The Journalist's Wardrobe – Dress Code for Reporters
How What You Wear Affects Your Interview's Effectiveness
Though newspapers circulate by powerful writing and a good nose for a story, a reporter's fashion plays a vital role in extracting information from a source.
Different classes of interviewees require different approaches to interviewing tactics. Just as a job interview has a specific dress code, news interviews have dress codes.
The reason for a dress code in both circumstances is the same: the first impression is based upon appearance.
Interviewees size up reporters from the first moment of spotting them. Sometimes, that initial sizing-up turns out to be the determining factor in snagging that vital – or perhaps purely interesting – piece of information to the story.
The Fashion's Statement: Why Wardrobe Matters
A reporter's wardrobe makes two statements before he ever opens his mouth: (1) this is how professional I am, and (2) this is how similar to and/or different from you I am.
Wardrobe reveals a professional divide. Effective news interviews minimize that professional divide, placing reporter and interviewee on a more equal level.
Statement of Professional Divide
A reporter interviewing the CEO of a major company should mirror the CEO's wardrobe. The reporter should don his best suit and tie before he steps into the elevator and pushes the button for the top floor. This improves chances of symmetrical communication.
Alternatively, if a journalist walks into a CEO's office wearing her stonewashed Levi's and her Rolling Stones t-shirt (in all of its tongue-lolling glory), a professional chasm develops. Though her professionalism may be equal to that of the man sitting in a three-piece suit with his name printed on the door, his first impression of her creates a divide that the rest of her interviewing skills may be unable to bridge.
Statement of Similarities and Differences
Branching off from the professional impression is the statement of similarities and differences.
Imagine a reporter visiting a construction site to interview a foreman. While the foreman is a professional, he will likely be in dusty jeans, sweat-stained t-shirt and a hard hat.
A reporter picking her way across a construction yard in stilettos and suit jacket is drawing a distinction between herself and the foreman by her wardrobe choice. Though she may be the daughter of a concrete contractor and knowledgeable in the building trades, her clothing is telling the foreman that she is an office woman and he is an outdoor laborer.
The risk in drawing differences between journalist and interviewee is a trust issue. Sources are more likely to open up to people with whom they feel they have shared interests, values, backgrounds, and statuses. This does not mean reporters should seek to deceive or mislead sources, but wardrobes can be a simple means of connecting to a source.
Instead of stilettos and suit jacket, the reporter interviewing the foreman could realistically wear jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers without seeming out of place.
Still, even on the building site, the Rolling Stones t-shirt should stay at home in the closet. Personal statements and preferences should not enter the interview setting lest they influence the interviewee. Something as simple as a foreman's distaste for the Rolling Stones can subconsciously clam up a source.
Practical Fashion
Of equal importance to statements is a wardrobe's practicality. Reporters should dress according to the assignment.
If working on a story about a self-proclaimed pilgrim working his way from one coast to the other and who will be coming through town, the journalist planning to spend the day walking with him should leave the stilettos at home. Sneakers and athletic pants would be the appropriate attire for the day.
In other words, the dress code should accommodate the activity. A day in the cubicle spent tapping away at the keyboard is fine for the four-inch heels or flip-flops. An interview with the local dairy farmer that includes a tour and photo shoot of his barn is fitting for boots and a baseball cap.
Keeping a Spare
Though voice recorders, camcorders, digital cameras, and the trusty old reporter's notebook are the standard tools to keep in the passenger's seat, a change of clothes is always handy to keep stashed under the driver's seat.
The same goes for shoes. On those flip-flop days in the office, a spare pair of casual or dress shoes should be near at hand in the event of a surprise assignment.
Also, dressing in "mix-and-match" clothes is a good habit for reporters to have. If wearing jeans to the office, wearing a shirt that matches the suit jacket tucked away in the car allows an easy Clark Kent to Superman transition. That way, if the reporter is sent out to interview a local business owner, casual transforms to semi-casual with ease. And if the reporter has to interview the mayor, he can grab the spare dress slacks out of the back seat as well.
Suit Jackets Can be Casual or Professional
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