8

Interviewing 

In journalism school, a professor told me that a good interview should feel like an enjoyable conversation with a good friend instead of an awkward first date. But when I was a student journalist talking to sources for the Mustang Daily, the campus newspaper of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, my interviews never reached that level of ease.

I did not experience an effective interview until I applied for a job at a local newspaper and sat down with the editor. He looked like any small-town editor, rumpled and graying with a messy desk.

But he zeroed in on me and started asking me questions in such a casual but effective manner that the time flew by, and I left the conversation feeling heard and understood.

This level of skill takes time and requires a lot of practice. But here are some tips to get you started.

Journalist Dana Dwyer wrote a paper in 1996 about journalistic interviewing techniques that’s still relevant today.

She begins by introducing two types of interview questions, the directive and the nondirective. Directive interviews seek specific information and often include brief questions that require short answers.

Nondirective interviews consist of open-ended questions that let the interviewee choose the conversation’s direction.

Dwyer writes that journalists should use both kinds of questions: “Short questions with short easy answers give the (source) confidence and flesh out the bones of the information. Nondirective questions allow for new perspectives and interesting anecdotes.”

Dwyer also advises interviewers to start with a purpose. Ask yourself: What information do I want from the source?

Write down the answer to the purpose question and let the source know. Dwyer also recommends telling the source why you picked them in the first place.

“Remember to build self-esteem,” she writes. “If you choose this (source) deliberately for the value of his or her knowledge, say so, clearly and often.”

Dwyer encourages interviewers to actively listen and find interesting stories among the answers. The best way to practice active listening is by trying to summarize what the person said at the end of each response. Active listening and appropriate questions can bring out details and emotion from your source that improve news writing.

Transparency With Sources

Sources always should be treated fairly. In a March 2022 article, NPR writer Emma Grazado encouraged journalists to be overly transparent with their sources: “When interviewing people who aren’t accustomed to talking to the press, transparency is key to avoiding confusion, disappointment or even anger.”

Grazado breaks down the recommendations into three areas:

1. Explain the basics of your media organization and how reporting works.
2. Clarify the pre-interview process. This is needed for audio or video recording, but is helpful for any interview. Sources need to understand that a reporter might not use all – or any — of the interview.
3. Set boundaries before the interview begins. Reiterate that everything is on the record or explain the other options of background, deep background or off the record.

The Associated Press has weighed in on the same topic. “When relevant, stories should provide information about the setting in which a quotation was obtained – for example, a press conference, phone interview or hallway conversation with the reporter,” according to its website. “The source’s affect and body language – perhaps a smile or deprecatory gesture – is sometimes as important as the quotation itself.”

The AP site also mentions the importance of honoring regional dialects in a way that doesn’t degrade sources. And it reminds journalists that if they are translating quotes from another language, that should be noted as well.

Levels of background

NPR stresses that while you should be transparent with sources, you shouldn’t let them see the material before it’s published. But NPR reporters can tell their sources in general what parts of an interview they might use if sources are concerned.

Quotations

Once an interview is finished, the writing begins. But first, a news writer needs to consider what quotes might be used.

Why use quotes at all?

Think of a long meeting or speech where your attention drifts. If the speaker changes, your attention will be drawn back. The same concept applies to your stories. The more voices you have, the more interesting your story will be to the reader. In a broccoli story, quotes are the seasoning and oil that makes each bite more flavorful.

Types of Quotes

How to choose which type of quote to use? Consider these rules of thumb:  

Direct quotes

• Use when the reporter cannot write the words better
• Use when the quote includes something important or controversial
• Use to show emotion or color to elevate a story
• Use to provide new information

Indirect quotes

• Use to replace a weak quote
• Use to replace a confusing response
• Use to replace a lengthy response with a concise quote
• Use to get rid of jargon

• Example: The mayor said he will discuss raising taxes. Instead of: “We plan to dialogue on the proposal to consider increasing the tax rate in this wonderful city,” the mayor said.

Partial Quotes

• Use for controversial or essential information
• Typically avoid as it’s easy to take the quote out of context
• Don’t use for ordinary statements like the sky is “blue.” This format is confusing for readers.

Changing quotes

There’s debate about when or if journalists should change a quote. Some like to remove the inevitable ums and uhs that come with natural speech. Others take out profanity or slang.

Roy Peter Clark, a senior scholar at the Poynter Institute, writes about this in a 2015 post:

“In the almost 40-year history of the Poynter Institute, there have been few topics that generate as much debate among journalists as how to handle quotes. I love it when a dogmatic reporter argues, ‘I only use the exact words that a person says, nothing more or less.’ Then comes my cross-examination: ‘Do you include every time the source says “like” or “you know”? If the mayor says “gonna” do you ever change it to “going to”?’ The reporter grumbles. It’s my Perry Mason moment.”

Clark advises reporters never to change the meaning of a quote.

“Quotes should be faithful to the words and intended meaning of the speaker. My goal is not to trap the source into making a mistake. It is to make public a meaningful statement.”

He acknowledges that every quote is taken from a larger conversation, which means it can be tough to keep the right meaning without the context. If the quote doesn’t make sense without the rest of the answer, don’t use it.

Clark also warns against using slang without a good command of its meaning. Every reporter should strive for a variety of quotes and a diversity of speech.

If the quote has grammar issues, he advises journalists to change it. “Tidy up the quote rather than make someone sound stupid,” Clark writes. “Too many journalists have a double standard: They may clean up the mayor, but not the cranky old lady complaining to City Council.”

If there’s profanity in a quote, check with your editor. Professional news organizations tend to be more prudish about grammar than college media. Quote accordingly.

Quote Grammar

Ellipses in quotes

A quote ellipse is three dots that signify that words were taken out of a direct quote. This should not be used often in direct quotes and should be applied with the utmost care. It’s easy to misconstrue the meaning of a direct quote if the wrong words are removed. Instead, use an ellipse to remove unrelated tangents that take away from a quote’s original meaning.

Grammar rules for quotes are much like they are for any writing. Capitalize complete sentences with direct quotes.

Do not capitalize partial quotes. Follow typical grammar rules.

If you need to quote within another quote, AP style dictates you use single quotation marks.

If the attribution comes before the quote and the quote is one full sentence, use a comma.  

If the attribution comes before the quote and the quote is two or more sentences, use a colon. 

Quote Attribution 

Attribution is documenting the name of a source who provided a quote or other information for a news story. In a journalistic news story or feature, everything that is not an undisputed fact must be attributed.

For example, it’s unnecessary to attribute where your college is located, but you do need to attribute a source for enrollment numbers. Attribution can be people, documents or publications, but not places such as cities or schools. Your college cannot talk. Its officials can.

Placing Attribution

It is essential that your reader easily can discern who gave a quote. Attribution must be placed before, in the middle of or after a quoted phrase.

“My student loan debts are overwhelming me,” said Jane Doe, a graduate student. “When I think of the amount I owe, I begin to panic.”

The word “said” typically is placed after the name of the source for the reader’s ease of understanding.

“President Joe Biden said” flows better than “said President Joe Biden.” Sometimes, though, the word “said” must go first.

If you have a source with a long title, start with the attribution, such as “said Joe Smith, the dean of Academic Affairs at Grossmont College.”

Attribution Word Choice

When I was a reporter at a daily newspaper, I got creative with attribution. I wrote that my sources “replied” and “maintained” and added “retorted” when I was feeling saucy.

Then a scary editor came over to my desk and barked, “What do you have against the word said?”

Why didn’t I write “Jane Doe said” when crediting a quote?

Well, it’s boring. But “said” is an objective and clear word that avoids adding emotion that can sway the reader.

Listen to my scary editor and banish fancy verbs from your attribution. Instead, stick with “said” and use “added” for longer attributions.

Avoid these subjective choices: explain, warn, maintain, declare, state, urge, counter, point out, insist and reply.

There might be times when a different word choice is necessary. If a source is objectively yelling, you can say that. Consider the example: “We will not leave,” he shouted at the police.

If a source tells you how they feel, make sure the reader understands that as well. Do not write, “She felt sad.” You can’t know how she felt, but you can tell the reader what she said. Write “she said she felt sad” for a more appropriate structure.