: How do journalists prepare to cover unfamiliar fields? When journalists get an assignment to interview someone in an industry they aren’t familiar with, or write on a new topic, how do they

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Having actually been put in this position for a few assignments, I can tell you how I handle it.

First I assess how much TIME I have. That determines the level of research I will do.
Remember that asking an expert questions before you've done any research, while possible, means that you won't have any idea what you don't know--in other words, you won't really have an idea of what questions are the correct ones to ask. Often the same questions are asked over and over--the answer to those are out there, so get them to expound on the common answers. When, for example, I had to do a piece on the history of an area I knew nothing about, I went to the library first, talked to the research desk there, took notes, and THEN I talked to the historical expert--especially about points that were rumored, conflicting, or expounding on a commonly talked-about bit of history.
Look at the publication you are writing for. Are you writing for the laymen or the common public? If so, and you aren't an expert your perspective will be valuable.
If the publication is a little more specialized, you will need to quickly study as much as you can. I've done so by using library resources, and by asking experts.
One of the questions I ask experts when I don't know what I am doing is, basically, "I'm getting a grasp on this subject and I know you're the go-to person. What questions should I be asking for this kind of article?" I also ask them what sources are good via the web and if there are any other experts I should be talking with. This sort of thing works better by phone, and if you can do a series of follow ups with them. But it can be done by email. Sometimes they can even give you angle that hasn't been covered--for that I ask this question: "What don't people talk about in the industry that you really think we should?"
For basic vocab, there's a lot of different resources you can use, but I have found that something like the "For Dummies" series is the laymen's way into specialized fields. It gives you a start/overview.
Vet any internet source very, very much. Disinformation can be spread far and wide over the net--an incorrect wikipedia entry for instance, can end up getting copied and used throughout the internet even after the wiki's been corrected. That doesn't mean I don't use wikipedia--when I have done interviews for obscure bands, it's often the only source available--in that case I ask if it's accurate. Otherwise I use it as a launching point, and look at the primary sources provided on Wikipedia. I vet those as well--I run the sources through google and check academic credentials.

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