The work behind the words
Orlaith Fennelly spent fifteen years in newsrooms before she started writing about what actually happens in a journalism interview — not the polished version, but the messy, uncertain reality of sitting across from someone who does not want to talk.
She covered political affairs for a regional daily, then moved into long-form features at a national news platform, where she conducted hundreds of interviews ranging from local councillors to international researchers. The variety taught her more than any training programme could.
In 2021, she launched gupijoi to document what she had learned — not as a manual, but as a series of honest reflections on technique, failure, and the craft of asking better questions.
Her writing is practical. She does not promise that following a set of steps will make you a great interviewer. She writes about what tends to work, what rarely does, and why the difference often comes down to preparation you cannot fake.
