Chapter 4 Class Notes

Chapter 4: Writing in the Media Environment

Three Main Sources for Gathering Info

1. People
2. Records (stored sources)
3. Observations (personal)

Attribution- telling the audience where the info came from (so they can decide the credibility)

Gathering Info: People

• People are the main source of information.
• Two types of quotes from an interview:
• Direct Quote- used because could not be written better than said
• Indirect Quote- paraphrase the info gathered (still use attribution)
• Steps to a successful interview:
• Identify purpose and angle of story
• Prepare through research and write out questions
• Six Question Types
1. Close-Ended (can be used to force someone to commit to one side)
2. Open-Ended
3. Hypothetical (great when interviewing someone running for office)
4. Agree/Disagree (X said Z about you, do you agree or disagree?)
5. Probes
6. Personal