5.4 Post-Interview Processing and Story Development

After interviewing athletes and coaches, the real work begins. Reporters must sift through mountains of information, organizing key quotes and insights. This process involves prioritizing elements that best tell the story and considering the broader context of each response.

Integrating research with interview content creates a comprehensive narrative. Reporters must also navigate ethical considerations, protecting source confidentiality while responsibly using information. Balancing these elements transforms raw interviews into compelling sports stories that captivate readers.

Organizing Interview Data

Prioritizing Key Story Elements

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• Interviews often produce a large amount of raw information that needs to be carefully reviewed, organized, and prioritized to identify the most relevant and compelling elements for the story
• Key story elements may include:
  • Unique insights
  • Emotional quotes
  • Surprising revelations
  • Illustrative anecdotes
  • Information that advances the central narrative or theme
• Prioritizing information involves weighing the relevance, credibility, and strength of each piece of information in the context of the overall story angle and purpose
• The process of organizing and prioritizing is often iterative, as new information or shifting story focus may change which elements are most valuable to highlight

Techniques for Organizing Interview Material

• Creating a log or transcript of the interview helps capture the full content and allows for easier review and analysis
• Coding responses by topic (player injuries, team strategy, fan reactions) enables grouping related information together
• Ranking the most impactful quotes or exchanges (heated confrontation between coach and referee) highlights potential focal points for the story
• Comparing responses across multiple interviews reveals patterns, contrasts, or recurring themes
• Chronologically ordering key events or anecdotes shared in the interview helps construct a coherent narrative arc

Contextualizing Interview Responses

Analyzing Contextual Factors

• Extracting the full meaning and significance from an interviewee's responses requires considering the broader context of their experience, perspective, and motivations
• Contextual factors to analyze include:
  • Interviewee's background (long-time veteran player vs. rookie)
  • Role within the story (eyewitness, expert, impacted party)
  • Potential biases or conflicts of interest
  • Apparent agenda in sharing information
• Identifying the emotional subtext, tone, and non-verbal cues from an interviewee can reveal deeper insights beyond the literal meaning of their words
• Considering the implications, consequences, and potential impact of an interviewee's revelations can elevate the significance and weight of their inclusion in the story

Probing Deeper Meaning

• Probing the "why" behind an interviewee's statements through follow-up questions or critical analysis helps uncover the core meaning and motivation behind their responses
• Analyzing responses in relation to other information gathered can expose:
  • Patterns (repeated references to team chemistry issues)
  • Contrasts (differing accounts of the same incident)
  • Contradictions (factual inconsistencies in an interviewee's story)
• Exploring these interrelationships enriches the story's nuance and complexity
• Pushing beyond surface-level comments by asking interviewees to elaborate, provide examples, or respond to counterarguments elicits more substantive insights
• Examining how an interviewee's statements align or conflict with their actions or other known facts tests the credibility and reliability of their account

Integrating Research and Interviews

Supplementing Interviews with Research

• Interviews are rarely sufficient as a sole source of information and often require additional context, fact-checking, and supplementary research to build a complete story
• Background research prior to the interview prepares the reporter to ask informed questions and go deeper on key issues
• Information gathered from other primary sources (public records, data analysis, eyewitness accounts) and secondary sources (news articles, expert commentary, historical documents) can:
  • Reinforce interviewee's account with corroborating evidence
  • Qualify or provide nuance to their perspective
  • Directly challenge or complicate ideas presented
• Integrating outside information helps address gaps in the interviewee's knowledge, provide necessary context for their experiences, and construct a more authoritative, well-rounded narrative

Constructing a Comprehensive Narrative

• The process of integration requires assessing how different pieces of information align or diverge and finding natural connections to weave a cohesive story
• A comprehensive narrative uses interview content as a central pillar to humanize the story while building additional reporting and research around that foundation
• Effective integration may involve:
  • Using research to set up the context before introducing an interview
  • Corroborating key claims from an interviewee with outside data or documents
  • Juxtaposing contrasting interviewee perspectives to explore nuance
  • Combining interview anecdotes with factual information to illustrate broader trends
• The goal is to create a seamless narrative where research and interviews complement and reinforce each other to strengthen the overall reporting

Ethical Considerations in Interviewing

Responsible Use of Information

• Reporters have a responsibility to consider the ethical implications of how they use information shared by sources, who may face personal, professional, or legal consequences
• Ethical obligations include:
  • Respecting requests for confidentiality
  • Clearly communicating conditions or limitations on the use of information
  • Weighing the public's right to know against potential harms to sources
• Reporters should consider a source's motives for requesting confidentiality and press for specific, justified reasons rather than blanket anonymity
• Decisions to grant confidentiality must weigh the news value and credibility of the information against the constraints it places on transparency and accountability

Protecting Source Confidentiality

• Confidentiality refers to an agreement not to disclose the identity of an interviewee or attribute information to them without permission
• Levels of confidentiality include:
  • On the record: everything is attributable by name
  • On background: can use information but not attribute by name
  • Not for attribution: can use information but not attribute to the source at all
  • Off the record: information is only to inform the reporter privately and cannot be published
• Steps to protect confidentiality include:
  • Securing notes and files (encrypting devices, using anonymous accounts)
  • Using secure communication channels (encrypted messaging apps, burner phones)
  • Consulting legal counsel before publishing sensitive information
• In some cases, reporters may need to find alternative ways to confirm and report information that avoids exposing a confidential source (verifying with additional on-the-record sources)
• Establishing clear ground rules and informed consent with sources upfront helps avoid misunderstandings and builds trust