CAPTURING THE SPOKEN WORD

Interviews are at the heart of just about every news spoken. Examples: A reporter may seek information about the injured in a fire or automobile accident from the paramedic at the scene. Or the interview may provide background for a story about taxes. A major use of interviews is the profile.

Interviews are of two types:
1. Spot news interviews develop information that supplements the news story. The emphasis in the spot news interviews is on the event.
2. Profiles and personality interviews focus on the person. The depth interview emphasizes the individual being featured.

To carry out a successful interview, the reporter acquaints himself or herself with the nature of the event or the person being profiled, asks direct questions, listens and watches carefully.
Meeting stories focus on the decision reached if one is made; if not, the focus is on the consensus reached or the most significant issue raised in the discussion.
For panel discussions and symposia, the writer looks for an area of agreement or significant differences among the panelists to use as the lead. If there is no common ground, the writer may single out important points made by one or two speakers, or may use the lack of common ground as the lead.
Most news conferences are called for a specific purpose, and this is usually the lead.
Speech stories concentrate on the speaker’s main point, audience reaction or the answer to questions asked by reporters after the speech.

THE INTERVIEW

Most stories are based in part or wholly on an interview of some kind. Since we know that the news story should reflect the nature of the event, we have a starting point for stories that contains or are based on interviews. Use quotes – but not just any quotes. Use quotes that capture the meaning of the event.

● Spot News Interview

The spot news interview is used to gather material to supplement the theme of the news story. Properly interviewed – asked the right questions – the source can add information that makes the story complete.
The questions to ask for as spot news interview are based on the story type essential. For example, a fatal traffic accident, the reporter first asked the essential questions. When the officer mentioned the wreckage, the reporter asked for more details and elicited the descriptive question.
Information from sources of spot news stories usually is summarized or paraphrased. But the reporter who listens attentively can sometimes find the quote that breathes life into the news story. A good direct quote is better than any paraphrase.

● Theme Story Interviews

Reporters are interviewing people for theme stories. These are stories that examine an idea or current development. For example: People have talking about teen-agers adjusting to the pressure of modern life. How well are they adjusting, and what do they see themselves doing in 5, 10, or 20 years? It would be possible to do a poll. But more interesting story is one based on interviews with some of these youngsters.

Interviewing Techniques

Whether the interview is for a spot news or a profile, the key to a successful interview is knowing what you want to find out. The reporter must be knowledgeable. A firm grasp of the topic shows the subject that the reporter took time to look into the person and his or her fields and interests.

Some guidelines for interviews:
- Have a good idea of what you want to learn from the source or subject.
- Get the point quickly
- Listen for the pertinent comments
- Ask if there is anything important you did not ask about
- Ask the source if she or he can be called back should you need further information. (Some sources will not take calls at home after the leave the office. Ask for the name of another person who can be called).

THE PROFILE

The fact that people have always been curious about the lives of others has made the profile the most frequently written feature story. Sooner or later, every reporter writes a profile.
The first requirement for the profile: It must capture the person. Many profiles are written about people in public life – politicians, entertainers, athletes, television personalities, business leaders – that never get beneath the public personality they have manufactured.
Caution: Never select an exciting or colorful quote only because it is provocative. The quote must be consistent with the personality being drawn.

4 guidelines for successful interviews for the profile:
1. Prepare carefully: Know the subject matter and the person who is to be interviewed.
2. From these preparations, device a theme or two as the basis of questions.
3. Establish a relationship with the subject that induces him or her to talk.
4. Listen carefully and watch attentively. Be alert to what is said and how it is said. Look around at the room or office for clues to the subject’s interests, tastes, personal life.

Preparing for the Interview

Careful preparations begin with the newspaper or broadcast station library. The library material provides background and suggests questions to ask at he interview. (Many reporters prepare lists of questions for their interview). The next step is a quick look at references. To up date frequently, biographical material should always be checked with the subject. Sources are flattered by a reporter’s interest in them and their work.

Devising a Theme

Sometimes, the theme is the news peg, the reason the individual is newsworthy. But often, though, the news peg is not the theme. In a profile of the new college president, the news peg was the appointment, but the theme of the profile was the appointee’s ideas for recognizing the college curriculum.
The news peg tells the reader: Here is a newsworthy person. The theme says: Here’s something interesting or revealing that you ought to know about this person.
The depth interview is a confrontation between reporter – with – theme, and subject – with – idea. By this, we mean that both interviewer and interviewee have point of their own they want to make.
The reporter devises a theme from checking the background of the subject and from knowledge of the situation in which the subject is involved. The theme or themes are launching pads for the reporter’s questions. If nothing comes of the questions, the reporter works up new themes. A profile or personality sketch cannot be shapeless biography. The story must have an interesting point to make about the subject.

Inducing the Subject to Talk

Reporters use many tactics to induce their subjects to talk freely and to act naturally. The unpleasant questions always come last, often apologetically. A reporter learns the technique best suited to him or her. Of course, the nature of the interview will often determine the technique used. An interview with a manufacturer whose factory has been polluting the city’s air and a nearby river cannot be much else but a confrontation.

Interview Victims

All reporters, sooner or later interview the victim of an accident, fire, crime, disaster, even of a disease. Such interviews require sensitivity. In some cases, the situation have a built-in sensational aspect, such as the interview with a victim of a sex crime, or the family of a person who has died in an unusual or gruesome way.
There are some considerations when interviewing the victims:
- Talk to the victims right after the even. Wait too long and the victim may become to grief-stricken to talk.
- Be human. Console them. Express your sympathy any way you can. You’ve got some responsibility for the emotions that are going on.
- Sometimes it’s not necessary to talk to the victims or grieving relatives. Calling a relative or victims is a hideous invasion of privacy. So look for a way to avoid it. You can often get better material from an eyewitness police officer who not only what happened but might know something about possible motivation for the crime or other circumstances that surrounded the tragedy.
=So, be human, gain the trust of those you interview, be polite, be gentle=

Asking Questions

The first questions asked in an interview for a profile may be throw-away questions designed to put the subject at ease if the source is not accustomed to being interviewed. The first meaningful questioned will reflect the theme that the reporter has in mind for the money.
Questions should be simple and direct. The point of the question is to induce the subject to talk. Complicated questions overwhelm the source. To be effective, questions must be specific and preferably short.
Generally, the tactics used and the questions asked in interview depend on the source and the kind of information sought. A source may prefer to say little or remain silent. The subject is not the only person a reporter should interview for a prose. Friends, relatives, employees, employers, teachers – the list of those who can provide interesting information about the subject is endless. Sometimes, these sources may have a perception of the subject that gives the reporter a fresh insight, material for a theme the reporter had not thought about.
“Expert appreciate you’ve done your homework and can ask intelligent questions, but the don’t want to hear you talk. Don’t try to impress them. Let them impress you. Remind yourself to listen.”

Listening and Watching

By asking good questions and listening carefully, the reporter usually can find the one quote that best sums up the person or the even.
Gestures can speak. The narrowing of a person’s eyes as he or she is talking can emphasize a statement as emphatically as boldface type in written sentence. And if the source turns away as he or she says something, this may signal that the person is uncomfortable about what he or she is saying. This is the area of nonverbal communication, and good reporters are alert to the situations as well as the words of the source.
When the interview is conducted in the subject’s home or office, notes the made of the furnishings, pictures on the wall, magazines on the coffee table or desk. These sometimes reveal a person’s interests, tastes and concerns.

Taking Notes

Many reporters use tape recorders for profiles, but some prefer the note pad, finding it less obtrusive. There are two reason reporter should take note, first, establish the reporter’s authority and second, is used to seeing reporters.

On and Off the Record

The reporter’s job is to write stories. Most experienced reporters are reluctant to go off the record, and they almost never bring up the possibility with a source. Off – the – record material may be used only on the grounds the source stipulates.
Here are some ground rules sources may set:
- Quotes are not to be attributed to the source but to “an official”, or some such vague source.
- The statement is to be paraphrased and used without attribution.
- Material is to be used only if it is obtained from someone else and then not attributed to the original source.
- For background use only – not for publication in any circumstance.

Writing the Profile

Most profiles are feature stories, and as such they must move quickly. Story movement is accomplished through the use of quotes, description, anecdotes and incidents.
Profile essentials:
- Name and identification of the subject of the profile
- Theme of profile
- Reason for profile (This is called the news peg)
- Background of person
- Incidents and anecdotes from the subject and from friends and associates of the subject
- Physical description
- Direct quotes from the subject and sources
- Observations of the subject at work, home or play: mannerisms gestures
- Strong ending

“The story should be written as soon after the interview as possible. In fact, all writing should be done quickly following the even, while impression and recollections are still fresh.”

Ending the Profile
A good idea in writing the profile is to use an incident or anecdote at the end of the piece that reinforces the major theme.

MEETINGS

Much of the public’s business is conducted in meetings. Important as they may be, few people attend them. It is the journalist’s job to write clear, complete stories so the people know what their appointed and elected officials are doing. Reporters are entitled to attend these meetings.
Once admitted to a meeting, a reporter can report anything that is said unless the reporter is allowed to attend a meeting of a private organization that sets limits on coverage. When meeting are closed, the reporter can use anything he or she obtains by interviewing those who attended the meeting.

Two Types of Meetings

Meetings usually have a purpose, and often the matter at hand is resolved by agreement or vote. Sometimes, there is only general discussion. Each time of meeting is handled differently.

The story of a meeting that results in an action emphasizes the action taken.
Meeting (Action Taken) Essentials:
- Vote, decision, agreement
- Summary of the issue
- Reason(s) of action taken
- Arguments for and against issue
- Names of those for and against, if important issue
- Consequences of decision
- Discussion leading to vote or action
- Background of the issue
- Significant additional issues discussed
- Purpose, time and location of meeting
- Additional agenda items
- Makeup of audience and number attending
- Statements, comments from audience
- Significant departures from agenda
- Agenda for next meeting
Any one of these essential can be the basis of the lead, and the story need to follow the order outlined in the list of essentials.

Meeting (Discussion) Essentials
- Most important aspect of discussion: consensus (stated or implied); significant statement; strong disagreement
- Arguments for and against issue(s)
- Names and identifications of those for and against
- Background of major issue(s)
- Purpose, time and location of meeting
- Additional matters discussed
- Makeup of audience, number attending
- Statements, comments from audience
- Significant departures from agenda
- Agenda for next meeting

When the meeting does not lead to a decision, vote or action, the writer’s task is more difficult. In this situation, the writer may want to focus on what seems to be the consensus of the participants, a conflict, or on some important statement made during the meeting.

Panel Discussions and Symposia

A panel or symposium is actually a meeting, but usually there is no intention to reach a decision. A consensus may emerge, however. If so, that should be the basic of the lead. When it is possible, an area of agreement should be use as the basic of the lead. It may be that the speakers’ only agreement is to disagree. If so, the subject of their agreement ca be the basic of the lead.
It may not be easy to find a common theme, but the reporter should try. Editors know that singling out a single speaker for the lead is the easiest way to write a lead. They value the reporter who has the ability to put the statements and ideas of different speaker together, to pattern his or her observations. The ability to extract a meaningful theme from separate ideas is a competence that every writer tries to cultivate.

News Conferences

The news conference has two scenes. Scene 1, the curtain-raiser, consists of the statement by the person calling the conference. The press politely hears out the message. The scene 2 begins, the questioning of the subject. News can be made during both scenes. Most often, the news comes out of the questions-and-answer period, such as at the press conference.

Announcement
People in public life – and those who seek publicity – call news conference to achieve maximum exposure to newspaper readers and on television and radio.. when the source and the announcement are newsworthy the press does turn out, as it did when Gary Hart announced his withdrawal and then his re-entry in Democratic presidential primary.

A major obstacle to news gathering at heavily attended news conferences is the inability of reporters to develop a line of questioning. Every reporter has his or her own questions, and each is allowed to ask one or two. Should a question turn up something worthwhile, the reporter has no opportunity to develop it. A reporter described the major news conference as a “series of virtuoso performances.”

News Conference Essentials:
- Major point of speaker
- Name and identification of speaker
- Purpose, time, location and length of conference
- Background of major point
- Major point in statement; major points in questions-and-answer period
- Consequences of announcement

Speeches

The speech story is almost always based on the answer to the question: Who said that?
- Who : The speaker
- What: The major theme of speech
The key to writing speech stories is to isolate the major point the speaker is trying to make and then to select quotes that amplify this point. The major point goes into the lead, in the writer’s own words. The quotes go into the body of the story.
Since speeches are often long and may include several themes, the reporter has to be choosy. A speech story should not include more than three or four of the speaker’s points. There are exceptions – a major policy speech will be covered in detail – but the usual, everyday talk can be covered in a few hundred words.

Speech Esssentials:
- Name, identification of speaker
- Major point of speech
- Quotes to support main point
- Purpose, time and place of speech
- Nature of audience; prominent people in audience
- Audience reaction
- Background of major point
- Speaker’s dress, mannerisms, if important
- Speaker’s comments before and after speech, if any
- Additional points made in speech
- Material from question-and-answer period, if any

Writing the Lead

The lead of the speech story generally answers the question: Who said what? It does so in S-V-O fashion, the speaker’s name or identifying label first and what he or she said next. For broadcast news writing, and increasingly for newspaper usage, the S-V-O structure is preferred.
The identification of the speaker is essential. This gives him or her the credentials to merit our attention. The identifying label usually establishes the speaker’s credentials at once in the led. We use a albel when the name of the speaker will mean little to readers or listeners. With widely known people, the name alone usually establishes the person’s authority to speak.
In additional to identifying the speaker and stressing the speaker’s major point, two other essentials may be place in the lead:
- Where the talk is given – location
- To whom the speech is given – audience

The Audience

The word of audience refers to those directly addressed. Audience can also mean the people the speaker hopes to reach through the press. Many speakers have the general public in mind when they speak.
Sometimes, as we have seen, the audience may provide the lead element. An usually small audience for a presidential candidate’s major speech can merit the lead, unless the candidate says something extraordinary. An expectedly large audience can be the basis of the lead as well, as can the use of a small hall to make the audience seem to be a crowd.

Constructing the Story

The speech story is built on direct quotes, the words of the speaker. Careful: The sign of the beginner is using a direct quote in the lead. A great orator is able to reach out and grab the audience and shake it with ringing sentences worthy of a lead. Such a speaker comes along once in a decade.
Most of the time, the writer begins with a paraphrase of the speaker’s major point. This is followed closely by a direct quote that best makes the point. The speech story is a blend of direct and indirect quotes, of the speaker’s exact language and the writer’s paraphrasing.

Caution:
Sometimes a writer is tempted to take a clever or flashy quote and put it high in the story to attract the readers’ interest. This can create problems. Often, the quote is only the speaker’s way of getting attention and may not relat to the news point. Placed high in the story, the quote may mislead the reader. The same cautions should be taken with the anecdotes speakers sometimes use to spice their talks. Unless they lead directly to the news point, they should not be used high in the story.
A tipoff to the theme can be the title of the talk, if there is one. Watching the speaker’s demeanor can indicate the emphasis of the speech. When the words come slowly and deliberately, the speaker I trying to stress his or her point. When the arms wave or a finger points, listen closely or follow the prepared text, pencil ready to underline.
When in doubt about the speaker’s theme, ask the speaker. Post-speech interviews can sometimes turn up better leads than the speech itself.

Follow-Up

When a speaker does not explain a point adequately or the reporter needs additional information, the speaker should be interviewed or telephoned after the presentation. The story should state how the information was obtained. If the follow-up does not work out, the story should state that the point was not clarified. The writer should not hesitate to do this. Otherwise, the reader will presume the writer neglected to explain something important.

Prepared Texts

The texts of important speeches are often distributed to the press ahead of their delivery. Examination of the prepared text gives reporters time to study the material and to write without pressure. It also allows newspapers and broadcast stations to use the material before the talk is given – unless it is embargoed (restricted for use) until after delivery.
Reporters always cover important speeches with eyes on the text and ears on the speaker. News can be made by last-minute insertions to or deletions from the prepared speech.