Joe Marren

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In Shakespeare ’s "Twelfth Night," Viola (disguised as Cesario) tells Countess Olivia that she has no right to hide from the world in her self-imposed cloister. Professor Peter Saccio from Dartmouth says that ’s a rather common idea and theme from Shakespeare ’s times and it refers to the Biblical parable of the servants and the talents: We do not own our merits, we are stewards of them. In other words, we must use our talents for action instead of contemplation; and don ’t put a candle under a basket unless you have a good fire insurance policy. Let me stay pedantic for another paragraph: Erasmus wrote in his work, "In Praise of Folly," that intellectuals and scholars engage in foolish work by splitting hairs, wallowing in self-importance and indulging in esoterica. Such actions, he wrote, are testament to their intellectual pride and vanity. OK, I hope you stay tuned up to this point because here is where I tie those two thoughts together. Although I am just as arrogant as the next journalist cursed with a healthy ego, I have a Web site where I can split hairs, swell with self-pride and indulge in esoterica. So nyah-nyah. But I also hope that, like Erasmus, I can humbly claim to be just as dumb and pig-headed as the next fool. What follows is a series of answers I posted on various listservs I subscribe to. Feel free to disagree with any or all of my thoughts. Interviewing help I'm researching a proposed book on note-taking (and interviewing) techniques used by American print journalists and would value your publishable input QUESTION: 1 Do you primarily use notebook & pen, or recorder, in face-to-face (vs. telephone) interviews? ANSWER: For face-to-face interviews, I think it is best to use notebook and pen. When I was a stringer for AP, I used both. I'd rest my big yellow legal pad on top of my tape recorder and hold them all in one hand. You have to be rather skilled at "juggling" to do it because it requires some dexterity, but it was essential because the tape was necessary for transcription purposes. QUESTION: 2 Why do you prefer one over the other (notebook over recorder, or vice-versa)? ANSWER: Too many things can go wrong if you just rely on tape. Plus I think people are more at ease when you write. To me, it just seems more natural and you want people to feel at ease and open up. QUESTION: 3 What if any "short-hand" system do you use? Can you briefly describe your technique? ANSWER: Just standard abbreviations. Plus, I'm not a court stenographer, I'm a reporter, so I don't write everything down. If I hear a quote I like - and if I didn't get it - I'd ask the interviewee to repeat it, or rephrase the question to get essentially the same answer. QUESTION: 4 What one piece of advice would you consider most crucial in advising beginning reporters on the art of journalistic interviews? ANSWER: To relax and have a conversation with the subject; to find a way to put them at ease as well and get them to trust you and talk to you. Sometimes that means putting the notebook away for a while. It all comes down to being professional.

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