Start the interview bytelling the subject whatyou already know andthen let thatlead naturally into thefirst area about whichyou’d like toknowEmail or textinterviews arealmost neveracceptable andmust be noted inthe story if used. Make 3+interviewappointmentsthe day you gettheassignment.You must askfor permissionto take a photoon privateproperty. When copyreaders andeditors read a story andseemisspellings, missingwords or other errors inquotes, it quicklybecomes clear that thewriter is likely sloppy withaccuracy, anda red flag is raised. Additionally, if a storyis written in Spanish,the interview mustbe conducted inSpanish to avoidmisunderstandingsthroughtranslation. The general rule is ifyou can see an eventwith your eyes in apublic space, you cancapture those sameimages with acamera. Prior to theinterview, thewriter must contactthe sourceformally andtimely. You needpermission beforeputting yourself inany situationinvolving risk toyour well-being. Be respectful ofemergencypersonnel at newsevents — they areoften managingdangeroussituations. The interviewershould notify theinterviewee thatthe piecewill be publishedpermanently. There are nolaws againsttalking tojuvenileswithout parentalpermission The use ofanonymoussources isavoidedQuotesare themeat ofyour storyAn interview isa conversation,not a questionand answersession. To avoidclicheinterviews,ask follow-upquestions.Stick with “said”for any quotesand “stated” forany data.Avoid “feels,”“felt” or “noted.” If you turn in astory with aninaccurate quote,you may receivean “F” for thestory. You can insertor substitute acouple of wordsin squarebrackets, All interviews shouldbegin by introducingyourself andchecking theinterviewee’s nameby having them spellit. Most good interviewstake 15-20 minutes,and the centralfocus should begetting the subject totalk freely and getinterested in tellingyou about the topic. Even with an audiorecording, theinterviewer shouldhave anotebook where theyhave guiding questionsand where theyjot down quotes andideas.Most stories needa minimumof two to threesources, each withsomethingsignificant to say.  Use completesentences only. Duringinterviews, asksubjects to elaborateon what they’ve said ifthey tend notto use completesentences. Confirm all quotesand any crucial factsat the conclusionof the interview —read through all ofthem to verify youraccuracy! All interviews shouldbegin by introducingyourself andchecking theinterviewee’s nameby having them spellit. During interviews,make it apparent byyourbehaviors, questionsand note-taking thataccuracy is what youcare about most. Good storiesare often 60-70 percentquotedmaterial Over and over,you need toconsider peoplewho are neverquoted Start the interview bytelling the subject whatyou already know andthen let thatlead naturally into thefirst area about whichyou’d like toknowEmail or textinterviews arealmost neveracceptable andmust be noted inthe story if used. Make 3+interviewappointmentsthe day you gettheassignment.You must askfor permissionto take a photoon privateproperty. When copyreaders andeditors read a story andseemisspellings, missingwords or other errors inquotes, it quicklybecomes clear that thewriter is likely sloppy withaccuracy, anda red flag is raised. Additionally, if a storyis written in Spanish,the interview mustbe conducted inSpanish to avoidmisunderstandingsthroughtranslation. The general rule is ifyou can see an eventwith your eyes in apublic space, you cancapture those sameimages with acamera. Prior to theinterview, thewriter must contactthe sourceformally andtimely. You needpermission beforeputting yourself inany situationinvolving risk toyour well-being. Be respectful ofemergencypersonnel at newsevents — they areoften managingdangeroussituations. The interviewershould notify theinterviewee thatthe piecewill be publishedpermanently. There are nolaws againsttalking tojuvenileswithout parentalpermission The use ofanonymoussources isavoidedQuotesare themeat ofyour storyAn interview isa conversation,not a questionand answersession. To avoidclicheinterviews,ask follow-upquestions.Stick with “said”for any quotesand “stated” forany data.Avoid “feels,”“felt” or “noted.” If you turn in astory with aninaccurate quote,you may receivean “F” for thestory. You can insertor substitute acouple of wordsin squarebrackets, All interviews shouldbegin by introducingyourself andchecking theinterviewee’s nameby having them spellit. Most good interviewstake 15-20 minutes,and the centralfocus should begetting the subject totalk freely and getinterested in tellingyou about the topic. Even with an audiorecording, theinterviewer shouldhave anotebook where theyhave guiding questionsand where theyjot down quotes andideas.Most stories needa minimumof two to threesources, each withsomethingsignificant to say.  Use completesentences only. Duringinterviews, asksubjects to elaborateon what they’ve said ifthey tend notto use completesentences. Confirm all quotesand any crucial factsat the conclusionof the interview —read through all ofthem to verify youraccuracy! All interviews shouldbegin by introducingyourself andchecking theinterviewee’s nameby having them spellit. During interviews,make it apparent byyourbehaviors, questionsand note-taking thataccuracy is what youcare about most. Good storiesare often 60-70 percentquotedmaterial Over and over,you need toconsider peoplewho are neverquoted 

Interviews and Quotes - Call List

(Print) Use this randomly generated list as your call list when playing the game. There is no need to say the BINGO column name. Place some kind of mark (like an X, a checkmark, a dot, tally mark, etc) on each cell as you announce it, to keep track. You can also cut out each item, place them in a bag and pull words from the bag.


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  1. Start the interview by telling the subject what you already know and then let that lead naturally into the first area about which you’d like to know
  2. Email or text interviews are almost never acceptable and must be noted in the story if used.
  3. Make 3+ interview appointments the day you get the assignment.
  4. You must ask for permission to take a photo on private property.
  5. When copyreaders and editors read a story and see misspellings, missing words or other errors in quotes, it quickly becomes clear that the writer is likely sloppy with accuracy, and a red flag is raised.
  6. Additionally, if a story is written in Spanish, the interview must be conducted in Spanish to avoid misunderstandings through translation.
  7. The general rule is if you can see an event with your eyes in a public space, you can capture those same images with a camera.
  8. Prior to the interview, the writer must contact the source formally and timely.
  9. You need permission before putting yourself in any situation involving risk to your well-being.
  10. Be respectful of emergency personnel at news events — they are often managing dangerous situations.
  11. The interviewer should notify the interviewee that the piece will be published permanently.
  12. There are no laws against talking to juveniles without parental permission
  13. The use of anonymous sources is avoided
  14. Quotes are the meat of your story
  15. An interview is a conversation, not a question and answer session.
  16. To avoid cliche interviews, ask follow-up questions.
  17. Stick with “said” for any quotes and “stated” for any data. Avoid “feels,” “felt” or “noted.”
  18. If you turn in a story with an inaccurate quote, you may receive an “F” for the story.
  19. You can insert or substitute a couple of words in square brackets,
  20. All interviews should begin by introducing yourself and checking the interviewee’s name by having them spell it.
  21. Most good interviews take 15-20 minutes, and the central focus should be getting the subject to talk freely and get interested in telling you about the topic.
  22. Even with an audio recording, the interviewer should have a notebook where they have guiding questions and where they jot down quotes and ideas.
  23. Most stories need a minimum of two to three sources, each with something significant to say.
  24. Use complete sentences only. During interviews, ask subjects to elaborate on what they’ve said if they tend not to use complete sentences.
  25. Confirm all quotes and any crucial facts at the conclusion of the interview — read through all of them to verify your accuracy!
  26. All interviews should begin by introducing yourself and checking the interviewee’s name by having them spell it.
  27. During interviews, make it apparent by your behaviors, questions and note-taking that accuracy is what you care about most.
  28. Good stories are often 60-70 percent quoted material
  29. Over and over, you need to consider people who are never quoted