How a story gets made: what happens to your words
How editors, headlines and edits shape what runs, which review a source can ask for, and what the major outlets refuse.
Start here Essentials
At minimum, read two recent stories by the reporter or outlet, ask one question about review, and expect a sentence or two of yours to be used. Everything marked Go deeper can wait.
- Find two recent stories by the reporter, or by the outlet if the reporter is new, and read them with a pen (practice).
- Mark each sentence as a quotation in the source's words or the reporter's own summary of what the source said (what happens to what you said).
- Ask the reporter whether the outlet checks facts with sources or reads quotes back before publication (review).
- Plan for one or two sentences of yours to run, and expect an editor, not the reporter, to write the headline (who handles your words).
- Write the two stories and the answer on the request sheet (interview request).
Minimum time: about 30 minutes. Done when: the request sheet lists two stories read and what review, if any, the reporter offered.
1. Who handles your words Understand
A reporter asks the questions. A story is built by more people than the reporter. An editor decides whether the story runs and how long it is. Someone writes the headline. In broadcast, a producer picks the clips. Each person after the interview works from what the reporter recorded and wrote down. Your answers have to make sense to people who were not on the call.
This chapter explains that chain. Your main points and Practice answers ask for short, standalone answers, and the reasons are here.
What an editor asks
NC State's news office describes the editor's test as two questions: what is it, and why should my readers care. It lists hooks that tend to pass the test: a finding that challenges an old idea, a trend, a money, health or death angle, and the surprising (NC State News Services, Working with the Media). A hook is the reason a story runs now rather than next month. Ask the reporter what the hook is. Your answer to "what is the story about" in Before you say yes is the hook in the reporter's words. Convention
Deadlines and who knows when it runs
Speakers on a 2021 SciLine panel of working reporters and editors said daily deadlines are short because of the news cycle and competition, and that feature stories can have weeks (SciLine, Ask a Reporter Anything, June 2021). NC State's guide says most reporters do not know when a story will run, because editors decide. If a date matters to you, ask the reporter when it is expected, and treat the answer as an estimate. Ask the reporter
Who writes the headline
The editor-in-chief of a magazine on the same SciLine panel said editors usually write headlines, not reporters, and that a misleading headline can be changed if you raise it. The reporter is the person to ask, because the reporter can take it to the editor. Online stories are corrected quickly, the panel said, and print corrections take longer. Convention
The practical consequence: you cannot control the headline, the length or the other voices. You control what you say and how well it survives being cut.
2. What happens to what you said
An interview is recorded or written down in full. A story uses a small part of it. This section covers the parts of that process a source can plan for.
Quotation or paraphrase
A quotation is the source's words, in quotation marks, with the source's name attached. A paraphrase is the reporter's own wording of what the source said. Most of what you say will appear as paraphrase. NPR's training guide on choosing audio clips says producers write basic facts into the narration instead of using them as clips, and choose clips that are emotional, genuine, clear, concise and memorable (NPR Training, Soundbite essentials). That is a radio guide. The print sources we read do not state a pattern, so Dana's practice in this chapter is to look for one in the reporter's own stories. The likely pattern, if the reporter follows it, is that your plain judgments and feelings are quoted and your facts and numbers are restated.
| What the story does | What it looks like | What it asks of your answer |
|---|---|---|
| Quotes a whole sentence | Your name, then your sentence in quotation marks | Say it in a sentence you would accept seeing in print. |
| Quotes part of a sentence | A phrase in quotation marks inside the reporter's sentence | Put the strongest words together, not spread across a clause. |
| Paraphrases a fact or number | "Ruiz said the library has 410 tools." | Give the number once, clearly, with its source. Offer to check it afterward. |
| Cuts it | Nothing in the story | Put the main point first and again later, so one copy survives. |
| Uses it as background without a name | Context in the reporter's voice | Plan for your facts to be used even if your quote is not. |
Interviews are edited
A taped or recorded interview is edited and runs shorter than it was recorded. NPR's ethics handbook says its hosts tell taped guests that the interview is not live, will be edited and will run longer than what airs. It says NPR practices "ethical editing": it does not collapse two answers into one and does not reorder sentences in a way that changes their meaning (NPR Ethics Handbook, Fairness). That is one outlet's policy. It tells you what NPR says it does. It does not tell you what another outlet does. Convention
The same page says that if both sides make a factual error on tape, the question can be asked again. Radio and podcasts covers asking for that on radio and Video and TV on camera.
What outlets say about changing a quote
The Associated Press (AP) says it does not alter quotations, not even to correct grammar. If a quote is garbled, AP may paraphrase it or drop it. AP also says quotes are not to be taken out of context (AP, News Values and Principles: Telling the Story). Reuters says quotes are "sacrosanct," may be trimmed only if the meaning stays the same, and that fixing a grammar slip may be valid, while rewording a whole phrase is not (Reuters Journalistic Standards). The two policies differ on grammar. Both say the meaning stays. Convention
Two practical points follow. A garbled sentence may be paraphrased or dropped, so a clear sentence has a better chance of being quoted. And "out of context" is the reason to answer in standalone sentences. Do not start an answer with "as I said" or "that's because of what I mentioned." The reporter may keep one answer and cut the other.
How much of you runs
SciLine says television segments often run under two minutes, and advises you to expect to be featured for a sentence or two (SciLine, Tips for TV interviews). NPR's soundbite guide says an ideal clip runs 5 to 15 seconds and that, if a clip is long, dense or needs setup, the reporter writes it out instead. Plan for one or two sentences. Say the one you most want used first. Convention
The soundbite research, and what it does not measure
You will see "the average soundbite is eight seconds" in media-training guides. The figure comes from studies of network evening news coverage of US presidential elections, not from local news, print or today's practice.
| Study | Finding | What it measured |
|---|---|---|
| Hallin, Sound Bite Democracy (essay, 1992) | 1988 average 8.9 seconds. In 1988 about 4 percent of bites ran 20 seconds or longer; in 1968 nearly a quarter ran a minute or longer. Candidates and other elites averaged 48.9 seconds in 1968 and 8.9 in 1988. Ordinary voters averaged 13.6 seconds in 1968 and 4.2 in 1988. | Network evening news, presidential elections |
| Adatto, Shorenstein Center (1990) | A candidate's average uninterrupted speech fell from 42.3 seconds in 1968 to 9.8 in 1988. | ABC, CBS and NBC campaign coverage |
The two studies differ slightly because their samples and definitions differ. A later study of 1992 to 2004 coverage found that clips of a candidate speaking kept getting shorter while images of the candidate with no sound grew longer; the abstract we read gives no averages. None of these figures describes a local reporter's story about a tool library. They show a direction, and NPR's guidance of 5 to 15 seconds is the current practice we can cite. The answer timer shows your own seconds beside these figures and does not judge them. Convention
This chapter describes what outlets say they do. It does not promise that a given reporter or editor follows those policies, and it does not say that an outlet treated you unfairly. An outlet's published standard is what you can point to when you ask for a change. The outlet decides whether a change is made.
3. Review: what you can ask for and what outlets refuse
Three words get used for what a source sees before a story runs. They mean different things, and mixing them up is the common mistake.
| Kind | What it is | Should you ask? | Who decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fact-check | The reporter calls or emails to confirm names, titles, numbers and dates | Offer it. Say you are reachable. | The reporter |
| Read-back | The reporter reads you a quotation, or a few sentences about what you said, before publication | Ask for it for a complex or sensitive quote, not as a condition. | The reporter |
| Approval | You see the story, a draft or your quotes, and your OK decides what runs | Do not ask. | Five major outlets say no |
The default
At the start of the interview or at its end, offer a fact-check and ask whether the reporter reads quotes back. Do not ask to see the story. Three sources in this manual give versions of this advice. NC State's guide says that for complex or controversial statements you can ask the reporter to read your quotes back, and that reporters seldom allow sources to approve a full story. SciLine says to offer help with fact-checking (SciLine, Five tips for scientists speaking to reporters). The CDC's spokesperson chapter says not to ask to review a reporter's article, to offer to clarify instead, and, if a reporter shows you the piece, to correct errors of fact, not viewpoints (CDC, CERC Spokesperson chapter). Convention
The reporter's answer goes on the request sheet in the field "review offered": none, fact-check, quote read-back, or not asked. Not asked is a valid entry; it tells you what to do on the day.
What five major outlets say
AP says it does not let interview subjects approve its text or images before publication (AP Statement of News Values and Principles). NPR says it does not preview scripts or stories with sources, with a narrow exception for reading back a quote or part of a script to check accuracy and fairness (NPR Ethics Handbook, Independence). The New York Times says staff should not normally share drafts, and that detailed fact-checking with a source is acceptable and encouraged (New York Times, Ethical Journalism). Reuters says it does not send stories to sources to vet before publication. The Washington Post says it shares drafts only with the top editors' permission, which it describes as granted extremely rarely. So the pattern across five outlets is no approval, with a fact-check or a read-back sometimes allowed at the reporter's choice. The side-by-side is under Go deeper. Convention
Do not make review a condition of the interview. Asking to approve quotes before you speak can end the interview, and the outlets above have already said no. If a quote worries you, ask for a read-back of that quote and say why. A reporter may agree, may offer a fact-check instead, or may decline.
You cannot change the terms of a quote afterward
The Post's policy says a source may not change the rules for a quote after the fact; once a quote is on the record, it stays there. The policy does allow a source to add to a quote, and the story then explains the addition (Washington Post, Policies and Standards, updated March 2025). If you realize after the call that you left something out, say so right away. Adding is allowed at the Post. Retracting is not. After the interview covers the follow-up. Convention
Five outlets side by side
| Outlet | Story approval by a source | Fact-check or read-back | Changing a quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP | Not allowed | The sources we read do not mention either | Does not alter quotes, not even for grammar; may paraphrase or drop a garbled one |
| NPR | No preview of stories or scripts | May read back a quote or review part of a script for accuracy and fairness | No collapsing two answers, no reordering that changes meaning |
| New York Times | Staff should not normally share drafts | Detailed fact-checking with a source is acceptable and encouraged | Corrects errors "large and small" |
| Reuters | Does not send stories to sources to vet | May check a quote or fact on its own initiative, and will not let that become a chance to retract or materially change it | Trim only if meaning stays; a grammar fix may be valid |
| Washington Post | Drafts only with top editors' permission | Discourages promising to read quotes back | A source may add to a quote; the story explains it |
The outlets agree on approval and differ on read-backs. That is why the default asks and does not insist. Your reporter's own outlet may differ from all five, and a small outlet may have no written policy. Ask the reporter.
The 2012 argument over quote approval
In 2012 the Times told reporters to refuse a source who demands, as a condition of an interview, to review, approve or edit quotes afterward. Poynter reported that AP did not allow it and that McClatchy and National Journal banned it. The Times' guidance said negotiation over how quotes are used should happen inside the interview, for example by putting a few lines on the record at the end. Poynter's reader poll, which was self-selected, found 63 percent of respondents saying they did not let sources review quotes (Poynter, The New York Times bans quote approval, 2012). The article is history. Use the outlet policies above for current practice.
4. Fairness, codes and what they do not promise
Journalists work under codes of ethics. The codes shape what you can reasonably expect. They do not give you rights you can enforce.
Anyone shown in a negative light
AP says it makes significant efforts to reach anyone shown in a negative way and gives reasonable time to reply, and that if it cannot reach the person, the story says what it tried. The Society of Professional Journalists code, revised in October 2026, says journalists should give subjects a fair chance to respond to criticism or allegations (Society of Professional Journalists, Code of Ethics). If your story involves a complaint about you or your work, expect a call or email asking for a response, and expect a deadline for it. Bad news and personal stories covers that case.
Codes are voluntary
The SPJ code says it is not a set of rules. It is not legally enforceable, and an interviewee cannot enforce it. The code of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), which covers broadcast news, calls for special consideration for children, victims and others inexperienced with American media (RTDNA Code of Ethics). Both are useful for two reasons. They tell you what a reporter at a member outlet has publicly committed to. And a polite request that cites the outlet's own published standard is easier to act on than a demand. They are not a contract. Convention
A podcast, newsletter or independent creator may have no published standards, and may do none of what this chapter describes. We did not find a published standard for podcasts to cite. Ask the host how the interview is edited, whether you will see anything before it posts, and how errors are fixed. Radio and podcasts gives the questions.
5. See it See it
Dana Ruiz reads two stories. Dana Ruiz, 44, runs the Eastside Tool Library from her garage in Dayton, Ohio. On Wednesday Jen Albrecht, a reporter at the Miami Valley Courier, asks for a 15-minute phone interview on Thursday at 10 a.m. Her deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. The paper, the reporter and every story below are fictional.
On Wednesday evening Dana finds two recent Courier stories under Jen's name. One is about a neighborhood garden's water bill. The other is about a school's cut to library hours. She prints them and marks each sentence: a pen circle where a person is quoted, a bracket where Jen restates what a person said.
| Question about the story | Garden story | Library story |
|---|---|---|
| People quoted | Three, one sentence each | Two, one quoted twice |
| What the quotes say | Judgments: "It was a relief," a volunteer says | A principal's feeling about the cut; a parent's complaint |
| Where the numbers appear | In Jen's own sentences, with the source's name attached | In Jen's own sentences |
| A person who declined or could not be reached | None | "The district office did not respond by deadline" |
| Correction note at the bottom | None | None |
Known: Jen quotes plain judgments and puts numbers in her own words, in both stories. Dana's own numbers, 410 tools and 260 registered members, are on her sign-up sheet, which she counts again Wednesday night (Your main points). The paper prints a headline above each story.
Assumed: Dana assumes the Courier follows a pattern like the one in two stories. That is an assumption from a sample of two. She also assumes Jen will use one or two of her sentences. That is her planning, based on how short the quotes in both stories are.
Open: whether Jen checks facts with sources before publication, which only Jen can say; who writes the headline, which a Courier editor settles; and whether the numbers in the story will match Dana's sheet, which After the interview settles when it runs. Dana adds one line to her call notes: "Do you check names and numbers with sources before the story runs? I can be reachable until five." Because the paper decides how much it can check by 5 p.m., Dana treats a yes as a possibility and writes down whatever Jen says.
Free pages that show the practice in each outlet's own words:
- AP, Telling the Story: its definitions of ground rules, its quotation rules and its corrections practice.
- NPR Ethics Handbook, Fairness: how NPR treats interviewees and edits interviews.
- Reuters Journalistic Standards: quote review, quote editing and ground rules.
6. Practice Practice
Minimum: two recent stories by the reporter or outlet, read and marked, one question about review put to the reporter, and both recorded on the request sheet. Time: about 30 minutes. Materials: links to or printouts of two stories, a pen or highlighter, and the interview request sheet. This sheet is essential on a first pass.
- Find two recent stories. Search the outlet's website for the reporter's name. If the reporter is new there, use two stories of similar type from the same outlet. Choose stories with at least one named source.
- Circle quotations and bracket paraphrases. For each source, mark which sentences use their words and which are the reporter's restatement.
- Note the kind of sentence quoted. A fact, a number, a judgment or a feeling? Count how many sentences each person got.
- Look for the signs of fairness. Does a person criticized in the story get a response? Does the story say who declined or could not be reached? Is there a correction note?
- Write your question on review. For example: "Do you check names and numbers with sources before the story runs, or read quotes back? I can be reachable until your deadline." Put it in your first email or ask it at the start of the call.
- Record on the sheet. Add the two stories in "stories read" and pick the answer in "review offered": none, fact-check, quote read-back or not asked.
- Write down the one or two sentences you most want used, from your message sheet, so you can say them first.
Read a third story from a different outlet that covers your topic. Compare how many words each outlet gives each source and whether numbers appear in quotation marks. Then read the outlet's published standards page, if it has one, and note what it says about review. The result is a one-line note on the request sheet: this outlet's usual practice and where you found it.
7. Your interview Your interview
The box below reads your format and role. It says which review question fits and whether your interview is likely to be edited.
8. Check your work Check your work
Criteria
- Did you read two stories before the interview, and does the request sheet list them?
- For each, can you say which sentences are quotations and which are paraphrase?
- Do you know whether the reporter checks facts or reads quotes back, or have you asked and recorded "not asked"?
- Is the one sentence you most want used written down, so you can say it first?
- Does anything on the sheet treat approval as available?
Worked example
Dana's sheet (fictional) lists the garden story and the library story under "stories read". It records "review offered: not asked" on Wednesday night, because she has not yet spoken to Jen. On Thursday, at the start of the call, she asks. Jen says she will try to confirm names and numbers if her deadline allows and cannot promise a call-back. Dana changes the field to "none" and keeps the question for the end of the call, where she will offer her phone number again (Print and online). That meets the criteria: two stories read, the pattern noted, the review question asked and its answer written down. It does not settle whether the story will be right. That is settled when it runs, and After the interview covers it. Under these assumptions Dana's planning for one or two sentences is reasonable. The story could use more.
Common mistakes
- Asking to approve quotes. Five major outlets decline. Ask for a fact-check or a read-back and accept the answer.
- Treating a published policy as a promise. The policy tells you what to ask. The reporter on your story decides what happens.
- Reading one story. One story can be an outlier. Two gives you a pattern worth checking.
- Preparing a long answer for one question. If you plan for one sentence to run, a long answer gives an editor more to cut. Say the sentence you want used first.
- Blaming the reporter for the headline. An editor usually writes it. Raise a misleading one with the reporter right away.
What is still unresolved
This chapter does not settle what your reporter will do. It does not settle whether the headline is fair, whether the story is accurate, or whether a particular outlet will agree to a read-back. The reporter settles review, an editor settles the headline, and the published story settles accuracy. After the interview covers asking for a correction. Whether a story is unfair or defamatory is a question for the outlet's editor or a lawyer.