create more ways for readers to engage with your site and the issues. Chapter 2, “Types of Interviews,” will help you brainstorm ways to do this. See Chapter 2.