Bulbanews:Interviews

There are numerous procedures for professional-style interviews which will improve both the quality of the interview and its appearance to the public. Guidelines are listed below.

Format

All names, both shortened and in full, appear in bold. Quotations are not needed unless the interviewee is quoting someone else, or him/herself at a prior time.

The interviewer

The interviewer, in a transscript, is never listed by name; they are first listed as Bulbanews and then as, in our case, BN or another shortened form of the word "Bulbanews." However, the person who conducts the interview is credited in the Byline. The interviewer's side comments made during the interview are eliminated in the final transscript.

The interviewee(s)

The interviewee name(s) in a transscript, when first mentioned, appears in full; every subsequent mention is a one-, two- or three-letter take-off of their name. In the event that a person goes by multiple names, a note is made at the top of the article; however, the name used should be the closest to the person's proper name available. For instance, for ArchaicEternal it would be Liam Pomfret, shortened to LP. For someone like evkl, whose full name is not in the public domain, it would be "Evan K." which would be shortened to EK.

Example

For instance, interviewing ArchaicEternal (Liam Pomfret), you could use one of two formats. One:

Bulbanews: What do you think of the Generation IV games?
Liam Pomfret: I think it's an amazing addition to the franchise.
BN: How do you think it will impact the franchise?
LP: I think it will bring it back into the mainstream.

Two:

Bulbanews:

What do you think of the bp:Generation IV games?

Liam Pomfret:

I think it's an amazing addition to the franchise.

BN:

How do you think it will impact the franchise?

LP:

I think it will bring it back into the mainstream.

Transscripts

The actual transscript of an interview is designed to be edited for clarity, grammar, style, and substance. However, when a transscript is edited, you must be cautious of multiple potential libel traps.

Omission

Omitting a part of someone's statement is done with the use of ellipsis, "...". However, as an interviewer one must be cautious that removal of a certain portion of a quotation does not change the meaning of the quotation or the range of persons it affects; shortening or otherwise modifying quotations can lead to potential lawsuits when you change the meaning of someone's words. Note that an ellipsis is not needed if you remove an entire statement, only if you crop two parts of a single statement together.

Addition

Adding words to someone's statement is especially dangerous, and one should always check back with the speaker to ensure that they approve of the printed statement. Misquoting is a frequent source of lawsuits and animosity between the press and interviewees; ensure that what is printed is what the speaker meant to say. Typically, words that are omitted are added into the final product by placing them in brackets ( [ ] ).

Editing

Editing someone's statement for clarity is typically a nonissue so long as the statement's meaning remains intact. However, it's best to consult with another writer if you're unusre of the possible ramifications of edits, especially if the article is about an issue which can be described as "touchy." Guarantee that no changes are made to the substance of the aritcle, only the actual words. For instance, someone saying "I think Fire Red is a good game, I like playing it" could be edited to "I enjoy playing Fire Red; it's a good game."