5 INTERVIEWING

The newspaper interview in general use is a twentieth-century invention which has grown from a daring novelty to a basic part of reporting technique. Much of the information a reporter obtains comes from interviewing, though he or she has the option of using it in differing ways: attributing it directly to the informant; writing it as information coming from the newspaper; combining it with the results of other interviews and other stories; or storing it in mind as background information on a general subject. There is also the big set-piece interview for a feature article or profile. Interviews with well-known people are popular.

The use of shorthand has had a great deal to do with the importance of interviewing, for the ability ...

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