How to Ask Questions in a News Conference

Do your research. Aside from the vital importance of research to the process of providing accurate coverage, specific, in-depth research will also help you choose the most productive question to ask. News conferences in particular are usually held to update the public about a storyline that is already being covered. As such, you will be expected to have a base knowledge on the topic of the news conference, especially as a journalist.^[8]

• Your own organization’s coverage is a great place to get up to date, as is talking to any co-workers that have been involved in coverage of related topics, or those who may be familiar with the speaker in particular.
• Research both the topic, and the expected speaker in particular.

Prepare a list of questions in advance. Particularly if the topic being covered is not immediately attention-grabbing, you and the other journalists may need to pull more information out of the speaker during the question and answer session than they volunteer. If you expect an announcement about something that could go one way or the other, prepare questions that would address the specifics of either scenario.^[9]

Arrive at the news conference early. This may benefit you in multiple ways. For one, your literal position in the room may prove to be the deciding factor in your getting the chance to ask a question. Further, arriving early allows the chance to speak with other journalists and maybe even conference organizers. ^[10]

• Ideally, shoot for a spot near where the speaker is sitting, or in the middle of the front row.
• If you are able to speak with a conference organizer, request the opportunity to speak with the speaker privately after the conference right off the bat. They may be planning to allow a few journalists a bit more nuanced perspective of a situation, and coming first to the table increases the chances you’ll get dessert.

Take notes. News conferences can be fast-paced, so having notes handy as a reference can be helpful. On a notepad, jot down the important points the speaker makes and any word-by-word verbatim quotes that may be relevant to the story you intend to write or the interest of the organization you’re affiliated with. In particular, take note of points you hope are revisited, and consider questions that would dictate a more extensive response regarding these points. ^[11]

• Good notes will allow you to cite a speaker’s own words to them. For instance, you can later begin a question with “Earlier, you stated that _________, could you expand on that further or tell us explicitly what you meant be that?”

Listen for what the speaker doesn’t say. Often, what a speaker chooses not to say is of equal importance to what they’ve said. The more familiar you are with the topic, the more likely you’ll be able to predict or look for certain types of comments, and know that their absence may also be significant.^[12]

• For instance, if you’re aware of a certain facet of the topic that you know should be addressed and is not, structure a question accordingly. You know there’s a reason it wasn’t brought up.

Ask for a private audience following the conference. Especially if you are affiliated with a reputable organization, it is always worth asking for the chance to speak with the speaker one on one after the conference. If they are hesitant to grant the audience, specify that you only have one question to ask.^[13] Further, specify that you have a question you’d rather not ask during the conference.

• You can even apply a bit of pressure to earn a private audience by implying or telling the speaker you know something that not everyone does, and you wish to discuss it discretely.
• While this may backfire and risk coming off as brash, it may also intrigue a speaker enough to hear your question.

Stay late. Unless you simply want to get your write-up to print as quickly as possible, hang around. This will increase the chances of seeing or hearing more than what was conveyed in the context of a formal news conference. The speaker may even be willing to speak casually with members of the press off the record, or speak further about topics unrelated to the topic of the press conference after it has concluded.^[14]

Ask answerable questions. Most of the time, the most important criteria of your question is how likely it is to solicit a response with substance. Specificity is your ally in this regard; choose questions that are extremely answerable by explicitly addressing specifics. For example, great questions include requests for clarification regarding details of how, when, or where something occurred, or why someone is behaving in a certain manner.^[15]

• Don’t ask a question you know the speaker will be unwilling or unable to answer. While this is a stunt often featured in video entertainment and perpetuated by activists, it’s a sure way to stop being allowed into press conferences.

Avoid making comments. If you purpose to make a political statement, understand that this is an entirely different goal than asking a question. Your job is not to convince the speaker of anything, it’s to get information from them that you can report in your coverage. Any commentary, accordingly, belongs in your coverage, not during the question and answer session of a news conference. Comments risk understandably bothering the speaker as well as your fellow journalists, and, at best, will simply bore most of the others in the room.^[16]

Ask a courtesy question to start the question and answer session. If crickets greet the speaker when they’re finished speaking, and it seems no one intends to ask a question, you may want to lead with a softball pitch before asking the question you really want answered. Starting the session with something the speaker can easily and safely answer will ingratiate them with you, and increase the likelihood they give a more serious question more attention.^[17]

• For instance, ask for a quick clarification of a statement that was less clear when the speaker initially made it, allowing them to revisit something they prepared to speak on while reframing it in a way that may lead to additional information.
• Similarily, open-ended questions will allow the speaker to expand on something they may have forgoten to mention. Consider by starting with something like. “How do you feel about _____.” Open-ended questions will essentially allow a speaker to say whatever they want, which they will appreciate - as long as you don’t ask them too often.

Ask off-topic questions rarely, if at all. Questions at news conferences should be framed and informed by their relevance to the topic of the conference. If you have questions for the person unrelated to the topic of the news conference, it will likely be most effective to wait until the end of all the questions and ask it once the topic of the conference has been covered.^[18]

• A good benchmark for deciding whether a question is appropriate to ask during a news conference is whether it will be of interest to a good amount of people in the room.
• In situations where you’re intentionally putting the speaker on the spot, understand that your question may not be answered, and you may simply be reducing the chances they or other speakers will call on you again in the future.