News judgement questions
"What makes a story newsworthy?" Classic news values: timeliness, proximity (relevant to the audience), impact (number affected, significance), prominence (known people or institutions), novelty (surprising), conflict, human interest. In digital journalism add shareability and search relevance. "Walk me through how you would develop a story tip into a published piece." Evaluate the tip (is it new? source credible? is there evidence?), develop evidence (documents, data, on-record and background sources), write to facts you can stand up, draft and add context, sub-edit for clarity and accuracy, legal review where required, editorial approval, publish and monitor.
Portfolio and sample work questions
Prepare: three best published pieces showing range (different story types, formats, skills), a recent unpublished pitch demonstrating current news judgement, and a piece you are proud of that did not go as expected — showing self-awareness and learning. "Tell me about a story you are most proud of and why." The "why" matters more than the piece: what was the central finding, what happened as a result, what skills it demonstrated, what you learned. The best answer connects the story's impact to your reason for being a journalist.
Digital journalism questions
"How do you optimise a story for search without compromising journalistic integrity?" SEO and journalism are compatible: use language readers search for in headlines, structure the lede to answer the headline's promise, use subheadings readers will search for, update evergreen stories when facts change. Incompatible: clickbait headlines, publishing before stories are ready to inflate traffic. Accuracy must always come first. "What data analytics tools have you used to inform editorial decisions?" Google Analytics or Chartbeat (audience behaviour), social analytics, Google Search Console (what readers search for that you are not covering), and how you translated data into editorial decisions — not just "I checked the analytics."
Journalism ethics questions
"How would you handle a source asking for anonymity?" Anonymity should be earned, not granted automatically — source has genuine risk if identified, information is not otherwise available on the record, and the information is verified. Once granted, it is an absolute commitment. "Tell me about a time you had to decide whether to publish something sensitive." The public interest test (genuine public benefit, not just curiosity), harm assessment, alternatives (tell the story in a way that minimises harm), and who was involved in the decision. These decisions are rarely made alone.