Janet Cho of the Cleveland Plain Dealer emailed me another tip after reading yesterday’s post about getting better responses from man-on-the-street interviews.
Today’s Tip: “Treat the people you’re talking to as the ‘real’ experts and have them respond to or comment on the news of the day,” Janet says.
For a story that ran this summer, Janet says she stood on the sidewalk outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Great Lakes Science Center to ask people about the latest unemployment data. Her story offers personal stories from tourists and Clevelanders, including a former auto worker now selling hot dogs. She writes:
“People on the streets of Cleveland Friday say they are impatient with bullish economists and bickering politicians who don’t seem to realize how little the economy has improved. They waved away questions about higher debt ceilings and an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent, because many of them wanted to vent about how much the economy stinks.”
Just this weekend, I saw a pair of shoes that reminded me of the day I spent walking around Independence Hall after a partial government shutdown. I interviewed business owners to see what impact the shutdown had. I learned the importance of not only asking the right questions, but also of keeping a pair of comfortable flats available.
