News Reporting & Writing

1. News Reporting & Writing • Week 6: Interviewing & Quoting

2. Mission as a journalist • Be right. Be clear. Be read. • (Be accurate. Be brief. Be interesting.)

3. Goal of pro writers • To be able to write about anything • To be understood by everyone • That’s why simple, clear short sentences are most effective (not just in news writing, but in sending a group email to hundreds of coworkers in dozens of countries).

4. The Ken Wells theory “THERE ARE ONLY TWO KINDS OF STORIES: THE ‘NO SHIT’ STORY AND THE ‘HOLY SHIT’ STORY” SOURCE: KEN WELLS, FORMER PAGE-ONE EDITOR FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

5. The “no shit” story • Tells readers something they already know • Spouts conventional wisdom • Belabors the obvious • “There’s violence and drug-related crime in the inner cities of the U.S.”

6. The “Holy shit” story • Surprises • Teaches • Might even vex or disturb • But never bores • “Gang members who’ve been shot get tricked-out wheelchairs with gold wheels and custom spokes.”

7. Kevin’s theory of writing • Reduce to essence: • Human beings are emotional, social and rational creatures – in that order. • Great writing appeals to the emotional and the rational • Clear writing is clear thinking

8. Kevin’s theory of reporting • Unleash your curiosity – Everything can be interesting • Be genuine • - People respond and will be genuine with you • Be unafraid to ask for help • - From colleagues, from friends, from sources • - Asking for interviews: “I wonder if you can help me. I’m doing a story on…” • Play leapfrog: “Who else should I talk to?”

9. Kevin’s theory of editing • Build a big ‘Iceberg’ • Only 10% of an iceberg appears above water • Only 10% of your reporting appears in your story • ‘Kill you children’: Story can be judged not on the strength of what’s left in, but what’s cut out

10. Interview process • Story idea • Plan & Prepare • Look & Listen • Review & Reorder

11. Step 1: Plan & Prepare • Background research • Draft questions • Questions you think your reader would want to know the answer to • Open-ended questions, not yes/no questions • Questions about hobbies, family, soft topics

12. Step 2: Look & Listen • Each answer will suggest additional questions • Listen not just to what your interviewee says, but how he/she says it • Contradictions, hesitation, silence, nervousness, roving eyes all suggest need for follow-up • Look around you! And note it down. • Take good notes, but stay focused on interviewee

13. Step 3: Review & Reorder • Review your notes to ensure you have complete quotes • Reorder and prioritize the quotes • Review the audio tape, if available • Use “time stamps” in your notes

14. Interview strategy • Most people love to talk about themselves, or things they care about (hobbies, politics, their children) • Use these topics to open up interviews • Many people mistrust or are afraid of reporters • Be polite, respectful & professional – show them you’re a decent human being!

15. Ask open-ended Qs • How did you feel when...? • Why did you decide to...? • What was it like to...? • Were you happy when...? • Do you think you made the right choice? • When did you stop beating your wife?

16. Interview strategy – 2 • Keep interviews conversational - it’s an interview, not an interrogation • You have to gain someone’s trust before you can gain their information • Ask your question and then wait patiently • Silence can be a good way to get people to talk! • Always ask: “Can you give me an example of that?” • Always ask: “Is there someone else I should speak to?

17. Mencher’s 12 Interview Ground Rules • Identify yourself at the beginning • State the purpose of the interview • Make sure the source knows how the information will be used • Tell the source how long the interview will take • Keep it as short as possible • Ask specific questions that the source is competent to answer SOURCE: MELVIN MENCHER’S NEWS REPORTING & WRITING, 7TH EDITION

18. Mencher’s 12 Interview Ground Rules • Give the source time to reply • Ask the source to clarify complex or vague answers • Read back answers if requested or when in doubt of the phrasing • Insist on answers if the public has a right to know them • Avoid lecturing and arguing • Abide by non-attribution requests

19. Quoting • Use quotes that are full sentences and complete thoughts • Partial quotes can be open to misinterpretation and misunderstanding • Your sources are the experts, so let their words do the talking • Every quote must be attributed to a specific person

20. Using quotes in stories • If a word or phrase is in quotation marks, it must be something someone said exactly as they said it • Quotes can be split if they consist of more than one sentence • “It was a Monday,” he said. “I remember it well.” • Start a new paragraph for a new quote

21. Brackets & Ellipses • Use brackets to mark [paraphrases] inside quotes • Use an ellipsis to show where you have ... cut words from inside a quote • Use both sparingly • CEO of the Recording Academy Neil Portnow addressed the issue of stars being left out backstage at the awards show Sunday, saying that the "In Memoriam segment is a conundrum.” "It's sad, we keep a list," Portnow went on. "This year over 200 people [have passed] so we have to make a selection at the end. • "After Japan are the fragile European countries that are in very dire straits: Greece, Ireland and Portugal ... Spain and Italy, too, but their problems are of a different order," Ghezzi said.

22. Set up your quotes • Some quotes, or the perspective of speakers, need to be explained to the reader in advance • Think about what information your reader will need in order to understand the quote • Who or what does it refer to? • Definition of any new or unusual words? • Context?