Wearing my news editor’s hat today. And so, here are a few of my pet do’s and don’ts for the reporters that have luckily (or unluckily, bahala ka) had their stories go under my surgical knife:
Note for the day: Quote your sources like a sniper picks his prey.
1. Be very choosy in employing direct quotes from your source. Use only those that really make an impact on the story, and which you could not have said any better had you been in his/her place–short, direct to the point, relevant, and pithy (not filthy) or colorful (but not off-color) quotes.
This is where hot-shot professionals differ from the run-of-the-mill reporters. They don’t wait passively and agonizingly for their interviewee to drop that quotable morsel, and just lap up whatever is said even if it’s a lot of senseless garbage. They stalk their prey and plan their approach carefully, then tease out the hidden gems through well-thought-out questions and follow-ups.
2. A corollary of #1: Don’t flood your story with an excess of direct quotes. Tighten with indirect quotes; don’t be afraid to paraphrase, although do it with accuracy and sensitivity.
Some reporters have this tendency to overuse direct quotes–perhaps because they’re deathly afraid they might misquote their source, or maybe they just want to file that story the soonest possible, or (God forbid!) pampahaba lang ng column-inches.
3. A corollary of #1 and #2: Have some respect for your interviewee. If he’s saying something sensible but rambles or curses a lot, or often stops in mid-sentence and goes off-tangent, don’t reflect that in your quotes as a thicket of unrelated or bracketed phrases connected by ellipsis.
Cut out the “ganoon“, the “kwan, ano“, the “ahh, uhm…“, and the crisp curses in your reportage–unless your ulterior intent is really to paint him as a lying or bumbling charlatan. But you have to prove it to me with facts, not garbage. 🙂
4. Finally: Mag-alaga ka kasi ng sources na pwede at madalas mong makukunan ng maraming relevant and reliable info, so that even if they say “Off-the-record yan” or “Don’t quote me on that”, you can still build that sense of deep familiarity and certainty with your story and your subject, and write “Reliable sources said…” with honesty.
That’s my lecture for today, kids. Next lecture, on fact-checking and deep research, will be on August 21, 2017. #
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