Writing the Interview Story

Writing a story based on an in-depth interview, such as a personality profile, is little different from writing any other news story. An interview story does raise a couple of unusual problems, however.

One option reporters have when writing an interview story is to use a question-and-answer format. Few do so, however, because it requires too much space and makes it difficult for readers and viewers to grasp quickly a story’s highlights. Instead, reporters begin most interview stories with a summary lead that presents the story’s central point. Reporters then present the highlights in the following paragraphs. Reporters also may use an alternative lead, such as an anecdote or description that introduces a nut paragraph containing the central point. Information in the body of the story usually is organized by topic, and facts and quotations are presented the order of their importance, not the order in which the source provided them. Reporters must be sure, however, that in rearranging information they keep every direct and indirect quotation in its proper context. Background information is kept to a minimum and usually presented in later paragraphs. Also, reporters vary their style of writing so that every sentence and every paragraph do not begin with a source’s name.