The most useful questions in journalism
Who, where, when, how and why is important. To help get these:
Do not ask long questions
Do not simply ask “how do you feel?” as this will probably cause a typical and uninteresting response.
Ask “and then what happened?” to learn what happened in chronological order.
Ask “how do you know that?” as, by doing this, you will receive reassurance that the interviewee knows what they are talking about.
Ask “do you know anyone who can confirm that?” If they do not, they are probably lying.
Ask “what do you make of it all?” This is an unbiased way to receive opinions form your interviewee.
Ask “what’s it like…” This is an open question that will provoke an interesting response.
Ask “and?” This may cause a person to elaborate more and what they were saying.

Questioning uneasy sources
Journalists can be intimidating. The best way to get an interview is:
Be friendly
To ‘cold-call’ if the person is completely opposed to an interview. This is arriving somewhere were the interviewee will be unannounced, basically forcing them to answer your questions.

To get the most information you can form your interviewee:
Think about where to speak to them and that they will be comfortable in the location that you choose.
Adapt to them. You may need to change your personality and/or clothing style a little bit to help your interviewee feel more comfortable.
Make a judgement of your interviewee. Decide what the best way to treat them is that will help them to trust and confide in you
Ask for their life story. This will show them that you are interested in what they have to say and consequently get them to open up to you more.