[Journalists] Fascinating interview transcript
Donna Hill
penatwork at epix.net
Thu Mar 6 13:54:34 CST 2008
Ben, Thanks for posting this. It's excellent! I am assuming that this is
the same Jean Parker who wrote the article on Braille literacy for VOA.
My follow-up question is: What is the brand name of his digital recorder
and how accessible is it? Also, what programs is he using to edit? I
did radio programs many years ago and would like to have an accessible
digital recorder for field work.
Donna
Ben Hoff wrote:
> Hello to all!
> Here is a transcript of one of the interviews that I have conducted. I have obtained permission from mister Parker to forward this to the group. The information is so incredible, I had to share it with like-minded people. This interview has changed my whole outlook on journalism, and my future in reporting. I have enjoyed all the interviews I have conducted thus far, however the uniqueness of Jean Parker's career is inspiring.
> Hope you Agree!
>
>
> From:"Jean parker"
> To: "Ben Hoff" < mailto:grassroots31194 at yahoo.com grassroots31194 at yahoo.com
>
> Subject: Re: Blind free lance journalism
>
> Hi Ben:
>
> I will answer your questions as best I can, given that my situation is somewhat unique.
>
> #1 Who is your currentEmployer?
>
> I work for many different news agencies in North America, Europe and Asia. Some of them are: National Public Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Netherlands, Radio Australia, Marketplace, Global Radio News, Voice of America etc.
>
> How long have you been reporting?
> Since 1995.
>
> Wich area of news do you typicaly cover?
> It varies, I do breaking news for NPR, breaking business news for Marketplace, and the rest is mainly social development features and documentaries. These are mostly about Indian society, trends, events or circumstances. Unfortunately, much of it is about poverty, after-effects of natural disasters or wars, and sometimes things like land reform or how government policies impact people.
>
>
> #2. How much useable vision do you currently have
> A little more than light perception.
>
> Has Your level of sight changed since you first started Reporting?
> No.
>
>
> #3. What mode of transportation do you use to get to work?
> It depends on where the job is. If I am getting tape or interviewing someone in my city then I travel either by rickshaw or motor cycle. Once in a while by car, but not usually. If the work is outside of the city where I live, it depends on where it is. If it is in the countryside often I hire a jeep and driver. Sometimes I go by train and then taxi or local train. Sometime by air. Sometimes by bus then on foot or by bullock cart, if the place is remote. By the way, you can't rent a car in India without hiring a driver as well, so when I calculate expenses for a job and it includes renting a vehicle, that automatically means driver. Also, keep in mind that India is a class-based society so being accompanied by a driver and/or assistant is expected of someone of my class and profession. If I were to show up without an assistant, it would be considered very odd.
>
> Have You ever covered Late Breaking news that required you to be at the sceen of a emergency Imediatly?
> I covered the 2004 Asian tsunami. I arrived a week and a half after it happened which for a story of this size, was still breaking.
>
> If so, How did you arive there?
> By air, there was no space on trains going south.
>
> #4. When conducting Interviews, what is your prefered method of recording responses?
> I work almost always in radio so I use a high-end flash recorder.
>
> How much does not being able to make eye-contact effect an interview?
> That's difficult to know. I usually don't tell the interview subject ahead of time that I am blind because I don't think it is relevant. Exceptions to this would be if the person is somehow difficult to find or if there is some other factor that requires them to know. It certainly isn't something I hide though, a quick google search would reveal it to the discerning searcher. But it's just not something I make a big deal of unless circumstances require it. After the work is done, I am most happy to answer any questions they have about how I do things or anything else.
> Anyway, back to your question. In this part of the world, journalists almost always utilize "fixers" and/or translators. Sometime they are the same person, sometimes not. I like to hire local writers for this purpose unless a ver batum translation is required. Writers are good with words and usually good at describing things. I tell them ahead of time that I want them to take notes on everything from what the place looks like to the person's facial expressions. Later if I have questions about the visuals then I ask them. About whether eye contact effects interviews, I guess it depends on the person. Many of the people I interview are in pretty bad shape and they don't even notice. When I interview regular everyday people, I probably spend more time with them than many reporters so we get to know each other a little. Often they open up to me more than with other reporters because they know something is different and that I might in some way be able to relate to thei!
> r situation. Of course, I always look at the person I'm interviewing as if I can see them. But another more difficult situation I face is that in villages, people tell their stories in groups. If it isn't handled right, it can be an editing nightmare especially if it's in a language I don't know. So I direct my assistant to "direct traffic" so that one person is speaking at a time. If I were sighted, I would have more micing options using a shotgun mic and moving it to each speaker in turn. However, in this situation, people are constantly moving, coming and going. So I use an omni mic and try to get the statements as isolated as possible. Using a uni-directional mic would again be a problem because the chance of the subject moving off the axes of the mic is much greater. Plus usually in stories like this, the ambience is desirable in the story. I hope this somewhat answers your question.
>
> In what ways can you make up for the lack of eye contact?
> By helping the person feel as comfortable as possible, this usually means spending more time. Also, unless it's a politition or someone else who is used to giving interviews and has a tight schedule, one is required to at least take tea with the subject or the subjects family, neighbors, co-workers etc, and sometimes this extends to a simple meal. It is never permissible to skip this part and it gives everyone a chance to talk and get acquainted. Only then, can an interview take place.
>
>
> If you are on the sceen of a noisy police call, or trafffic accedint, How do you go about approaching a perspective witness for interview
> See above.
>
>
> #5. As a free lance journalist,What kind of salary Might I expect to recieve
> There are to many variables to consider to give an answer to this. Things like what media you work in, your experience, what kind of stories you do, what part of the world you work in, and sometimes how much compromising you are willing to do all determine how much you can make.
>
> #6. What do you dislike about your job the most?
> Unresponsive editors.
>
>
> What aspects of your job makes up for the challenges?
> Finishing a story and knowing that it's good.
>
> What about your Job makes you jump out of bed everyday and keep reporting?
> Learning new things every day and getting paid to be curious.
> (second part of interview)
> Did you start out as a free lance reporter, or at a spicific news agency?
>
> I began working at Radio for Peace International in Costa Rica, around 1995. At that time, RFPI was a shortwave station and would be classified as a community radio station. In fact, that was our ID, global community radio. At that time we used mini-disk machines in the studio and we were still using cassette recorders in the field. Later it all became computerized. Anyway, they needed someone to produce programs for them in several different areas. One of those was on disability rights and that's how I began producing Disability Radio Worldwide, which I did until 2003. I also produced for the Global Community Forum which was a call-in show. We would play documentaries or interviews and then invite people to call in with comments. Sometimes, I also co-hosted that show. All of this was before we really started using the internet a lot for things so as we integrated more and more of the internet into the daily functioning of the station, I was involved in experimenti!
> ng with ways we could use it in conjunction with live broadcasts. For example, we figured out long ago how to use things like yahoo chat rooms, msn and so forth to get people together on the net and broadcast what they had to say over the air. It's the same kind of thing I use skype for in the conference recording and netcasting I do today. The biggest difference was that we could use those high-tech communication tools we had back then and reach people in the most remote places on earth because we had a shortwave signal.
>
> Anyway, to answer your question, they needed someone at the time so they taught me how to edit, mix programs and all that. I had done a little radio in college and a few other projects along the way. As I became more interested in radio and journalism, I quit my day job running a nonprofit. I decided to attend RFPI's Institute for Progressive Communication. It was a certificate course in radio production, alternative media and Spanish language emersion. I later taught at that institute. I took other courses as well in commercial voice over for example. Eventually I joined the Association for Independents in Radio and attended education courses they sponsored. Most recently, I attended a course in audio documentary production at Duke University, and will be continuing there for the next fifteen months in an online program.
>
> I received a lot of mentoring as well, I listened a lot, I gave people my programs and asked for feedback. So, I learned it by doing it. So I don't have a J-school degree.
>
> As far as getting in at NPR Radio Netherlands etc, for the kind of work I do they consider experience more than anything else. By the time I got to India, I had amassed quite a few stories to submit as work samples. Whenever you work for a new editor, they want work samples. So, I started pitching stories and because of the part of the world where I work and the kind of stories I like to do, I get work.
>
> RFPI was where I got started and I did about every job there is to do in a radio station except for general manager. I never wanted to do that job. I have been on the management team for many years and take turns with one other person running the internet feed. Oh yeah, we were put off the air at gun point in 2002, so now we're an internet station instead of shortwave. It was a political thing.
>
>
> How did you first get npr and others to except your stories? Was it simply generating a piece and submitting it?
> If I did a reportfor NPR on the clash in Cashmeer province, how much might I expect to earn? (aproximatly).
>
> About the Kashmir question, it's not a straight answer. It depends on who you work for, what kind of story it is, how involved it is, and the length of the story. As a rule, the Europeans pay better but this isn't always true. In general, the Europeans also have more value for good documentary production. This is also the case with CBC, Australia and New Zealand, it's more sound driven instead of narrative driven like US editors seem to want. If you did an "acts and tracks" piece with polititions and other talking heads for a US editor, you might get about $100 per produced minute. But with NPR for example, it depends on experience level and how many stories you've filed for them before, etc. With some other people it's a flat rate per produced minute. But often it's more, just hard to say. In the US that's about average, so no one is in it for the money. If you got a commission or grant to do an in-depth documentary you would probably get much more, plus expenses!
> to get up and go to the region and all that would include. The money is in reselling pieces. So you have to pay attention to what the contracts say about who owns the intellectual rights to the story. Negotiating the most favorable rights is important so that you can re-version the material and resell it.
>
> You can also reversion into print . I prefer to get paid in Euros or Sterling because the US dollar is in such bad shape and the exchange rates are better with other currencies. I also teach at several institutes. Because radio was owned exclusively by the state until five years ago, my skills in radio and production and teaching those skills are in demand. So it's a matter of piecing it together to make a living. And remember, the money pays for a lot more in India than it does in the west.
>
> I suppose many on this list would consider it an "alternative lifestyle," no benefits, no retirement, no paid holidays. It's not for everyone, maybe it's not even for most people. But I always hated working inside of organizations. On the other hand, there are some days when I just want some editor to tell me what to do hahahahaha!
>
> This concludes the interview.
> If anyone has feedback on this, or the other interviews I have conducted thus far, I welcome Comments and, or criticism on my part of the interview. Happy writing,
> Benjamin Allan Hoff
> mailto:grassroots31194 at yahoo.com grassroots31194 at yahoo.com
> Be Positive, and love your life
> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Try it now.
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