“INTERVIEW BITES” IN TELEVISION NEWS PRODUCTION AND PRESENTATION

Abstract

This study focuses on how interviewees' utterances are used as resources in news production processes. We examine how these communicative units, here labelled “interview bites”, are integrated in every major aspect of the news production process as well as in the presentation of news reports. Basically, we argue that an interview bite operates in three distinct ways, as (1) a format, (2) a mental representation, and (3) an artefact. Although we claim that it has these different functions, the three dimensions interact and collectively work as powerful motivations for the choices made by reporters throughout the news production process. The data are gathered from field observations of Swedish reporters' work at a major news desk and from in-depth reporter interviews. Theoretically, the study re-visits Clayman's (1995) considerations for enhancing quotability: narrative relevance, conspicuousness and extractability. While maintaining these three basic cornerstones of what makes certain statements quote-worthy, a re-definition of the rationale behind each consideration is needed in order to make them relevant for our understanding of everyday news production practices.