Typically, whether a reporter or a police officer, the key questions to ask are:
- Who? Who are the clients? Who else is involved? In defining who the clients are, you might ask questions beginning with question words other than “who” but which further your knowledge of who is involved. For example, what are the key personal background factors?
- What? What is the problem? What are the client’s perceptions of the problem? What are the specific details of the situation?
- Where? Where is the caller? Where did/does the problem occur? In what environment or situation?
- When? When did/does the problem occur? What immediately preceded and followed?
- Why? Why did the problem occur?
- How? How is the client? How does the client react or feel about what happened? How did the incident happen? Questions may start with other question words, but are looking for answers to the question “how”. For example, what was the sequence of the events? What are the relevant details of the event? How can the situation be addressed to meet the needs of the client?
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