by Leo Wiles
04 February 2015
Can I re-use quotes from interviews that I didn’t use before? I’d love to know the protocol with editors/sources so I don’t get myself into hot water. A
Rach: That’s a broad question, and I’m not sure what experience you have so both Leo and I will answer this one. We come at it from different angles. For me, as a health journo, the bulk of my interviews are with experts who would love the publicity in as many outlets as possible. And often what happens in my work is Editor A might commission me to do a piece that involves interviewing say three experts, but one of them might be perfect for the piece I’m writing for Editor B. So I ask enough questions to cover both stories (while never, ever reusing quotes in both publications – that’s 101. Even though you’ll always, always get a great quote or two you wish you could use twice!).
If the expert was doing something very specific and Editor A wanted an exclusive, that’s where it can get sticky. Especially since technically, publishing companies say that they ‘own’ your transcripts (even though I’ve never, in 15-odd years, had an editor ask for me to hand one over). So it’s just all about being careful, knowing what the editor expects and covering your butt.
Leo: I worked as a news editor on a weekly mag and on Fleet Street where celebrity interviews are a whole different kettle of fish. Most journos who land these high profile interviews would know the protocol anyway, but just for argument’s sake if you’ve been paid for an exclusive and you flog the bits Editor A didn’t want to Editor B, naturally you’ll burn some bridges plus possibly end up in a firestorm with the PR.
That’s because the PR AND the ‘star’ have agreed to access on the basis that they knew where, when and how it was going to appear. As the journo you don’t know what history they may have with other outlets who may not be able to access them for a very good reason. Or the client /PR may not feel that a title is a good fit for their brand and or message which is why they didn’t go with them. Choosing a publication is especially important when clients are repositioning themselves (say from child star to serious adult performer). So be aware that PRs and agents have an agenda for their stars that your misuse of access can hamper.
Having said that, if you feel that you have enough left over material – and let’s face it, some interview over-matter screams to be heard – there are ways to move forward. One route that I would not recommend but have witnessed is that a second piece appears under a pen name. However you’d be foolish to think that the PR and interviewee won’t know it’s you. And, with an irate editor on the phone who wants to know why they screwed them over on their exclusive they’ll hand you over in a heartbeat.
Which leads me to suggest that you chat to all three parties and let them know that you intend to pitch to other outlets (who aren’t in competition with the initial title). Once you’ve been given the green light I recommend pitching your VERY fresh angles with totally different quotes. Even if your interview took place as a round-table with a group of journos and the client and both PR and editor are aware that they have no control over the copy outcome, I’d still tread carefully. And carve it up with care. One pitch may be the stars romantic relationship, career path, health issues, pregnancy or some other nail biting newsy angle that differs as widely as the other outlets you choose. Only then would I recommend reusing the one interview BUT not recycling verbatim quotes en masse.
Are you for or against recycling interviewees’ quotes? We’d love to hear your thoughts…
It hurts to cut a very interesting 30-minute discussion down to 600 words, so of course there will always be good stuff you will need to leave out and I’m all for re-using that material in another forum.
Journos need to consider, however, both the interviewee’s expectations and understanding, and how the commissioning publication would feel. The interviewee may have agreed to be interviewed by you because you represent XYZ magazine. If you then turn around and use it for another publication, it’s good practice to ask (or at least tell!) so the interviewee isn’t surprised when their words turn up elsewhere.
Similarly, you owe the interview to the commissioning publication because having that commission gave you access to that person. To then use that for other means is like skimming profits from an asset that’s not yours. If you want to prevent the unused parts of the interview from going to waste, though, it’s ethical to ask the commissioning publication if you can use it before you do and, as Rachel writes, make sure it’s not in competition with the initial outlet.
Another thing I’ve done is gone back to the editor and said “this was a really interesting interview, I’d like to write something longer” or “I’d like to write a follow-up piece on [specific topic] using other parts of the interview”. I’ve had follow-up commissions and paid word extensions just by mentioning that I have good unused material.
Really good points Adeline, especially about suggesting follow-up pieces so the good overmatter from your transcript isn’t wasted.
Thanks for this! It has helped clarify what I was initially gutfeeling about things from the interviewee’s perspective – ie, you really need to always ask.
Re the publisher “owning” the transcript, does that apply across the board? What about if you were in a situation where for some stupid reason you decided to write up a piece before submitting it? (Like if some moron with no investifative feature experience wanted to try to submit something to The Monthly, which doesn’t accept pitches – not that I know anyone who’d do such a dumb thing, cough). If the piece wasn’t commissioned, would the publisher still own the transcript in that case?