Face-to-face interviews critical

Josephine Smith has worked at the Pond General Store in the southwestern corner of Mississippi since 1926. Now 97, Smith still spends many days at the more than 100-year-old store in the tiny Pond community, waiting on customers and sharing local gossip. Little has changed at the store since it opened in the 19th century.

With that information in hand, I assigned a new reporter with a lot of promise — several internships, glowing references and national accolades — to the story for a feature. When she turned the story in, it lacked any of the rich detail I had anticipated. No mention of the century old store. Bland and boring.

“Well, I talked to the owner on the phone. Do I have to go to the store?” she asked.

I sat in shock at my desk, two seasoned reporters stopped, turned and with mouths agape listened to her inquiry. We all responded with a resounding “Yes.”

Over the course of my years working at community newspapers, nearly every one of the reporters I’ve hired during that time have been fresh out of journalism school.

All have been eager to get that first big story, cover that first spot news and write those hard-hitting investigating pieces. What they lack, however, are some basic reporting tools.

From e-mail interviews to their attire to dealing with the public, I inevitably spend the first few months training them not on honing their writing skills and learning their craft so much as on some basic tenants of journalism and how to conduct themselves as professionals.

I’ve made a list of some of the things I try to impart to newbies working at small dailies and weeklies when they first arrive; and the list grows with each new reporter.

Identify yourself
I’m continually amazed that most new reporters do not identify themselves when talking to a source. Clearly identify the newspaper your work for, your name and the intent of your phone call. Make sure the person knows they are being interviewed for publication.

There’s nothing worse than having a great story in the paper, only to get a call from a source saying they didn’t know they were being interviewed.

Interviews are done face-to-face
Good stories require detail, and the best include details that describe the scene, the sounds and smells, the person’s dress, their demeanor, facial expressions, laughter. The best answers also come from face-to-face interviews. E-mail interviews are rarely acceptable.

Telephone interviews are OK when time or distance is a factor—talking to a source at the state capitol, following up on spot news reports on deadline, etc. E-mail interviews should only be allowed with prior approval from the editor.

Frankly, using the e-mail is lazy on the reporter’s part and allows the person being questioned to “craft” their answers. Reporters write stories, not press releases.

The only legitimate exception I’ve come across in recent memory is in a community with local troops stationed in Iraq who have access to e-mail, but not telephones. These interactions give us the opportunity to keep our readers informed of what’s happening with local units.

Dress and act professionally
No torn clothing, no shirts crumbled up like last week’s laundry, no shoes with holes, and absolutely no T-shirts. Also, leave the cussing and slang like “Dude” in the dorm room. If you want to be taken seriously, act it. And, ladies, no low-cut shirts or high-cut splits.

Develop sources
Chat with the dispatchers and officers at the police station, spend time visiting with the court clerks at the courthouse (I even used to bring them a box of chocolates occasionally), spend time at the local breakfast or lunch hangouts, stop by city hall and chat up the receptionist, the person taking the water bill payments and others.

These people make up the backbone of the organizations they work for, and often, are the best sources of information. They’ll give you tips on what’s going on at city hall, and good ideas for feature stories. They’ll appreciate the attention, and will keep you in the loop once they trust you.

Always keep your ears open
Whether your shopping, having lunch or hanging out at the park, keep your eyes open for good stories from features on interested people to tips on new businesses or behind the scenes happenings at local government.

Explore your beat
Some reporters are natural explorers, while others need to be pushed out the door.

One of my favorite tasks for new reporters is to send them out somewhere and tell them to come back with three story ideas. It helps them to get to know an area, to hone their skills with developing stories, and gives the editor a good idea of their abilities.

Most come back with several story ideas. The few that don’t come back with any stories, usually aren’t cut out for this type of work.

The Internet is not the main source for a story
In the past few years, I’ve had reporters turn in stories with web sites as their main source. Now, I tell new reporters that the Web can be used for background information, to gather statistics from agencies, but never as the main source of the story.

Use other reporters to your advantage
In metro newsrooms, reporters often have a healthy competitive relationships with their colleagues. In small newsrooms, reporters work as a team and are more collaborative. Veteran reporters have worked the beats, they have the contacts, they know the community and they’re often living libraries of information. They’re also good to bounce story ideas off of.

Read Public Notices
Government agencies are required by law to run legal announcements notifying the public of property sales, tax levies, public hearings and a variety of other public business. In many states, however, they are not required to notify the newsroom.

I’ve read public notices daily since I started as a reporter fresh out of college and have found many stories in its small print.

A few other things I tell reporters (all of which have been an issue at some point in the past):
• Buy some cheap boots and a raincoat and keep both in the car. You’ll be trudging around a muddy field, a poultry house, tornado scene or wooded area before too long.
• Always keeps a notebook and pen with you, and preferably some kind of camera. You never know when news will happen.
• If your publisher tells you to do something, take it seriously. These people sign your paycheck. If they tell you to do a 1-inch write up on a fund-raising fish fry, don’t blow it off!
• Use the AP Stylebook and an unabridged dictionary daily.
• Be mindful of church ladies and little league moms. Be courteous in dealing with them and remember that their church announcement or kid’s picture in the paper is the most important thing going on in their lives. They are also the ones who will call the publisher at home on a Sunday morning to complain.
• No beating the phone on the receiver in anger or no pounding the mouse on the desk, it’s childish.
• No yelling at readers in the office, on the phone or in public. Conduct yourself professionally and don’t take it personally. Most of them just want someone to listen to their complaints.
• Print out stories for editing. Reporters learn much faster if they have to go back and make their own corrections.

I also keep a folder marked “New Reporter” in the file cabinet full of useful handouts I’ve developed over the years from information on the difference between felonies and misdemeanors, to web sites, to covering board meetings, to open meeting laws and HIPPA. I add to it regularly, and each new reporter gets a copy of its contents.