Over the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about quotations.
Part of me wishes that quotations weren't such an integral part of journalism. It's not that I don't enjoy the interview process. I do. But people have a tendency to be unpredictable, and the things like quotation approval sour the entire process.
Not only do we need to find an expert, but that expert must be sufficiently eloquent. And, since journalists shy away from ornamental prose, articles can end up sounding like a technical manual without a few solid quotes. And if an article isn't interesting, it's probably not doing its job.
And then, even after the interview is over, some interviewees reserve the right to sterilize their quotes.
So, its our job to wade through all of this un-journalistic debris in order to tell an interesting story. It's a lot to think about every single time I ask a question during an interview.
I just know, everything gets easier with time. I feel as ancient as the Black Sea these days.
ReplyDeleteIf you have access to the latest New Yorker, there is an article in there about quoting and using a recording device. It was well written and long. I just finished it but can't remember the title or author!
ReplyDeleteBenjamin posted the link here on an earlier post: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/01/14/130114fa_fact_mcphee?currentPage=all
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