ur-grue Interview Partners Brief
What This Skill Does
Produces a structured shortlist of potential interview partners for a given story or topic — with role descriptions, the angle each person would best serve, and a priority ranking — so you can walk into pre-production with a clear sourcing plan.
When To Use This Skill
- You are starting a new story, documentary, or episode and need to identify who to interview
- You have a clear topic but cannot decide which voices are essential versus supplementary
- A producer, editor, or commissioner has asked for a sourcing plan alongside your pitch
- You want to stress-test your coverage: are all relevant perspectives represented, or are there gaps?
What You Need To Provide
Required: The story topic or question your content is exploring · The format and approximate length (e.g. 45-minute documentary, 20-minute podcast episode, 1,200-word investigative feature) · The angle or editorial position you are taking (e.g. critical of current policy, explanatory, human interest)
Optional: Specific voices you already have confirmed or are pursuing · Any voices you want to avoid or that are not relevant · Target audience (e.g. general public, specialist, policy community) · Geographic focus · Whether you need on-camera/on-mic talent only or are open to off-the-record background sources
How the Assistant Approaches This
- Analyses the story topic to identify the main perspectives that journalistic balance and editorial depth require — not just official and opposing voices, but lived-experience voices, technical experts, historical context providers, and critical challengers
- Generates a tiered shortlist of role types (not specific named individuals) with a clear editorial rationale for each — explaining what unique value that voice adds to the story that no other voice on the list provides
- Orders the shortlist by priority: which interviews are essential to the story functioning at all, which add depth, and which are desirable but cuttable — so you can triage if time or access becomes constrained
Output Format
A brief of 450–600 words. Structured as: (1) a two-sentence story framing summary to confirm you and the assistant are aligned on what the story is; (2) an Essential Voices section (3–4 entries); (3) a Depth Voices section (2–3 entries); (4) a Desirable But Optional section (1–2 entries). Each entry: role title, the editorial function this voice serves, one sentence on where to find this type of source, and a flag if this voice is typically hard to access. Ends with a brief note on balance — whether the full shortlist, if realised, would represent the story fairly.
Quality Criteria
- Every voice on the list has a distinct editorial function — no two entries serve the same purpose
- The Essential Voices section alone is enough to tell the story if access is limited
- At least one voice represents direct lived experience of the topic, not just institutional or expert perspective
- The balance note honestly identifies any gaps or structural skews in the proposed sourcing
- No real named individuals are included — the output identifies role types and where to find them, not specific people
Example
Input
Topic: A surge in the use of private tutoring among families who cannot comfortably afford it — parents taking on debt or working extra hours to pay for tutoring they feel is now necessary for their children to keep up at school.
Format: 25-minute podcast episode for a parenting and education audience
Angle: Sympathetic to families under pressure; critical of why school provision has made private tutoring feel essential
Geographic focus: UK
Already confirmed: One parent willing to speak on record
Output
Interview Partners Brief Topic: The private tutoring debt trap — UK parents, education podcast, 25 min
Story framing check: This episode argues that declining school support has pushed ordinary families into spending they cannot afford on private tutoring — and examines the financial and emotional cost. The confirmed parent voice is the emotional anchor. The brief below identifies who else the story needs.
Essential Voices
A second parent — different financial and demographic profile from your confirmed source Function: Prevents the episode feeling like a single case study; broadens the picture and protects against "this is just one family's problem" pushback. Ideally from a different region or household income bracket. Where to find: Parent Facebook groups focused on primary or secondary school; mumsnet threads on tutoring costs; schools in areas with high tutoring uptake (London outer boroughs, commuter towns). Access note: Parents who have taken on debt are often reluctant to be identified — be prepared to offer anonymity.
An education economist or researcher who studies private tutoring markets Function: Provides the structural argument — why tutoring demand has grown, what the evidence says about its effect on attainment gaps, and whether the trend is likely to continue. Gives the episode credibility beyond personal testimony. Where to find: UK university education departments; the Sutton Trust (publishes annual tutoring research); the Education Endowment Foundation. Access note: Researchers at these institutions are generally accessible to journalists; a press office route is reliable.
A working tutor — ideally one with ambivalence about the system they are part of Function: Humanises the supply side and adds complexity. A tutor who is uneasy about tutoring families who cannot really afford it gives the episode moral texture rather than a simple villain/victim frame. Where to find: Tutoring platforms (Tutorful, MyTutor) sometimes feature tutor profiles with contact details; tutor Facebook and Reddit communities.
Depth Voices
A primary or secondary school teacher (speaking off-record or anonymously) Function: Classroom perspective on whether teachers see tutoring as filling gaps they cannot fill — and whether that creates any internal tension with their professional role. Where to find: Teacher union contacts (NEU, NASUWT press teams); teaching forums. Access note: Teachers speaking critically about school provision usually require anonymity; factor this into your editorial approach.
A financial wellbeing adviser or debt counsellor Function: Puts tutoring spending in the context of household debt decisions — what families are sacrificing to pay for it. Adds a concrete financial dimension beyond parental anxiety. Where to find: Citizens Advice media team; StepChange charity press office.
Desirable But Optional
- A government or local authority spokesperson Function: Provides official response to the central claim. Even a non-committal statement is editorially useful — it marks the moment where institutional accountability was offered and either given or refused. Where to find: Department for Education press office. Access note: May decline or provide a written statement only; plan for this.
Balance note: This shortlist skews toward voices that support the critical framing of the episode, which is appropriate given your stated angle. If the DfE or a school headteacher provides substantive counter-evidence (e.g. that school provision has not declined), give it proportionate airtime — the episode is stronger for engaging with the strongest available counterargument, not dismissing it.
Known Limitations
- This skill identifies role types and sourcing strategies — it does not name specific individuals or provide contact details. Use the contact-info-researcher skill to locate actual contacts once roles are defined.
- For highly specialised or technical topics, the assistant may not know which specific institutions or research bodies are the most credible in that field — verify with a sector specialist before committing to a sourcing plan.
- The balance note reflects the assistant's assessment of editorial coverage, not a legal or regulatory compliance check. For regulated broadcast formats, verify balance requirements with your compliance team.
- Shortlists generated here are starting points. Access, timing, and willingness to speak will reshape the actual guest list; treat the brief as a map, not a schedule.