Goss Formula May Handicap Reporter if Misapplied

In its Summer 1971 issue, Journalism Educator pointed out that helpful guidelines for interviewing—when contrasted with abundance of formulas for putting information into story form—were “scanty.” An Autumn 1973 Journalism Quarterly article called interviewing “a sorely neglected area of concern.” In the article below, Kenneth M. Jackson analyzes strengths and limitations of the GOSS interview formula developed by the editor of JE as a supplement to the traditional five W's and H to help reporters ask effective questions.