Ventriloquist Journalism: Most MSM journalists already have their story written and are looking for a specific quote that fits their narrative

Scott [Johnson�s] two posts on his and Victor Davis Hanson�s treatment by The New Yorker calls to mind one of the first and most important lessons I learned from my mentor in journalism, the great M. Stanton Evans

writes Powerline's Steven Hayward (thanks to Instapundit):

Most �mainstream� journalists are not merely biased, but have a narrative story line in mind when they begin �reporting,�  so that when they call you on the phone, they aren�t looking for actual information and perspective�they are looking for a specific quote to drop in their story that fits their narrative. The point is: when you deal with the media, it is not just their innate liberalism you need to be on guard for�you need to keep in mind that they already have their story written.

There�s nothing Scott could have done to alter the Wallace-Wells attack on him since it is obvious that he had his story line already done. There�s another especially egregious example of ventriloquist journalism going on right now besides Scott and Victor�s experience that I�ll come to in a moment.

Stan Evans had a typically great label for this�he called it �ventriloquist journalism.� Reporters have in mind a specific quote they�d like to have from you, and have developed great skill in teasing it out of people. Think of it as just one aspect of fake news. I had quite a bit of first-hand experience with this during my years in Washington, and I got good at spotting the technique and having the discipline not to give in to the usual reporter�s tricks.

Often I�d get a call from a reporter wanting my comment on something the Bush Administration was doing, and the question, in substance, was usually: �Don�t you think the Bush Administration is doing the wrong thing?� (Though always more artfully put than that.) And when I didn�t give the answer the �reporter� was looking for, they�d keep asking the same question over and over again in different forms, because what they needed for their story was a way to say something like, �But even a conservative at the American Enterprise Institute thinks Bush is making a mistake. �Bush is making a mistake,� said Steven Hayward. . .�

Sometimes a reporter would keep me on the phone for 30 minutes or more, hoping I�d give in. I learned the discipline of never giving in to this trick, and what do you know? I was never quoted in any of the stories that �reporters� like this filed. Nor did any of the information or analysis I had about the issue make it into the story, because background information and perspective was not what the reporter was looking for.

 � You need to do your due diligence about any reporter who contacts you. I try to look up stories by any reporter who contacts me to see if I can divine their slant or predominant practices.

There is one other piece of advice I give to everyone: always run your own complete audio and/or video recording of any interview you do with a reporter. Then you have your own complete record to use in follow ups with editors, or if you want to do you own story about how it really went down.