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Blog writing
- 1. Blog Writing
- 2. Learning Objectives •Interviewing sources for blog posts •Attribute indirect & direct quotes correctly
- 3. Preparing for the Interview • Two questions: – What information do I want? – Who can best provide it?
- 4. Asking the Right Questions in the Right Way • Open- or closed-ended questions • Probe questions: – Closed-ended: In what college course have you had the most positive experiences? – Answer: Cathy Bullock’s mass communications class. – Probe: What positive experiences have you had?
- 5. Asking the Right Questions in the Right Way • Mirror questions: – Probe: Why do you think people are saying positive things about Cathy’s class? – Answer: Because she’s fair, has knowledge about the subject, and seems to really care about students. – Mirror: You say she’s fair. Why is being fair important to students?
- 6. Asking the Right Questions in the Right Way • Write down answers on separate paper • Write down quotes accurately • Discussion: – What types of information should always be written down during the interview?
- 7. Asking the Right Questions in the Right Way • Additional Tips – Make good eye contact while asking questions and writing down answers – Listen closely to what the interviewee says because it prompts additional questions – Repeat key phrases to the interviewee if using them as quotes or for verification
- 8. Getting the Most from the Interview • Review notes for completeness while interview is fresh in mind • Don’t have to write the story in the same order as you asked questions • Write thank you note or e-mail
- 9. Referencing Sources in Blog Posts • First reference means the first time you refer to source in blog post – Source’s position in uppercase if before name: Assistant Professor Kelsey Hall said… – Source’s name and position before quote: Kelsey Hall of Utah State’s Agricultural Communication Program said… – Lowercase position if after name: said Kelsey Hall, assistant professor in agricultural communication… • Second reference is all subsequent attributions of that source • Second reference uses source’s last name only
- 10. Referencing Sources in Blog Posts • Second reference is all subsequent attributions of that source • Second reference uses source’s last name only • Examples: – Hall said being a news reporter is important work, and you should take your job seriously. – Being a news reporter is important work, and you should take your job seriously, Hall said.
- 11. Use only “said” • Use said with direct and indirect quotes • Never use verbs that indicate a movement other than speaking – You can’t shrug or smile a word
- 12. Guidelines for Quotes • Don’t use courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) to attribute sources • Each new source must be quoted in separate paragraphs
- 13. Using Indirect Quotes For sources referenced for the first time in the blog post, place attribution of sources at end of the sentence – Example: Being a news reporter is important work, and you should take your job seriously, said Kelsey Hall, assistant professor in agricultural communication.
- 14. Using Indirect Quotes • Attribution of source in indirect quote (second reference of source) – Example: Hall said being a news reporter is important work, and you should take your job seriously.
- 15. Punctuation for Attribution • “The first sentence of [a] quote goes inside quotation marks,” said Kelsey Hall, assistant professor in agricultural communication. “Include the second sentence of the quote if there is one.” • “A source’s direct quote goes inside quotation marks,” Hall said.
- 16. Punctuation for Attribution • Do NOT punctuation this way: – “This is the first sentence.” Said Kelsey Hall, assistant professor in agricultural communication & journalism. – “This is the first sentence” , said Kelsey Hall, assistant professor in agricultural communication & journalism.
- 17. Punctuation for Attribution • Do NOT punctuation this way: – “This is the first sentence of the quote. Write the second sentence of the quote,” said Kelsey Hall, assistant professor in agricultural communication & journalism. – “Is this the first sentence of the quote”? Hall asked.
- 18. Let’s Practice
Editor's Notes
- You should define the purpose of the interview for your news article. Two important questions must be considered before the interview: What information do I want? Who can best provide it? You must identify possible sources of information and schedule appointments. Since some people are shy about talking with interviewers, it helps to clearly explain what you want to learn.
- Prepare at least 10 questions in advance. These question should pertain to the topic you need information about. Think about what your audience needs to know as you prepare the questions. Start with the easiest questions and then move to more in-depth questions or ask one that comes to mind. Get at least three good, insightful direct quotes. Collect more information than you think you will need. Do not be bashful about asking the person to repeat something important. It is better to have something repeated and get the information correct than to get it wrong. The following are some of the questions that you might want to ask. Open-ended questions provide longer answers. An example of an open-ended question is “What’s your opinion of Cathy Bullock’s class? Closed-ended questions provide short answers. An example is… Probe questions follow up something the interviewee has said.
- Mirror questions repeat part of the person’s answer, prompting the person to explain an answer further. A mirror question is often paired with a probe question.
- You should write down your answers on separate sheets of paper than your questions. Make sure you ask for specific, concrete examples and anecdotes. Quotations from sources must read exactly as as they were spoken during the interview. Comments that are not recorded exactly can be paraphrased without quotations in news writing.
- While conducting the interview, some additional tips you should follow include: making eye contact while asking questions and writing answers; listening closely to what the interviewee says because it prompts additional questions, and repeating key phrases if using them as quotes or for verification of information. As the interview comes to an end, take a few minutes to skim your notes. If time allows, ask the interviewee to clarify information that you did not understand.
- Reviewing your notes for completeness while the interview is fresh in your mind can reveal missing or vague information. Lastly, write a thank you e-mail to the interviewee to show appreciation for the time taken for the interview.