Tucker’s five rules of journalism

During interviews I sometimes like to say “That’s a great quote!” I do this to let interviewees know I appreciate their insight, to hint I need a second to finish writing before we move on and finally, to watch them panic internally as they try to remember exactly what they said.

My personal amusement aside, people are often nervous before being interviewed. That makes sense, since a piece of you is being immortalized in print. Whatever survives till the final draft will be distributed to thousands of kitchen tables and screens, read across the region and archived in our basement. There your words will await future generations seeking knowledge, or editors trying desperately to fill space in a history feature.

So I’m not surprised when people ask me to clean up their words or make them sound smarter. I also run into people who aren’t sure what they can say, or look uncomfortable when they notice my press pass.

To put everyone’s mind at ease, here are some rules of journalism:

1. Yes, I can correct your grammar. Spoken language always differs from writing, and putting it down verbatim is just awkward. I automatically change “I seen” to “I saw,” “they was” to “they were,” et cetera — but I’ll never alter your message.

2. You aren’t talking too much, you’re giving me ample material. Thanks!

3. Everything is on the record unless stated otherwise. If you say “this is off the record,” that’s ironclad.

4. An interview flows a lot like a conversation. Just think of me as an interested friend. With a notepad.

5. I’ll always strive for objectivity and honesty. Sometimes reporters are called to shield peoples’ identities, as in certain criminal investigations, and we take that very seriously. But our interest is always transparency because we believe you, our neighbors, have the right to know who and what shapes the world around you.

As a side note, subscribing for news helps protect communities from misinformation. Many websites peddle free “news,” some of it reposted from authentic sources, but they don’t hold themselves to the standards professional journalists do. They aren’t required to give the whole story or tell both sides of an issue. So although those sites lack a paywall, the cost is paid in standards and, because they’ve got to make money somehow, advertising cookies.

I love my job, and I’m not alone here — we all love talking to people about their lives and passions. So if you get a call from the DAR, don’t fret about sounding smart. We’re just happy to hear your story as only you can tell it.

Samantha Tucker is a staff writer at the Daily American Republic and can be reached at stucker.dar@gmail.com.