Language interference (which was originally posited in ESL theory) involves ways in which language learners draw upon previous language experiences to fill holes in their knowledge of a second language they are learning. Since the 1970s, language interference has been a part of the pedagogy of basic writing, concerning itself with ways that basic writers' oral language can interfere in the learning of academic discourse. An extension of this premise, genre interference, or negative transfer, occurs when a writer tries to use properties from a known genre in an unknown one, but the properties do not match. To determine potential sources of genre interference, 34 students enrolled in a developmental composition class at Tarleton State University in Texas were surveyed about what genres they read most often outside of classroom work. Nine of the top 10 genres were journalistic (newspaper sports stories, news magazine articles, etc.). A follow-up survey indicated student confusion between the journalistic and academic genres, suggesting the journalistic genre as a source of interference with the academic. Greater pedagogical and theoretical attention should be given to genre interference stemming from the written discourses that students bring to basic writing courses. (Four figures are included; one appendix containing the survey questions, and a bibliography containing 14 references are attached.) (SG)