What are some best practices for interviewing hostile sources? A free online training Thursday will show you how

To help reporters learn how to ask tough interview questions and get answers without a derailing confrontation, the New England First Amendment Coalition is offering a free online training: "30 Minute Skills: How to Interview Hostile Sources" on Thursday, May 11, 2023, 12:00 PM ET. Registration is required.

By attending the training, participants will learn three proven approaches:
• How to lay the foundation for a productive interview with a hostile source.
• The strategies needed to keep a confrontational interview safe and on topic.
• Ways to follow up with a hostile source to prevent unnecessary confrontation during future interviews.

Jenifer McKim

The training's instructor is Jenifer McKim, a deputy investigative editor with the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting, who specializes in social justice issues, including human trafficking, criminal justice, child welfare and consumer debt. She is a fellow of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University and holds a Master of Science in Journalism from Boston University.

The training is part of the Coalition's ongoing "30 Minute Skills" offerings, which are free, archived and can be viewed online. Registration for each lesson is required. The goal of the program is to provide reporters and other citizens knowledge they can use immediately in newsgathering, data collection, storytelling and other areas of journalism and First Amendment law. Each training is open to the public.