The importance of and focus on the interview in the work of
the print and broadcast journalist is reflected in several books that have been
written on the topic. Most of these books, as well as several chapters, mainly
in, but not limited to, journalism and broadcasting handbooks and reporting
texts, stress the "how-to" aspects of journalistic interviewing rather than the
conceptual aspects of the interview, its context and implications. Much of the
"how-to" material is based on personal experiences and general impressions. As
we know, in journalism as in other fields, much can be learned from the
systematic study of professional practice. Such study brings together evidence
from which broad generalized principles can be developed. There
is, as has been suggested, a growing body of research literature in journalism
and broadcasting, but very little significant attention has been devoted to the
study of the interview itself. On the other hand, many general texts as well as
numerous research articles on interviewing in fields other than journalism have
been written. Many of these books and articles present the theoretical and
empirical aspects of the interview as well as the training of the interviewers.
Unhappily, this plentiful general literature about interviewing pays little
attention to the journalistic interview. The fact that the general literature on
interviewing does not deal with the journalistic interview seems to be
surprising for two reasons. First, it seems likely that most people in modern
Western societies are more familiar, at least in a positive manner, with
journalistic interviewing than with any other form of interviewing. Most of us
are provably somewhat familiar with the clinical interview, such as that
conducted by physicians and psychologists. In these situations the professional
person or interviewer is interested in getting information necessary for the
diagnosis and treatment of the person seeking help. Another familiar situation
is the job interview. However, very few of us have actually been interviewed
personally by the mass media, particularly by television. And yet, we have a
vivid acquaintance with the journalistic interview by virtue of our roles as
readers, listeners, and viewers. Even so, true understanding of the journalistic
interview, especially television interviews, requires thoughtful analysis and
even study, as this book indicates.
(369
words) The main idea of the first paragraph is that importance should be attached to the systematic study of ______ .