Wikinews can take interviews how it wants, I wish I could read the sr.
interview. We're already known for saying, "Wikinews is not paper" - that
in
itself is an invitation to have lengthy interviews, and to not cut off or
cut short answers.
This is in stark contrast to mainstream media, and their approach with
subject experts is equally dreadful. All they want is the 20 second
soundbite to paste into the evening news bulletin.
We can't pay experts, so we can't get really notable people talking to us. I
can understand then that final year students, or those working towards a PhD
would make ideal 'near-experts'. I wouldn't let them drive the process as it
could become too dry and technical, it needs the non-expert input to keep
the content grounded where a majority of people can understand it.
I'd certainly be interested in a geneticist's take on H1N1 Swine Flu. We
never get told how likely it is to mutate before the next northern
hemisphere flu season - and even if mutation is likely to make it more
deadly. Of course, you'd want a geneticist who was well-read on virus
geneaology.
Brian.
-----Original Message-----
From: wikinews-l-bounces(a)lists.wikimedia.org
[mailto:wikinews-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Milos Rancic
Sent: 23 July 2009 20:41
To: Wikinews mailing list
Subject: [Wikinews-l] Reporter-expert
A couple of days ago, Mile, the most active sr.Wikinewsian, made an
interview about Djavolja Varos. (To bi honest, last two years I was
sick of mentioning that place for the so called "new seven wonders of
the world".) He tried to find someone from the organization, but when
he didn't succeed in that, he interviewed Ana, a Wikipedian and a
student of geology. [1]
The interview became a real success. Mile asked "popular questions"
and Ana gave very hard scientific answers. Interview on sr.wn became,
probably, the only journalist article on the Net in Serbian with so
rational answers on ordinary questions.
I realized one more thing: We (not just sr.wn) have a very strong
background in many professionals and students in many areas (from
Wikipedia). A geologist is especially interesting because she may give
a short analysis of every tectonic movement, volcano or similar. But,
we have a geneticist, too, which may give some rational answers about
pig flu; and so on and so on.
I don't think that it is necessary to keep the form of interview.
Instead of that, we may ask such experts to write journalistic
articles about relevant events. And, this is not original reporting.
This is analytic text about some event.
So, my question is: How do you see that kind of journalism? Of course,
NPOV should be followed, but what more? Is something like that already
defined on some Wikinews edition? If not, is there any specific reason
for that? If yes, how did you do that?
[1] -
http://sr.wikinews.org/wiki/Vikivesti_intervju:_Djavolja_varos_-_prirodni_fe
nomen_Srbije
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