Source Interview Prep Skill
A journalistic interview isn't a friendly chat or a research call — it's an on-the-record exchange where the subject may have every reason not to answer straight. This skill preps the interview to get truthful, usable, attributable answers: rapport first, the hard questions sequenced so they don't end the conversation early, and a plan for the dodge.
Working from a brief
Given the subject and the story, write the full prep — infer where the subject is cooperative vs. defensive and sequence accordingly. Always handle ground rules explicitly; never counsel deception or entrapment.
Required Inputs
Ask for (if not provided, else infer and label):
- Who you're interviewing and their relationship to the story (witness, expert, accountable party, whistleblower)
- What you need — the facts, quotes, or confirmation this interview must produce
- The dynamic — cooperative, reluctant, or adversarial; on/off record expectations
Output Format
Ground rules (settle first)
On-the-record vs. background vs. off-the-record vs. not-for-attribution — define them, agree them up front, and note how you'll handle mid-interview attempts to go off-record.
Question plan (sequenced)
- Open / rapport — easy, establishing questions.
- Build the record — the factual, chronological questions.
- The core asks — the questions the story needs, specific and answerable.
- The hard questions — accountability/contradiction questions, placed after you have the record (so they can't just walk).
- Close — "what did I not ask?" and "who else should I talk to?"
Handling the dodge
Techniques for the evasive or hostile subject: the follow-up that closes the gap, repeating the unanswered question, using documents/quotes to press, silence, and staying neutral rather than arguing.
Capture plan
Recording (and consent/legal note — recording-consent laws vary by jurisdiction), notes, and how you'll verify quotes.
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Leading with the accusatory question (the subject shuts down or leaves)
- Never settling on/off-record, then fighting about it later
- Vague questions that invite a non-answer
- Arguing with or editorializing at the subject instead of pressing on facts
- No plan for the dodge — accepting the first evasion
- Recording without regard for consent law
1---2name: source-interview-prep3description: Prepare a journalist to interview a source or subject — including hostile or accountability interviews. Use when a reporter needs to prep an interview with a source, plan questions for a subject, handle an on-the-record accountability interview, or get a reluctant person to talk. Produces a question plan sequenced from rapport to the hard asks, ground-rules handling (on/off record, attribution), techniques for evasive or hostile subjects, and a capture plan. Distinct from expert-interview-prep (learning from an expert).4---5
6# Source Interview Prep Skill
7
8A journalistic interview isn't a friendly chat or a research call — it's an on-the-record exchange where the subject may have every reason not to answer straight. This skill preps the interview to get truthful, usable, attributable answers: rapport first, the hard questions sequenced so they don't end the conversation early, and a plan for the dodge.
9
10## Working from a brief
11
12Given the subject and the story, **write the full prep** — infer where the subject is cooperative vs. defensive and sequence accordingly. Always handle ground rules explicitly; never counsel deception or entrapment.
13
14## Required Inputs
15
16Ask for (if not provided, else infer and label):
17- **Who** you're interviewing and their **relationship to the story** (witness, expert, accountable party, whistleblower)
18- **What you need** — the facts, quotes, or confirmation this interview must produce
19- **The dynamic** — cooperative, reluctant, or adversarial; on/off record expectations
20
21## Output Format
22
23### Ground rules (settle first)
24On-the-record vs. background vs. off-the-record vs. not-for-attribution — define them, agree them up front, and note how you'll handle mid-interview attempts to go off-record.
25
26### Question plan (sequenced)
271. **Open / rapport** — easy, establishing questions.
282. **Build the record** — the factual, chronological questions.
293. **The core asks** — the questions the story needs, specific and answerable.
304. **The hard questions** — accountability/contradiction questions, placed after you have the record (so they can't just walk).
315. **Close** — "what did I not ask?" and "who else should I talk to?"
32
33### Handling the dodge
34Techniques for the evasive or hostile subject: the follow-up that closes the gap, repeating the unanswered question, using documents/quotes to press, silence, and staying neutral rather than arguing.
35
36### Capture plan
37Recording (and consent/legal note — recording-consent laws vary by jurisdiction), notes, and how you'll verify quotes.
38
39## Quality Checks
40
41- [ ] Ground rules (on/off record, attribution) are defined and agreed before the hard part
42- [ ] Questions are sequenced rapport → record → core → hard, not front-loaded with accusations
43- [ ] The core asks are specific and answerable, tied to what the story needs
44- [ ] There's a concrete plan for evasive/hostile responses
45- [ ] Capture includes a recording-consent/legal note (laws vary by jurisdiction)
46- [ ] No advice to deceive, entrap, or misrepresent who you are
47
48## Anti-Patterns
49
50- Leading with the accusatory question (the subject shuts down or leaves)
51- Never settling on/off-record, then fighting about it later
52- Vague questions that invite a non-answer
53- Arguing with or editorializing at the subject instead of pressing on facts
54- No plan for the dodge — accepting the first evasion
55- Recording without regard for consent law
Mohit Aggarwal