ABSTRACT
One time-honored tradition of journalism is the street interview. To do a street interview, a reporter goes to a public place, stops people by chance, and asks each one a single question about an important issue of the day. This very simple form of reporting community reaction illustrates three pivotal features of the qualitative research method called focused interviewing. First, the reporter seeks out everyday citizens, not government officials, high-ranking business leaders, or social elites. Second, the reporter asks each person the same question in the same way. Third, the resulting news report comes directly from the words of those interviewed. The social science method of focused interviews, however, is not merely an extended form of the street interview.
