Journal Entry XV

Journal Entry 15: In-class Interviews

The in-class interviews over the last three weeks have been interesting. They have been successful for the most part, but they have also been challenging. Vicki and Elizabeth were difficult interviewees in different ways, but perhaps that is simply a factor of any interview.

Vicki’s interview was very interesting, but it also was hard to narrow down. Her breadth of specific knowledge and responsibility made it difficult to find a coherent path of discussion. Even after concerted effort, the interview seemed to ramble on from questions about Mount St. Helens, to questions of policy, to modern prevention methods, to contemporary examples, and finally to the somewhat painful questions of basic organization (which felt entirely pro forma and designed to run down the clock).

Fortunately, these difficulties were mitigated by her willingness to spend as much time as was needed to answer any questions we had. This allowed the sometimes broadly fielded queries to be answered completely while leaving time for the more central topics. I really enjoyed being able to ask her questions about DOGAMI and the rest, I only wish I had been able to narrow down my focus.

Elizabeth was a different kind of interview. She was equally friendly and knowledgeable, but sometimes difficult to follow. I felt unsure of the extent of what she was talking about, only that her business was in Public Relations and her interview was on conducting business interviews. I felt that she would have done better with a more comprehensive lecture, because when the time came (quickly) for questions I was left without enough information to have any specific questions.

The questions I did ask were terribly reaching, and the awkward comment about satellites only worsened the situation. Still, I felt it was worse to have a total silence in the classroom, so I figured I would ask her some general questions while I worked out a more topical one.

In the end, I would consider her an amiable interviewee, but also a difficult one. While these are doubtlessly excellent traits as a press relations representative, they make for frustrating classroom discussions.

Journal Entry XIII

The following is part of a series of reposted journal entries made for a reporting class that I took last term. They aren't particularly edited, or necessarily even interesting (though hopefully they are), but they do a pretty good job of expressing what I am doing right now. And, of course, they are pre-made content. Reader beware.

Journal Entry 13: Crescent Village PR interview

While I waited for the firemen to get back from their call, I went over to the nearby Crescent Village to speak with the PR people and get the stereotypical tour. I figured it would be a good opportunity to get some basic pictures, and to put my toe in the door in case I needed to talk with people later, and I could get a feel for how the lease company was feeling about their media exposure.

In summary, once I got my message through the process went quite smoothly. I didn’t get anything I didn’t already know, but it was good to confirm a few little factoids (eg. Expensive housing, non-Eugene tenants, 2012 completion date) that I had heard earlier. I also got some renter’s literature, which might be useful if I need to throw out some official numbers from the developers.

This interview seemed to draw a lot upon the things that were talked about in the short story we read earlier in the class. The PR person, Julie, seemed a little rattled by my appearance, but I threw on my best smile and tried to appear pretty nonchalant. I left my notepad in my pocket, though I did get her permission to take photos of some of the rooms and the scale model of the village.

Journal Entry XII

Journal Entry 12: Fire station interviews

Taking the advice of my professors, I went around the Cal Young neighborhood in an attempt to garner the thoughts of community leaders on the Crescent Village development. I attempted to go and speak with the principal of the Sheldon High School, or really with any of the educational community leaders, only to find out that a) I was pretty dumb, and b) it was President’s Day, and school wasn’t in session.

Fortunately, the Fire Station No. 6 was nearby, so my time was not wasted. I walked over to the station and spoke with a fireman who told me that Captain Steve Kropf would no doubt love to talk with me, but he was out on call. I went over to Crescent Village to burn some time, and one hour later I was back in the station’s office, chatting amiably with the firemen.

After bonding slightly at our collective disapproval of Swiss seats (a minimalistic equipment harness that saves the wearer from falls but straps between the thighs), I was able to get a good 30 minutes of interview from Captain Kropf as well as Roger, one of the older firemen.

The interview went quite well, with plenty of stories and laughter as well as good quotations (he had significant concerns over the tall and narrow design of the townhouses). I was hoping to take some portraits, but I couldn’t figure out a way to easily work them into the conversation. Oh well, it wasn’t all that important anyways.

Note: See, even Eugene firefighters are part of new media.

Journal Entry V

The following is part of a series of reposted journal entries made for a reporting class I am taking right now. They aren't particularly edited, or necessarily even interesting (though hopefully they are), but they do a pretty good job of expressing what I am doing right now. And, of course, they are pre-made content. Reader beware.

Journal Entry 5: VFSA Interviews

Meeting with the Veteran’s association was interesting on several levels. They were good people with complex histories and opinions. Their community was purpose-driven but also difficult to penetrate, and their story was equally difficult to understand and tell.

All told, I spent about two hours or so interviewing various members of the group in their EMU meeting room. The co-director, Shane Addis, was my first interview. He provided some good information, but was also very issue driven. I went back to talk with the members to try and get a more human face on their issues, which also gave me some of the best quotations.

Speaking with military folk comes pretty naturally to me after spending so much time with them, but the real trick for me was finding a good way to write down what was being said. While I only sat down with one person, a bull session quickly developed that had my pen racing across the page in a near illiterate fashion. Three people chatting are difficult to cover, even though I managed to retain their attention on me and my questions. While I managed to attribute just about everything, I was constantly worried about getting a great quote and not know who said it.

I later went back and covered their meeting with the PFC funding committee, which ended in disappointment for the VFSA members. I found myself wishing that I could write up a follow-up article on the group and on the meeting itself, which I thought was very interesting in how the personal dynamics played out. Clearly there was more story to tell, and I wasn’t surprised to see a follow-up in the Emerald the following Monday.

On a personal note, after seeing the funding committee, I’d agree with an unnamed interviewee who thought that the PFC seemed like, “a bunch of kids playing government.”