COMMENTARY: INTERVIEWS AND Focus GROUPS AS CRITICAL AND CULTURAL METHODS

Interviews and focus groups are valuable methods that share an important place in qualitative research in many disciplines, including journalism and mass communication. A wise use of these methods, however, requires that a researcher be well versed in the critical and cultural scholarship that enables an assessment of their use and results. The author proposes that researchers be intentional, self-reflexive, and transparent in decisions about the purpose, design, execution, and interpretation of results of their projects. If provided with this information, a reviewer or reader will have the grounds to assess the value of work using these qualitative strategies.