"said in an interview"

here's one example borrowed from the cat story:

He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"said in an interview"?????

i've seen this in a lot of stories recently, but am not sure if a) it's routine and i'm just seeing it now, or especially b) why you say "in an interview" ... if you're a reporter writing a story, where else would somebody say something to you?

someone please explain, thanks

EDIT: i understand there may be some confusion here because they talk about the doc writing something. but i've seen it in places where there's no reference to a written work.

 

Generally I'll put "in a phone interview" or "on a teleconference" if it's not something I got in person. I don't think I've ever just put "in an interview" though.

 

It seems like a "well duh!" statement. If it's really not necessary, the copy editor should be snipping it out.

 

Yep, this is a pet peeve of mine. I always delete it out.

 

I can't see it too often in sports, but I could see it if you're at a public event to tell the difference, say, from what a keynote speaker told the crowd and what they told you alone. Otherwise though, it wastes words.

Perhaps in the example above, they were trying to establish they did talk to the Dr. directly, and maybe distinguish his quote to them from his discussion in the journal - which probably few readers have read.

 

I always clarify how the interview took place:

"I'm looking forward to becoming the first woman principal at the school," Johnson said in a phone interview Tuesday night. "It's about time the world realizes the power of woman."

"This was the best season of my life," Carakkas said in an e-mail.

 

Why is the forum or format of the interview important? I might explain that it came in an e-mail to explain the more formal appearance of the quotes, but does the reader care if you did a phone interview or a scrum or a press conference? Does it add to the story in any way -- except unnecessary words?

 

Regarding the email "said" phrase, should that not be "wrote in an email" or "replied via email."

"said in an interview" is redundant unless it is qualified by a method of conducting it, such as the telephone.

 

It absolutely makes a difference, particularly in the aftermath of Jayson Blair. Accountability has become essential, and we owe our readers full disclosure -- or attempt to give full disclosure -- as to how we got our information. I actually find phrases like these enhance a story.

The NYT was one of the first papers to become a stickler for phrases such as, "said in a conference call," or, "wrote in an e-mail," or, "told the Podunk Bugle," or even, "told reporters" and I've noticed that it's become standard operating procedure at many newspapers.

I've been asked many times over the years where and how I talk to athletes and coaches. Do I get the quotes off TV? Did I talk to them in person after a game? Over the phone? I don't think, "said in an interview" is exactly redundant, either. To me, it's a sign that the interview was exclusive, and the reporter had the subject's undivided attention.

It makes a huge difference if the interview was exclusive vs. as done in a press conference, or, even worse, cribbed off quote sheets. I think just about everyone here can tell a story about how quote sheets are highly unreliable. But that's another topic.

 

I think it probably crept in because the paper wanted to make it clear it's what he told them rather than what he wrote in the journal.

If the interview was that day, I'd use -- so-and-so said Wednesday.

Or said in a phone interview.

If you had a sit down, I'd hope you get some of the ambiance of the place to make it clear you were there.

 

"said in an interview" can be redundant if added simply to look good or important. Often it is unnecessary.


"Broflovski said in an exclusive, recorded interview with the Bugle" might be better and have more impact to readers who want to know if Broflovski did, in fact, use performance enhancers to help his recovery time after covering consecutive, late games.

 

I also see "told the Podunk Press" a lot. Hey, if it's dynamite stuff, OK.

But when coach Pete Pickle tells the Podunk Press that he thinks his football team is going to contend for the Proud Plains Conference title this year, out it comes.