Interview Techniques

LO2/LO3

LO2
Key facts about topic - YOU MUST INCLUDE REFERENCE, also have a range of
resources, online, books, magazines etc. - BOTH
Areas of interest - What sections will you cover in your programme, areas youll cover
to specifically explore - Paulina
Areas of concern - given those specific areas what concerns may there be i.e. if you
are exploring someone famous, a problem could be interviewing them, therefore for
you could say you might tweet them for an opinion. - Jake
Interviewee background - Who are you going to interview, why are they relevant to in
terms of the topic, what you might ask them questions about, given their experience
how might support them i.e. not experienced as at being interviewed so may need
supportive questions to between with and develop over time - Paulina
Observe previous interview, analysing interviews about the topic discussing the style,
questions asked and how you might take influence from this - Paulina
Questionnaire analysis - produce a questionnaire on your topic to find out peoples view
on the topic, who the topic appeals to etc. Then analyse results by stating how youll
use the information to help you in the programme, questions or part of the structure opening. - Jake

LO3
Interview purpose - Outline the style of the programme i.e. investigative,
promotional etc, why you have decided to produce that style, the type of
questions youll use to reflect this, the purpose of the interview informational, interpretative etc, where the programme will be exhibited i.e.
film or a TV channel BBC etc, time or certificate and why. - Paulina
Setting up interview - Where the interview will take place, what date, time,
setting, equipment used, setup - overhead diagram, strengths and
weaknesses of the setting, release agreements, and once the interviewees
are clarified emailing difficult questions over - Both
Questions - each interviewee 2 per person given a set of question about the
topic, specified to them individually about the topic, considering structure,
types of question introduction etc. - Both
Copyright - Looking up legal considerations when airing the topic of
programme, i.e. if your programme is being exhibited on BBC, there are
editorial guidelines you must follow here; http://www.bbc.co.
uk/editorialguidelines/guidelines - Jake
If a film you should look at the BBFC for guidelines.

This house believes parents

should be able to choose the
sex of their children

KEY FACTS

Key facts

The ultimate goal of gene editing technologies is the capacity to make precise, controlled modifications to very specific areas of the
genome, primarily to fight genetic diseases.
Around 7.9 million children each year are born with a serious birth defect that has a significant genetic contribution.
30% of all deaths worldwide are due to chronic diseases (such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes) in those under 70.
Genetically engineering babies is already possible with current technology
it is illegal to choose your baby's gender in the UK, unless there's a medical reason for it
With sex selection, there is also the possibility that some embryos may be damaged by the process of testing
the test is not 100% reliable

Sex Selection - Some genetic diseases only affect one sex rather than the other. Examples include Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which affects boys but not girls. (Girls may
still carry the gene for the disease but they will not suffer from it). In these sorts of cases, the embryo is tested to find out its sex and only embryos of the non-affected sex are
transferred to the womb. In the UK, sex selection is only allowed to avoid having a child with a serious medical condition; it is illegal to carry out sex selection for social reasons
(e.g. for family balancing).

This picture shows us the

basic idea of the way in
which this procedure is
conducted. It clearly states
that the baby will end up
having 3 genetic parents.

By Jake

Arguments for

It is the parents who will have to look after the child - they should choose
Some parents abort, say, unwanted girls (culture)- this is a painless alternative
Everyone in the family benefits from a balance of genders
The parents have a right to choose
God gave us the brains to work out how to do this, so it must be right
If a child of one gender dies, the family might really miss having, say, a girl around
Genetically engineering babies is an option, not a requirement for all parents. For those that disagree with it, they dont have to engineer their child.
Adoption - Parents that adopt get to choose the sex, origin and even age if they like to of their future child.

Reduces risk of inherited medical conditions

Keep pace with others doing it

Better chance the child will succeed in life

Better understanding of genetics

Increased life span

Can give a child genes that the parents do not carry

Prevent next generation of family from getting characteristics/diseases

Reduces risk of genetic diseases

By: Paulina

Arguments against

It is using a technique, designed to prevent the most serious disorders, in a trivial way
Parents should love their children whatever their gender
If everyone did it, there may lead to lots of boys and no girls
It will lead to sexual discrimination
You are destroying perfectly healthy embryos simply because of their gender
If used because you have many children of the opposite gender, what message does this send them?
If the process is not done carefully, the embryo could be accidentally terminated.

Furthermore, the technology used is not 100% safe yet. It is only in the experimental stages at this point.

Because the technology is so new, it is unknown whether genetically modifying the babies will affect the gene
pool. This could cause difficulties later on throughout the babys family tree.

A baby cannot consent to having its body altered; therefore some do not believe its right as parents do not own their children.

The procedure is not cheap, and not everyone would be able to afford it. Could create prejudice between Designer and non designer children.
Could cause the non-designer children to miss opportunities because jobs among other things are more likely to take the optimum candidate for
something.

There is also concern that by employing this practise as a society we would be creating a generation of designer babies that is, beyond sex
selection, once the technology is made readily available, it could result in the production of babies with preferred physiological characteristics not
unlike the Nazi ideal for blue eyed, blond haired babies of the Aryan race.

some embryos may be damaged by the process of testing

no embryos are suitable for transfer to the womb after sex selection (i.e. all embryos are of the sex being selected against)
the test is not 100% reliable.

By: Paulina

AREAS OF INTEREST

Areas of interest
In these interviews we will cover a range of topics including the main question, is it okay to choose the sex of your future
child? Other topics will include designer babies going on to whether it is okay to choose the features such as blonde hair,
green eyes etc. Another issue to be raised is probably adoption as during the adoption process you get to choose the sex
of the child, age and origin. We will specifically explore the key facts about designer babies such as the procedure and
costs, also where is it available in UK etc. Lastly, we will question whether this procedure would harm or benefit us if it was
to become common practice.
The procedure would
potentially satisfy cultural
preference however, it may
result in drastic imbalance
with many many less girls
being born.

Imbalance from studies

doesnt seem to be a threat at
the moment however, if this
was to become common
practice and become more
acceptable it could be, the
studies at the moment can be
largely influenced by the
intolerance of this rocedure
within the society at the
moment.

It is illegal in britain so hard to conduct

at the moment to become common
practice, however what if? Also means
expensive as you have to get to the
states to do it.

By: Paulina

AREAS OF CONCERN

Areas of Concern
For these interviews I feel it would be best to hit the interviewee with hard but easy to understand facts and ask
directed questions about their opinions. statements such asMany believe that if parents are given complete
control of their childs genes could harm children and damage the gene pool or Genes fashionable in one
generation may prove to be harmful in the next and parental control of the gene pool could reduce valuable
forms of diversity would be a good way to conduct this
Potential interviewees
This issue has some degree ethical and even religious debate, as such it is important to consider all of these
views and be careful not to directly offend anyone. it would be best for the interviewees to be varied in their
opinions i.e having interviewees of religious persuasion but also making sure they are not completely close
minded in their beliefs, so they will agree to be interviewed I feel structuring all questions to not suggest any form
of bias would be optimal for a subject this potentially controversial.
Other concerns
1.

INTERVIEWEE BACKGROUND

Interviewee background
First person we will interview is Jessica Likerish which is a university student in her second year studying midwifery. The reason why is
because as part of her course she works at hospitals all over London delivering newborns, and from this experience she can definitely
share her opinion on whether she finds it ethical, whether it would be helpful or not and from experience of having some horrible deliveries
she can probably also tell us whether interfering with genetics would of helped and so on.
Secondly I would like to interview two people 18 and 19 that just had a baby in December last year. The dad is a college student and the
mum has been working before having the baby. I feel like this would be good as we can then explore the opinions of young people that
have gone through having a baby and how they feel about this topic.
I will interview one science teacher from thomas tallis, preferably one who is a parent for a mix of ethical and genetic knowledge
I will also be interviewing several students at thomas tallis from a range of ages and backgrounds, in order to properly gage the public
opinion. We believe this should give us more insight on where the public stands on this issue and where they would draw the line.

by: Paulina

Rebecca Shackley
Interview
Location: Studio
Rebecca Shackley is a Media teacher at Thomas Tallis, this is the same school that we attend to on a daily basis. Rebecca use to work
in the television industry so has first hand experience about how it works and may be able to give us a perspective on this.
Rebeccas thoughts on obesity is that obesity is self inflicted and a medical condition. Rebecca thinks that it's a lack of willpower from
individuals to be able to control how they eat, but that around them the environment encourages this, and the way they eat. With Medical
conditions she thinks that they are underrated when it comes to obesity like having an underactive thyroid will lead people to gain or find
difficulty in losing weight. Rebecca thinks it's a huge problem. She finds it interesting about the issue and thinks that everything is quickly
blamed on the individual she feels that everyone needs to have self accountability. She feels that big corporations who are benefitting
from a disadvantaged audience, with big companies earning millions by selling food produce which they know contains products that are
no good. Rebecca has said that I have struggled to maintain a healthy and happy weight for years. Its an issue that Im personally
affected by every day.
Rebecca is expected to perform confidently because as she is a teacher she encounters an audience of students on a daily basis,
meaning that she has to be confident and well spoken for her to engage with students, meaning that she has to be loud which makes her
the perfect interviewee.
She is quite experienced in interviews so can start the interview with some closed questions but then develop the interview quite quickly
in into open key questions. We will send over lengthier questions so she can have a prepared response so there are no dead spots.

Jessica Likerish - Interview - Location: Interviewees

house

Jess is a University student studying midwifery and shes currently in her second year. As part
of the course she works at hospitals all around London and assists in delivery during birth. She
also had to spend some time working in nurseries to interact with young children. At the
hospital she also holds counselling sessions with new often very young parents. Her current
studies as well as work and close interaction with the process of pregnancy, delivery as well as
parenting make her an ideal person to interview on the subject. Also, an opinion from a young
person is valuable as we can imagine older people may feel the subject shouldnt even be
questioned however in the modern world this is a very real issue.
The interview will be conducted in Jess home to ensure she is comfortable.I predict due to her
wide knowledge she will be able to provide extensive answers. Since we have about 10
questions we can ask her I predict between 5-10 mins.Resources required are most likely to be
a camera and a tripod, a printed off key facts as well as pros and cons so that she can get
familiar with those and give answers that are relevant. The interview style will be investigative
as we are looking to find out her opinions as well as keep the interview professional due to the
sensitive issue at hand. An advantage of that is that we are most likely to get her true opinion
on this. A disadvantage would be making it too serious and putting her under pressure so that
she is resistant to speak to us. An overall obstacle with these interviews is the documentation
such as release forms however I will bring those with me to the interviewees.
I expect Jess to do well during the interview as during her free time she works as a part time
model, therefore she isnt camera shy.

Daniel Edwards - Interview - Location: Daniels back

garden
Daniel is a sports student at Hadlow college. He is a football coach at Goals
Soccer Centre in Eltham where he works with young kids as well as teens while
hosting their birthday parties and coaching them. Despite his young age Daniel
has a clear understanding of a range of issues associated with this topicand has
strong opinions on what should and shouldnt be done.
I expect Declan to perform well, however I can see him getting distracted as the
interview will be filmed at his place. I can also see him getting nervous or not fully
understanding the questions however I hope this doesnt affect his confidence or
how rich in content his answers are.

The equipment
The equipment used will be a tripod and a Cannon 650 camera.

PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS

Previous Interviews
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/designer-babies-ethical/
This interview was conducted in 2009 and talks about the technology and what the possibilities
will be in about 2 years (2011), the questions asked such as whether there should be any laws
regarding designer babies and ideas such as giving parents counselling before allowing them to
choose physical aspects of their baby such as eye colour etc.

QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS

Questionnaire
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MwPSYr5NbhUXRxM2WJHLFuQy0NN0reu0ly_3wFxS9Jo/viewform

Questionnaire Analysis
Results of the questionnaire were quite conclusive. Overall opinions were mostly
negative or completely neutral, with 81.3% of people believing that parents should
not be able to choose the sex of their unborn children with a feather 25% believing
that they should have no genetic control over their unborn children what so ever.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Are there any results that particularly stand out?

Do the results show what you expected to see?
Any limitations that could be addressed?
Do you need to include in any tables, graphs, etc, on a slide?
How can these results be of assistance to you conducting the interview?

INTERVIEW PURPOSE

Interview Purpose
The style of the programme will be investigative as we are trying to find out peoples opinions on this sensitive subject. We
will most likely use open questions and some closed so that people can express in detail how they feel about this. The
purpose of the interview will be informational to make people aware of what designer babies are, as well as investigative
since we will try to find out how people feel about choosing sex of their baby and other features hoping that it will make
people think about this in more depth. The programme will be exhibited on a TV channel such as BBC. Reason being is
because it wont be a very long documentary/interview as we are only looking to ask a small but rich range of people a few
key questions as well as give some information on the subject.
The interviewee will be alone in front of the camera and the interviewer will be the one filming. This is because if we want to
mix and match the talking heads it's best to do it this way as the settings and having two different people in each frame
mixing it up can make it look distorted.
The purpose is also to see peoples views from different ages as well as different age groups. This can prove to be
interesting if we see it follow the trend of younger people being more open to the idea and older people being more against
it as some may expect it to turn out.
It will be edited as talking heads. We will first get the interviewee to state their name and profession and then ask them how
they feel about choosing the sex of the baby and why. We will then move on to the issues surrounding designer babies in its
full range and close with adoption and society with questions how those areas will be affected and why they think that.

By: Paulina

Setting up the Interview/Planning

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Location where the interview will be conducted?

How long will the interview take?
What resources will be required?
What interview style will you take? - Advantages and possible limitations?
Release forms
Any other limitations/problems you may encounter that need to be
addressed?

I (Paulina) Included this in my interviewee profiles so Jake you should probably do

same for your interviewees so it can be personalised to the location and the
person you are interviewing. If doing it on this slide is easier for you I dont mind it
just worked the other way better for me.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

What is your current occupation

what do you think the term designer babies means? do you know how gene
selection works?
here are some key facts, what do you think of them? (read off key facts and
opinions, agree or disagree)
what is your general opinion on the matter, positive or negative?
why do you personally think this? does it have anything to do with your beliefs?
if this becomes common practice what do you think will happen to adoption?
if this becomes common practice what do you think will happen to society?
are there any instances where you feel genetic alteration would be acceptable?
what aspect of genetic alteration do you find leat or unacceptable?
after this interview has your opinion changed in any way?

Questions for specialised interviewees

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Given the amount of children born with genetic defects do you feel genetic
engineering is acceptable and to what extent?
How much control over scientific advancement should ethics have?
How do you feel about the ethics involved with genetic engineering?
What effect do you feel designer babies would have on the human gene pool?
What are the risks of genetically engineering embryos, and how do the risks
compare with the results?
Why do you think this is currently illegal in the UK?
What do you think would happen if it was legal?
Objectively do 4you feel this is positive or negative

BRADSHAW QUESTIONS
1.
2.

Are you a parent?

(Yes) As a parent, if you could, would you have liked to choose the gender of your child?

No
Why would you not want to chose the gender of your child?

Key Q Wind up
Developmental

Yes
Why would you want to chose the gender of your child?

3. Why do you think people want to gender select children?

4. Do you think people should have the right to do so? (*even if you dont morally agree with it?)

Counter argument:

7.9 million children each year are born with a serious birth defect that has a significant genetic contribution which would
mean we could rebuild a healthier society if people chose to opt in.
When parents adopt children, they are allowed to choose the gender they want so surely if genetically engineering your
own child should be allowed.

5. On 31 March 2015 there were 69,540 looked after children, compared to 68,800 in 2014. Do you think that if genetic gender assignment
was legal in the UK, that the number of children needing to adopted would rise or fall as a result?
6. 53% (2,800) of children adopted during the year ending 31st March 2015 were boys and 47% (2,530) were girls. Do you think these results
show that there is desire for sex selection to a certain degree and if it was made legal that these statistics would drastically change?
6. Considering your thoughts of genetic gender assignment, do you think choosing the make up your child in terms of eye and hair colour
would be morally right?
7. Why do you think people might want to choose the genetic makeup of their child? Do you think there is a case for this? (eliminate genetic
diseases)
8. Finally, do you ever think the UK will become a country that allows genetically modified babies?

Copyrights
Copyright and Use of this Site
All rights, including copyright and database right, in this website and its contents, are owned by or licensed to BBCW, or otherwise used by the
BBCW as permitted by applicable law. In accessing these web pages, you agree that you will access the contents solely for your own private
use. You can download and use the service on a single computer at a time and you can print out a single hard copy of any part of the content of
the website solely for those purposes. Except as permitted above, you undertake not to copy, store in any medium (including in any other
website), distribute, transmit, re-transmit, broadcast, modify, or show in public any part of this website without the prior written permission of
BBCW or in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Trade Marks etc. The names, images and logos identifying the BBC,
BBCW or third parties and their products and services are proprietary marks of BBC, BBCW and/or third parties. Nothing contained herein shall
be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel or otherwise any licence or right under any trademark or patent of the BBC, BBCW, or any
other third party. DISCLAIMER. This site and the information, names, images, pictures, logos and icons regarding or relating to the BBC and/or
BBCW, its products and services (or to third party products and services), is provided "AS IS" and on an "IS AVAILABLE" basis without any
representation or endorsement made and without warranty of any kind whether express or implied, including but not limited to the implied
warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security and accuracy. In no event will the BBC
and/or BBCW be liable for any damages including, without limitation, indirect or consequential damages, or any damages whatsoever arising
from use or loss of use, data, or profits, whether in action of contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of or in connection with the
use of the site. BBCW does not warrant that the functions contained in the material contained in this site will be uninterrupted or error free, that
defects will be corrected, or that this site or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or bugs or represents the full functionality,
accuracy, reliability of the materials. Copyright is a broken system and this is not exception.

References
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-137312/Choose-sex-baby-15-000.html
http://www.genochoice.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/babies_prog_summary.shtml
http://bigthink.com/dangerous-ideas/19-design-your-baby
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30742774
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/nov/03/designer-baby-pgd-would-you-edit-yourunborn-child-genes-more-successful
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/03/sex-selection-babies