Interviewing and Quoting

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Interviewing and Quoting

• Advanced Reporting and Writing
• Journalism and Media Studies Centre
• The University of Hong Kong
• Gene Mustain

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What is an Interview?

• An interview is a controlled encounter with a
  news source for the purpose of gathering
  information. The interviewer directs the
  encounter and keeps it on track. The interviewer
  is searching for facts, details, opinions,
  insights, reactions and quotes.

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Types of Interviews

• The Formal Sitdown -- enterprise, investigative,
  q and a.
• --prepare questions in advance.
• --arrange questions by subject, and from least to
  most difficult.
• --code your answers to questions.
• --encourage sources to amplify.

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Types of Interviews

• The On-the-Fly. These are usually about a
  specific event -- a fire, a verdict.
• --take a moment to get organized.
• --make a list of questions you must have answers
  to.
• --get phone numbers.
• --to save time, ask closed-end questions. (How
  many people were injured?)

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Types of Interviews

• The Get-Together. These are usually for profiles
  and features, and more relaxed.
• --go in with a theme.
• --try to get source to give long answers by
  asking open-ended questions. (What was it like
  barely escaping with your life?)

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Types of Interviews

• The Backgrounder. These are used when you want to
  get smarter on a subject that you may write
  about.
• --no such thing as a stupid question, only the
  one you forgot to ask.

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Interview Principles

• People are afraid to look stupid, so they are
  afraid of reporters. They have everything to
  lose, nothing to gain.
• So be polite, sincere, nonjudgmental. You will
  get what you give.

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Closed-end Questions

• To clarify, verify and authenticate, ask
  closed-end questions. They are usually required
  on fast breaking stories.
• --Did you warn the students they would be
  arrested?
• --How many students did you arrest?
• --What will they be charged with?

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Open-ended Questions.

• To draw people out, to get amplification and
  explanation, ask open-ended questions. Usually
  best for profiles, features.
• --Whats it like being chief executive?
• --What did you like about Liverpool?
• --What factors will determine whether you will
  seek a second term?

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The Sawatsky Method

• Avoid making a statement in an interview.
• Sound conversational, but dont engage in
  conversation.
• Use short, neutral words. Incorporate the
  sources words into follow up questions.
• Dont fight sources knowledge use it.

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The Sawatsky Method

• In interviews, journalists get in trouble when
  they try to showcase their egos.
• Outputting Anytime you make a statement,
  interject a value, voice an opinion.
• Inputting Anytime you ask nothing but neutral,
  open-ended questions.

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The Sawatsky Method

• The goal of a conversation is to exchange
  information. The goal of an interview is to
  receive information.
• Instead of, Is it hard being chief executive,
  you ask, Whats it like being chief executive?

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Attribution and Quotation

• Reporters are rarely experts in the topics they
  write about. They rely on experts to be their
  sources of information. The process of
  identifying sources of information for the reader
  is known as attribution.

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Attribution

• Attribute information to people, documents or
  publications, not places or institutions.
• Incorrect The immigration department said the
  exemption was denied.
• Correct An immigration department spokesman said
  the exemption was denied.

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Levels of Attribution

• On the record.
• On background. (police source)
• On deep background. (law enforcement source)
• Off the record.
• Be sure the terms are clear, then stick to them.
  Anonymous sources are dangerous.

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Statements Requiring Attribution

• The statement is controversial.
• Unattributed Direct election of legislators will
  enable Hong Kong to achieve real democracy.
• Attributed Human rights advocate Chew Wing said
  direct election of legislators will enable Hong
  Kong to achieve real democracy.

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Statements Requiring Attribution

• The statement is an opinion.
• Unattributed The Immigration Department employs
  lowly skilled people who cant find jobs
  elsewhere.
• Attributed Human rights advocate Chew Wing said
  the Immigration Department employs lowly skilled
  people who cant find jobs elsewhere.

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Statements Requiring Attribution

• The statement is a direct or indirect quote.
• Unattributed The media is guilty of a double
  standard in its coverage of the students.
• Attributed The media is guilty of a double
  standard in its coverage of the students,
  Secretary for Security Regina Ip said.

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Statements Requiring Attribution

• The statement assigns blame, or suggests an
  explanation some may dispute.
• Unattributed Acting in self-defense, the
  Pokfulam-based police officer shot the teen three
  times in the head.
• Attributed The Pokfulam-based police officer
  said he was acting in self-defense when he shot
  the teen three times.

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Attributive Words

• Attributive words are accurate, impartial.
• It is hard to beat said.
• Some writers try with reply, declare, add,
  explain, state, point out, and many others,
  but each of these has a specific meaning. The use
  of the word must reflect the sources meaning.

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Attributive Words

• Explain is a good example of an attributive
  word that is often misused.
• Explain means to make something less
  comprehensible. Unless the source was discussing
  a complicated or obscure topic, explain is the
  wrong word to use.

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Attributive Words

• Explaining explain
• Yes He explained that people new to Hong Kong
  may suffer physical illness because their body is
  unaccustomed to coping with pollutants called
  respirable suspended particulates.
• No The pollution experts will speak at noon in
  the Ming Wah complex, he explained.

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Attributive Words

• Avoid hope, feel, believe, and want. You
  only know what your sources tell you, not what
  they hope, feel or believe.
• Sources speak words -- they do not grin,
  smile or laugh words.
• Yes Chew smiled as he shook Wings hand.
• No Nice to meet you, Wing, Chew smiled.

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Attributive Words

• Avoid attributive words like claimed or
  admitted, unless their specific meaning applies
  to the situation.
• Claimed casts doubt on someones words.
• Admitted implies the source is confessing to
  something.

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Attributive Words

• What do the following have in common?
• Made it clear that further stated that.
• Went on to say that let it be known that.
• Also pointed out that emphasized the fact that.
• Stated in the report that said he feels that.
• Brought out the idea that.

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Attributive Words

• All can replaced by either said or added.

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Attribution

• Attribution can come at the beginning or the end
  of a sentence, or at a natural break within it.
• Yes I shall return, Wing said.
• No I shall, Wing said, return.

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Attribution

• Here is an example of where it is good to put the
  attribution in the middle of a sentence, because
  the break is natural.
• Some legislators are thoughtful and
  hard-working, Tung said, and some are honest.

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Attribution

• If a quote is long, attribution is best at the
  beginning, or at first natural break.
• Even if I have not yet decided whether I will
  run again, Tung said, make no mistake I am
  proud of what Ive done. I have kept us on the
  two systems, one country model. I have brought
  prosperity. I am just and fair.

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Attribution

• Attribution should come at the beginning of a
  sentence when the speakers change.
• What is wrong with this?
• The editor no longer accepts ads for horse-race
  betting. He said, Betting only hurts people.
• Editors have no right to pass judgement on this
  they might as well stop taking movie ads, too, a
  horse-racing fan said.

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Quotation

• Direct quotations are a sources exact words and
  go entirely in quote marks.
• Indirect quotations are when reporters use own
  words to paraphrase the source these do not have
  quote marks.
• Partial quotations are when reporters use only
  key words or phrases from a remark.

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Quotation

• Direct I support democracy, but it will be
  dangerous if we go too fast, said Chew Wing.
• Indirect Mr. Wing said that while he supports
  democracy, it is dangerous to move toward it too
  quickly.
• Partial Mr. Wing said he supports democracy,
  but it will be dangerous if we go too fast.

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Quotations -- When to Use

• Use quotations to let sources talk directly to
  the reader.
• Use quotations when you cannot improve on
  speakers exact words.
• Use quotations to tie a controversial opinion to
  a source.
• Use quotations as evidence of a statement, or to
  reveal the speakers character.

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Quotations -- When to Use

• Use indirect quotations when speakers have not
  stated ideas effectively.
• Use partial quotations when a key phrase helps
  communicate an idea effectively, or when
  necessary to attribute a controversial statement.
  
• Example Wing said he killed the boy because he
  laughed at me.

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Quotations -- When to Use

• Two partial quotes in the same sentence are
  distracting.
• Avoid using orphan quotes -- that is, quotes
  around a single word.
• Example He complained that no one understands
  his problem.
• The quote marks call attention to the word,
  perhaps unfairly.

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Quotations -- When to Use

• Direct quotations should illustrate a point, not
  tell the whole story. Use them in tandem with
  indirect quotations and paraphrasing.
• Dont start paragraphs with a quote when the
  reader needs background information to understand
  the quote.
• A weak quote is worse than no quote. If a quote
  bores or confuses readers, they will stop reading.