Interview Questions not to ask

[dlgood]

Was sitting in on a telephone interview regarding one of the Navy's ship programs, mostly handling the charts and data for the program manager to reference... And taking notes to make sure he wasn't misquoted.

By way of advice for those of you who might become reporters... when interviewing a US Navy captain, do not read an incendiary post from an internet forum or posting board, and then ask said captain how it makes him/her feel. Unless your primary purpose is to (A) amuse the junior staff in the room and (b) ensure that you never get an interview request granted again.

Comments

[stars91.livejournal.com]

Advice duly noted! *g*

How's life treating ya?

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Played softball season finale yesterday in our "everybody makes the playoffs" league - which is good and bad. Good because there are more games for us, even though our team was bad. Bad, because I am in much pain. Sprained ankle, blister on heel, bruise on inside of leg, and still gimpy knees.

Am so very old and sore...

Also - my Nats are on a losing streak.

[stars91.livejournal.com]

Well, as long as you had fun playing....


Also - my Nats are on a losing streak.

My Cards lost last night!! Not sure how they've won anything recently, half the starting line-up is on the DL!!!!!!

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I did have fun. Had a decent game - got picked off on a play because I couldn't turn around and run back to the base. OTOH, they switched me from the OF to first base, so I didn't have to wreck myself (or the team) by staggering around the outfield like an old, old man.

And yeah - your Cards took a loss. Somehow, I think they'll survive okay what with that Pujols fellow in the lineup.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Heh. Does this mean Navy types are getting together on private message boards and dissecting policies the way people do fandoms?

(Nah, I know, it was probably just some student lefty type venting about all military types being Nazi baby-rapers.)

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

(Nah, I know, it was probably just some student lefty type venting about all military types being Nazi baby-rapers.)

Actually, the comment was in regards to flaws reported in the construction of the Lead Ships of one of our Navy Shipbuilding programs. The forum poster suggested that Navy designers be stripped naked and flogged - and ticket proceeds for the event could be used toward designing and building a new ship in it's place.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Glad to see the tradition of military plain-speaking continues.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I don't think it was a Military person posting. The forum in question, which shall remain nameless, was a general public space...

[cleapet.livejournal.com]

He asked the captain how he felt? Nice going.

(Secretly, the comment made the captain feel like a tree. He just didn't know what kind of tree.)

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

Oh my . . .

[scwlc.livejournal.com]

I'm quite far left myself so you probably don't want to hear my opinions on the military, but I have to say that anyone interviewing another person should probably not bring up incendiary posts made on public boards then ask the interviewee his or her opinion on it. Unless the whole interview is about such a post of course.

Your advice to aspiring reporters seems fully parlay-able into other areas.

What were they thinking?

Re: Oh my . . .

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

The nature of the criticism wasn't so much about how the military is bad or anything, but more about a specific case where a government program (in this case, an amphibious warship) was overbudget, behind schedule, and exhibiting some number of flaws.

I'm not sure what he was trying to do, other than getting the Cap'n to react. Or something. Which is dumb, because this is a Cap'n who doesn't.