Researching

Research-\Noun\

:Careful study that is done to find an report new knowledge about something.

:The activity of getting information about a subject.

People often associate research with men in white lab coats who conduct experiments and blow their eye brows to Kingdom Come.  However, a closer look at the actual definition suggests that Research belongs in the office with journalists.  When a journalist shows up to an interview, their level of preparedness and the the way the interview goes is proportional to the amount of information he or she researched.  Aside from getting an idea of what to write on, what the topic is about and why it matters and being professional, researching tells the person being interviewed that the journalist values his or her time.  

Researching the person or organization being interviewed shows the person that he or she matters.  It also makes them more willing to open up and give longer, more information dense and useful quotes.  If a journalist is not prepared with background information, he or she cannot use the time to ask more in depth questions.  So to speak, he cannot write with the Associated Press style because he never read the Associated Press Stylebook.  When journalists do not research they often ask questions that could be answered on the internet.  When researching, look for the answers to yes-no questions and for interesting things about the assigned topic.  This will help you eliminate simple information and prepare you for the interview.