INTERVIEW PROJECT PLAN 2

Interview Project Plan

My subject for the interview is Oprah Winfrey. She is a media executive, television
producer, and long time talk show host. She is also one of the wealthiest African Americans.
CNN has described her as one of the world’s most powerful women while Time magazine ranked
her among the world’s most influential people between 2004 to 2011. She is, therefore, a good
interview subject because of her personal achievements, stature in society and her identity as a
women of color. Most importantly, she has had her success and made her fortune in a field where
women are grossly underrepresented – media and entrepreneurship. As covered in our class
discussion, media and entrepreneurship remain among fields where women are grossly
underrepresented. The underrepresentation of women, particularly in media, means that women
issues are rarely given the importance that they deserve or are approached from the perspective
of men. I will ask her whether she thinks that more women representation in media will improve
the manner in which women issues are discussed and addressed. I also intend to ask her
questions that relate to portrayal of women in the media and how, in her opinion, the portrayal
affects women’s perception of themselves.
I plan to conduct the interview via email. Given the busy schedule of the interview
subject and the difficulty of having an in-person interview with her, I believe that the use of
email will allow her to answer the interview questions at a time she deems appropriate. To get as
much as possible from her, I intend to majorly use open-ended questions. In the event that the
interview subject is unavailable, I will look for another woman, preferably African American, in
the media as a replacement.