If you’ve been reading the mainstream media, you’re probably unaware that there’s a story brewing with former presidential candidate John Edwards. In a nutshell, a couple weeks ago, the National Enquirer (yes, that National Enquirer) claims its reporters and photographers caught Edwards in LA emerging from the hotel room of his mistress and their “love …… Click here to keep reading…
Aug 6, 2008 Ethics, Observations, Reporting
Denise asks, “I’m starting to comb press releases from my local university to find story ideas. Is it ok to use the quotes from the release in your query to magazine editors? Isn’t that why the PR guys are sending out this information? I would of course do my own interview after landing an assignment.”
Denise, …… Click here to keep reading…
May 30, 2008 Advice, Public relations, Reporting, You Ask, We Answer
“I dread days where I have interviews scheduled.” “I’d rather give myself a root canal than call an editor.” “I’m so much better on paper than I am on the phone.” I’ve heard this, and variations thereof, from dozens of freelancers, many of whom are extremely successful professionals with hundreds of clips to their names.
May 20, 2008 Advice, Interviewing, Reporting, Sources
Katrina asks, “Recently, an interviewee requested an interview be conducted via instant messenger. Ultimately, we conducted a phone interview, but I was left wondering: How would quotes from an instant messenger interview be attributed? Can they be enclosed in quotation marks or should they be paraphrased? For that matter, what about email interviews? The only …… Click here to keep reading…
May 15, 2008 Advice, Reporting, You Ask, We Answer
Last week I was sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, waiting for my name to be called. After an interminable wait (I was feverish and in a lot of pain), the door opened and the nurse called, “Diane?” Not me. I turned back to my copy of People. No one else in the waiting room …… Click here to keep reading…
