NEWS INTERVIEW
- 231 candidates;
- 146 passed - 63 per cent

The interview was about a 44-year-old security guard who was killed in a roadside bomb attack by Al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq.

Candidates were given background information about the attack and the victim Paul Hargreaves, who was a former policeman from the town of Ardingham.

Candidates were required to interview Tom (or Tina) Revie, the cousin of the dead man and get enough information to write a vigorous and well balanced story.

A vivid picture of what had happened was available to those candidates who conducted a thorough and logical interview.

There was also plenty of colour for those candidates interested in providing their readers with information about the local man who had died.

The vast majority of candidates correctly identified that the core angle focused on a former Ardingham policeman being killed by terrorists in Iraq.

Many intros also included the dramatic explosion of the roadside bomb or colour about the victim.

There was a fairly even split among the candidates and both angles were rewarded.

Whichever approach was taken it was essential to include both elements high in the story and the best versions also had a key quote in the opening paragraphs.

Candidates are requested to write in the style of their own newspaper and markers took into account that the body of the copy could take two different directions.

Some newspapers would focus on the drama of the event followed by information about the man and his connections with the area.

Other newspapers might take the opposite approach.

Both were acceptable provided the candidate covered both elements and wrote a well organised and well structured story.

It was impossible to incorporate all the information made available but there were many good reports which included some, if not all, of the other key facts in the story: details about the victim (his police experience, connections to the area, his family background), the drama of the attack (the explosion, his injuries, the attempt to save him, other casualties), and basic details about the interviewee and the victim's mother.

Markers took a neutral approach to the spelling of Al Qaeda but penalised candidates who were inconsistent.

There was a wide selection of emotive quotes available to a thorough interviewer and at least three full, verbatim quotes well placed through the story were required although minor variations were not penalised.

Overall, markers were looking for a strongly worded opening with good use of dynamic verbs and adjectives, a key quote high in the story followed by a strong, logical approach with a mix of accurate quotes and reported speech.

Many candidates achieved this goal and candidates and their trainers and editors should be applauded for this.

However, the two previous Examiners' Reports highlighted the problems of candidates taking a superficial and scattergun approach to the interview.

This is improving but there were still candidates who did not show enough interest in the victim as a person – the very information that would engage the reader.

Interviewing technique is the cornerstone of good reporting and therefore it is important to stress that on-the-job support is essential for trainees to ensure a higher standard of interviewing skills and a higher standard of stories in newspapers across the country.