How do reporters gather and use quotes?

During an interview — be it via phone, videocall, or in-person, reporters typically take notes and record their conversations to ensure accuracy when they are representing sources in their stories.

Quotations can be powerful in conveying an interviewee’s perspective, language and emotion in a story. At the same time, a reporter may paraphrase a source’s comments in order to condense and simplify a lengthy quote.

When a reporter uses a direct quote, they usually exclude ‘ums’ in order to provide clarity to the reader.