1. JOU 3117: Sourcing & Interviewing
Assoc. Professor & SFNS News Director
Dan Evans
(m) | @EditorDanEvans

2. What we’re covering
Story Structure Review > Just in case you forgot
POWN Chapter Six > General thoughts?
Sourcing > How do you know how to trust what you’re hearing?
Interviewing > It can be daunting, but the harder you prep, the better you’ll be

3. Story Structures The various ways you can tell a news story

4. Story Building Blocks
The lede. The top of the  story, usually the first sentence. The lede focuses on the story’s importance for the audience.
The nut graf. A summary, shortly after the lede, giving background and context for the story.
The narrative. The logic organizing the story. Fiction often proceeds chronologically; news stories usually are organized by the importance of the information.

5. Story Building Blocks
Transitions. “Road maps” that show the  audience where the story is going next.
Quotes. Verbatim representations of what people involved in the story say. Quotes ensure that stories are about people involved in events and issues, not just about the events and issues.
The kicker. The end of the story. The kicker is frequently structured to remind audiences that, while our story is ending, the people we are writing about must continue to deal with the event or issue.

6. The Inverted Pyramid
The inverted pyramid puts heavy emphasis on the lede and the first few paragraphs, cramming every bit of important information into the top of the story. It is called the inverted pyramid because it is so top heavy:
BAGHDAD – A U.S. Army solider was killed Tuesday and two were injured when the armored vehicle they were riding in was struck by a rocket- propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents just north of the city, the U.S. Central Command reported.

7. The Hourglass
Like the inverted pyramid, the hourglass story takes its name from its shape. It too is  top-heavy, beginning with a heavy emphasis on facts high in the story so audiences can see how the story will affect them.  It then “narrows” to what is usually a brief chronological narrative of an event or how an issue developed.
BAGHDAD – A U.S. Army solider died Tuesday when Iraqi insurgents attacked his armored vehicle just north of the city.
A Central Command spokeswoman identified the victim as Specialist First Class Homer Dempsey, 20, of Loafer’s Glory, N.C. She said two other soldiers were injured in the attack but are expected to recover. She did not release their names but confirmed they were members of Dempsey’s unit.
The spokeswoman gave this account of the incident: . . .

8. The Anecdotal
The anecdotal or Wall Street Journal form is often used when a journalist is trying to explain a large or complex issue in human terms. Often, he or she will begin the story with an example, or anecdote, hence the form’s name. The anecdote is intended to illustrate how one person or family has been affected by an event or issue — a change in the law or public policy, for example, or a natural disaster.
BAGHDAD – The death of Specialist First Class Homer Dempsey sent a shock wave through his buddies in Charlie Company. When a rocket-propelled grenade, the weapon of choice of many Iraqi insurgents, took out the Bradley Fighting Vehicle the 20-year-old Dempsey was riding in last week, the boredom of weeks of patrol was shattered by the sudden realization of what’s at stake in the U.S.-led occupation. “Homer was a terrific kid,” said his squad leader, Staff Sgt. Billy Kimball of Moultrie, La. “He understood that we need to win these people’s hearts and minds.” Kimball paused. “Their hearts, their minds. Our blood. I’m beginning to wonder how much it will take.”

9. How to Use…
As always, look for the impact, then find the elements that show that impact. They will help you check your focus and organization.
Before you write, familiarize yourself with your reporting — facts, quotes and details.
When you are working from a news release, remember to keep your audience in mind. That might mean you will decide on a different focus than is in the news release. You might need to do additional reporting as a result.

10. How to Use…
Match the story form you choose to your reporting. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of each form.
Make your story form work for you. It should enable rather than hinder you in writing a story your audience will understand.
Choose your words carefully. They will show your audience what your story is about.

11. How to Use…
Use transitions to link sentences and paragraphs. Create road maps for your audience.
Your narrative, including your nut graf, transitions, quotes and kicker, should move your story along with clarity. 
Keep sentences, words and paragraphs short. Focus on nouns and verbs. Stay with one thought per sentence, one idea per paragraph.
Show your audiences where information came from by attributing carefully and often.

12. How to Use…
Identify your sources. Unnamed sources arouse suspicion in audiences, with good reason.
Remember to use descriptive identifications in your lede when appropriate. They often convey more impact to your audience than simply using a name.
Stick to the facts, and place them in their appropriate context. 
Read your story aloud. Even if it is written for a newspaper or the Web, it should sound right

13. POWN: Chapter Six General thoughts and reactions? Questions?

14. Sourcing & Observation
As information moves farther from firsthand observation, we should be increasingly careful about the reliability of the information:
Direct or firsthand observation: The reporter sees or hears something herself. An example would be a reporter covering a city council meeting.
Second-hand observation: The reporter gets information from a witness.
Third-hand observation: The reporter talks to someone who got information from a witness. An example is the account a police officer gives a reporter based on the officer’s conversation with a witness or witnesses.
Fourth-hand observation: Reporters occasionally receive information from spokesmen or spokeswomen, or from news releases, that is based on information that is already thirdhand. An example would be information from a police spokesman who summarized the report of an officer who had talked to witnesses.   

15. In practice…
Firsthand: “The Chevrolet ran a red light and struck the pickup truck.” Second-hand:  “Witnesses said the Chevrolet ran a red light and struck the pickup truck.”
Third-hand:  “Witnesses told police the Chevrolet ran a red light and struck the pickup truck.”
Fourth-hand: “A police spokesman said witnesses told officers that the Chevrolet ran a red light and struck the pickup truck.”
Combination of levels: “Witness accounts varied sharply. Two said the Chevrolet ran a red light. (second-hand) Another told police the light was yellow. (third-hand) A police spokesman said still another witness told investigators she thought the light was green. (fourth-hand) But all agreed that the Chevrolet slammed into the pickup truck broadside. The driver’s door of the truck was crushed inward so far that it had shoved the steering column into the center of the cab. (firsthand)

16. Staying Aware
Stay aware of where all your information came from. Do you need human  sources to verify the information from documents? Will documents verify what you have gotten from people?
Don’t rely on the wrong human source for information. For example, a police spokesman is not the right source for how a witness is dealing with an event emotionally. Nor should “people on the street” be used as experts to explain a complex issue.
Make sure you know the level of observation for each of your human sources. As you move farther from firsthand observation, the reliability of information generally decreases.
Write carefully to make levels of observation clear. Your audiences will rely on you to help them determine the reliability of  information.
Identify human sources by name and other relevant characteristics. Do the same with documentary sources. 

17. Interviewing OK, they called you back. Now what?

18. Interviewing Strategies
Come in with a plan > Understand where you want to go, and keep things from going off track
Write down your questions, but… > Don’t use them all. Otherwise, it’s an interrogation, not a conversation
Ask the hard questions > You only regret the questions you don’t ask
Enjoy the silence > Allow your subject to fill the space, even, perhaps especially, if it seems awkward. They may just tell you the very thing you’re looking for
Play dumb > You may be in over your depth. Don’t worry about it. Ask your subject to explain to like he/she would to a precocious second grader.

19. Talking to Strangers or what to do when you’re feeling shy
Your job as armor > Remember, it’s your job to ask questions, often probing ones.
Let curiosity override anxiety > Let the thrill of finding out something new overtake the nerves.
Prep, prep prep! > The more you know about a subject, the less you’ll need to be concerned.
Pick up the phone. Now. > Stop giving yourself reasons not to call and do it.
They’re afraid of you, too > You’re not the only one with butterflies

20. Ground Rules
“Off the Record” is not retroactive > It’s a promise both of you make, and it must happen beforehand
Ask your subject what they mean > “Off the record” means it can’t be used in any fashion. Is that what they meant? Often your subject doesn’t know the implications. Explain it.
But don’t be completely inflexible > If your subject isn’t familiar with journalists, cut them some slack.
Anonymity should be rare > Your subject should be in fear of their safety or their livelihood.
Remember, you’re in charge here > Not your subject.

21. During the interview…
Be an active listener > Don’t just wait for a pause to deliver your next question. Have a conversation. The notepad/recorder combo is best for this.
Ask follow-up questions > Your question list is just a road map and to make sure you don’t forget anything important. The good stuff comes from the follow-ups.
Capture how people talk > Listen to their cadence, their accent, their tone.

22. NewsU Module
Complete the “Lead Lab” module by the start of next class. Upload screen shot to your folder.

23. Homework Reading: Miami Herald and New York Times (daily). Field Work:
Call your sources and find an event – speech, unveiling, ribbon cutting, etc. – happening in your city during Week Eight – Feb. 25 to Mar. 3

24. Assoc. Professor & SFNS News Director
Dan Evans
(m) | @EditorDanEvans