I've done a number of interviews over the years in relation to GNU/Linux
and/or free software in a number of formats. From radio and TV to newspapers
and online mediums.
Things you want to avoid in an interview: other people who against freedom.
These people will simply argue with you and it doesn't do anybody any good.
Where the other interviewer is not against free software it gets a bit
easier. You can essentially take over the interview in many cases and
emphasise what it is your organisation/group/company/etc is trying to
accomplish.
Stallman gives an example about a printer in his interviews/speeches. I like
to talk about modern technology and how we continue to see the same problems
again and again. Be it "Winmodems", graphics drivers, printers, or other
peripherals. It always comes down to non-free software.
Richard Stallman is probably a better person to talk to about interviewing in
print media. I haven't figure that one out yet. I believe his approach
doesn't work well for most people though. He essentially refuses to do the
interview unless the interviewer uses particular words (GNU/Linux not Linux,
Free Software not Open Source, etc).
I once did up a nice write up of sorts to help a reporter for a small college
newspaper write accurately about the GNU/Linux, Free Software, and an
initiative a user group and I were working on. The paper sent a reporter who
was majoring in computer science. Despite having written up a nice little
fact sheet and emphasising certain things for clarity about the differences
between open source and free software the entire article got ruined because
the reporter used the words open source and only open source in the entire
article.
Getting your message across isn't easy. I did another interview with a Lehigh
Valley newspaper in Pennsylvania. It was much better. However- the interview
was printed in a question/answer format so it was harder to screw up. The
reporter still managed it.
Long story short- reporters and other media personalities are very rarely
your friend. I think the best interview I ever did was with the Linux Link
Tech show. There were very few questions, it was live, and for the most part
I took up the entire interview speaking. It was almost more of a speech than
an Interview.
