Lessons from 9/11 Survivors

April Gallup and Abe Scott's suggestions to reporters and editors, from the the Mid-America Press Institute workshop:

• Learn how to deal with the distractions of interviewing victims who have children.
• Inform victims in a timely manner that you want to do an interview. Don't expect to do one immediately just because you've made a phone call.
• Be flexible, accommodating and respectful during the interview.
• Let the victim know what you intend to do with the interview. Communicate constantly about your intentions and be truthful about them. Be candid.
• Don't show graphic images or use graphic details in the aftermath of a disaster.
• Don't include terrorists with the victims in the death toll. Separate them.
• Don't manipulate the words of the victim or misquote them or use partial statements that indicate a certain stance.
• Ask yourself whether your questions are appropriate for the victim. Be cautious and sensitive.
• Avoid tying victims to any political cause unless they directly indicate that to you.
• Seek to determine what is and what isn't the truth in the aftermath of a disaster.
• Be sensitive and balanced toward the various cultures. Don't be afraid to interview anyone of any ethnicity.
• Finally, throughout the workshop, speaker after speaker said that reporters and editors overemphasize the need for a good quote, while forgetting about the importance of good writing and details. For April and Abe, that pursuit of good quote sometimes means trouncing on them or their families. It's in that pursuit of a quote that reporters and editors make their biggest mistakes.