NPR Analysis

I chose to listen to NPR's All Things Considered radio show. The topic of the show was Health Care and how the lack of health insurance affects people who are out of a job. The show was called "Health Insurance Help for Laid Off Workers May End."

The reporter, Sarah Vandi, interviewed a woman who was directly affected by the lack of health insurance--her name was Nicole Pelton. Pelton discussed how federal subsidies for the COBRA program have helped her with health insurance for her family, and if the subsidies stop she doesn't know what she will do in regards to her insurance.

Vandi made the interview seem more like a conversation. One could tell she came prepared with proper and in-depth questions; Vandi was able to get Pelton to discuss the situation and show her true feelings about the situation. Pelton talked about her family frequently--she seemed to relate all of her problems to how her family has been affected. It was apparent that Vandi found she could get Pelton to talk by asking her questions pertaining to her children and husband--thus, Vandi was able to get amazing quotes to create her story. I assume it was easy to get Pelton to talk about something that was relevant and close to her heart; therefore, her family's situation made her open up.

It seems like once the interviewer finds a niche for the person being interviewed, the interviewee opens up and offers plenty of quality information to be used in a story. It is also interesting to see how a conversational interview can be used to one's advantage; making the interviewee comfortable works and helps the interview to go smoothly. Once the interviewee's trust is earned, more difficult questions can be asked.