No, thanks.

Published in: MyMarist575.com

The role of a journalist is to inform their audience, using factual information of current events and using public information and interviews to notify the public about recent occurrences and popular opinion.

A lot of information cannot be circulated without the information taken from the population’s consensus. Interviews and surveys are regularly conducted by journalists in order to find information they wouldn’t find in research. The hardest part for journalists to find their information is during these surveys and interviews because more times than none, people are not willing to take them or talk to journalists at all.

When writing an article on a certain event, product or company, a journalist must be in contact with that particular company or attend the specific event. Without the journalist doing the research on the topic, there is no story, or without being in contact with the subject, there would be no article. Many people, especially in fast moving cities or places, are less willing to answer questions from a journalist or anyone giving a survey, unless there is an incentive. Everyone’s time is precious, and many people live their lives in a rush. This entails people not willing to stop for anyone.

On a college campus, the people asking for an interview or doing a survey are usually students who need to for a class. Throughout a student’s four years in college, they will be one of those students asking others to do an interview. With this being true, other students are usually willing to help the other out. Outside of the students’ “college bubble,” people are less willing to do so. In a survey at Marist with 23 students, 17 said they wouldn’t talk to a journalist and anyone giving a survey in a general scenario. They were asked, if they were requested to take a survey or answer a question from someone they didn’t know, would you stop and give them time to ask you the question(s). Generally, they said they would decline or even disregard the person completely.

“In my experience as an interviewer I’ve had more people refuse to participate than those who have agreed to go through with an interview," Brittany Tommasone, junior and TV, film, radio major, said. "I think a lot of it has to do with people being camera shy.”

Whether a person is being recorded or not, usually there seems to be a negative feedback when it comes to getting recipients for an interview or survey.Some people understand a journalist needing the population’s opinion, or are easily willing to answer a survey.

“I’ve never been turned down, but it sometimes feels like people are answering questions but they really don’t want to,” Editor-in-Chief of The Circle Tom Lotito said.

This weekend at the New York Women in Communications Conference held a meeting for journalists from all over the country. This population of journalists should be the most understanding of others needing a response from attendees. While asked to do a filmed response to the conference that day for a fellow journalist, out of a group of 5 students, 4 said no. Only Marist sophomore Cassaundra DelValle responded to the other journalist’s request.

“Individuals are willing to speak in-depth about themselves only," junior, sports comm and journalism concentration Phil Terrigno said. "It’s difficult to extract a solid answer or creative response from an average college student simply because they aren't versed in how to address the media. That goes for athletes as well. Often, their responses are plain and non-descriptive, which is surprising because athletes are typically seen as individuals with colorful personalities who don’t mind voicing their opinions. Most people will talk to reporters but they don’t provide any actual quality content. Only in personal situations do they tend to refrain from talking to reporters.”

There is a certain stigma about finding the time for a journalist. People feel like journalists intrude where they shouldn’t, and the majority of people asked are unwilling to help them. A journalist will have many hardships throughout their careers, whether it is with the law, by knowing what they can and cannot write, and finding the population and sources they need for research and broadcasting. A story is nothing without their sources. Acknowledging these hardships could maybe make the population slow down and realize how they could make a journalist’s life a lot easier.