THE NEWS-GENERATING MACHINE

Abstract

This paper examines the reporter–source interview in television news production. The starting point is that the interview as part of news production is largely ignored as a subject of research, especially considering its central importance in journalism. The interview is usually looked at as a method to gain information from interviewees. This study looks at the interview in a more constructivist way. The central claim is that the interview functions as a “news-generating machine” that compels replies from interviewees that can be used as raw material for news stories. The article brings forth the importance of the “pre-interview”, it examines and exemplifies standard question strategies, such as negative questions, and how the interviewee replies are edited and represented as news. In doing so, the article also shows how certain questions’ strategies are linked with the making of such common news frames as “the problem frame”, “the attraction” and “psychological news narratives”.

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