{"id":12978,"date":"2024-12-19T16:36:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=12978"},"modified":"2024-12-19T17:35:36","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T17:35:36","slug":"journalist-pen-paper-interviews-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2024\/12\/19\/journalist-pen-paper-interviews-sources\/","title":{"rendered":"When digital outreach fails, try pen and paper\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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Letter-writing was one of my favorite hobbies as a child. My mother taught me to write thank-you notes for gifts, and I delighted in doing so. By age 8, I had my very own stationery stash, filled with colorful cards that I decorated with stickers and doodles. I saw my own handwriting as a form of decoration, too, and would fill every last inch of space with swoopy cursive.   <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I continued to write letters into adolescence, and especially after my mother died from breast cancer when I was 11. They became a way to keep her memory alive, as well as a way for my father and me to communicate hard truths about life after loss; we often felt more comfortable expressing ourselves with handwritten words instead of spoken ones. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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But like many of us, I drifted away from the practice as an adult. Email became my go-to, a busy schedule my excuse. I would write the occasional letter, only to find it sitting on my desk a month later because I hadn\u2019t made time to buy stamps. After a while, the letter felt too dated to send and would land in the trash.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Over the past year, though, I\u2019ve started putting pen to stationery again. While reporting my forthcoming memoir<\/a>, I found myself poring over the letters my father and I had exchanged. They were valuable source material and sparked a new idea: Maybe letters were a better way to engage with some of the people I was interviewing for my book.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Lest you think I\u2019m low-tech and never on deadline, I contacted most sources for my book via email and conducted some 170 interviews via videoconference, often under time constraints. But in a few instances, I turned to more personal letters when I couldn\u2019t reach a source through digital channels, or when asking about sensitive topics. It worked every time, resulting in interviews I may not have gotten otherwise.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Letter-writing is more than a lost art: it\u2019s a missed opportunity for journalists who may dismiss it as antiquated and a waste of time. With this in mind, I\u2019ve compiled a few lessons from my own experiences and from a handful of other journalists who have discovered the value of handwritten notes. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Sensitive topics<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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While reporting my book, which explores my struggles with an eating disorder, I tried tracking down several girls I was in treatment with in the 1990s. I wanted to check my memories and get a sense of others\u2019 recovery processes. In many cases, my efforts resulted in meaningful interviews. But others led to something I hadn\u2019t expected: obituaries.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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My heart ached as I read about two young women, Lily and Tracy, whom I knew from our time in treatment. Both died in early adulthood. Lily\u2019s obituary stated the cause of death: anorexia nervosa. Tracy\u2019s obit did not list a cause.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I assumed that she, too, had lost the battle with anorexia but wanted to know for sure. I pored through the comments on her online obituary and tried contacting a few of her relatives via Facebook \u2014 to no avail. Then I found her parents\u2019 mailing address and phone number online. For months I debated whether to reach out. It didn\u2019t feel right to cold-call, and I worried that mailing a letter might raise uncomfortable questions. Would they wonder how I had gotten their home address? Would they distrust my motives? <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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As my book deadline loomed, I bought some stationery. With my still-swoopy cursive, I wrote to Tracy\u2019s mother, expressing condolences for her loss. The personal nature of the medium led to more emotional writing. I wrote not so much as a journalist but as someone who once knew her daughter and now wanted to honor her memory. This made the outreach feel more intimate than invasive, more amicable than abrasive.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Stationery from the author. Mallary Tenore Tarpley<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div> \n
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At the end of the letter, I left my phone number and asked her to text or call if she felt comfortable doing so. Several weeks passed, and I had all but given up hope until one day I received a text from a number I didn\u2019t recognize: it was Tracy\u2019s mother. I called her that day, and we had a hard and heartfelt interview about her daughter, who had, indeed, died from complications due to anorexia. After we got off the call, I texted her a picture of a letter Tracy had written me when we were in treatment together. All these years later, I still hold it dear.   <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Door-knock reporting<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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ProPublica reporter Nicole Foy sent handwritten letters to several sources when working on a recent story<\/a> about an immigrant who died while building a ship for the U.S. government. Foy drove around Louisiana, going to as many as a dozen homes to find immigrant workers who weren\u2019t easily reachable by phone or email.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cFor most of these workers, email is not a thing they really use,\u201d said Foy, who is ProPublica\u2019s Ancil Payne Fellow<\/a> focused on coverage of immigration and labor.\u202f\u201cI was trying to reach a very difficult segment \u2014 undocumented workers who mostly speak Spanish in Louisiana, which is not known for having the biggest immigrant community.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Sometimes, her door-knocks yielded results. When they went unanswered, she would pull out her notebook and write a letter. She wrote in both Spanish and English, saying she had stopped by and hoped to talk. \u201cWith handwritten notes, anybody could pick them up,\u201d Foy told me. \u201cSo I’m very careful about what I say and what I reveal.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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She left her business card inside the notes and put them in mailboxes. \u201cI think because we\u2019re so used to recording interviews and doing things virtually, we miss a lot,\u201d Foy said. \u201cShowing up and leaving handwritten notes, or even mailing a note, is just a different way to interact with people. And sometimes it\u2019s unique enough that it\u2019s what gets someone to talk to you.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Cutting through the digital clutter<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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Freelance journalist Alicia Garceau<\/a> turned to letter-writing after finding an item that sparked a story idea. She was skimming through the FBI\u2019s FOIA library \u2014 also known as The Vault<\/a> \u2014 when she came across a potential source. She tried several phone numbers and left a few voicemails but never heard back. So she mailed a letter to his home address. It took a few months, but the source eventually called. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cThe event I discovered in The Vault happened 40 years prior, so I think contacting the source by letter allowed me to explain my intentions and gave him something to think about,\u201d Garceau said. \u201cUnlike an email that might have gotten deleted or buried in his inbox, a personal letter stuck with him.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I asked Garceau whether writing by hand influenced her writing style. Her response will resonate with many: \u201cIt encouraged brevity; my handwriting is terrible.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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The final step in the outreach process<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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Journalist Matt Wynn<\/a> also claimed a slovenly scrawl, calling it \u201cthe worst handwriting on the planet.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Wynn used letter-writing years ago to contact a grieving mother. He called and left several voicemails but wasn\u2019t sure if he had the right number. After not hearing back, Wynn decided to mail a letter as \u201ca last resort.\u201d Instead of writing by hand, he typed his letter and added a few handwritten sentences to make it more personal. He kept a cordial tone throughout and relayed his desire to learn more about the mother\u2019s late son.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cI do remember spending a tick of time wondering, \u2018Do I put this on letterhead or not?\u2019\u201d Wynn said. He opted for plain paper \u2014 a choice that felt appropriate for a correspondence intended as more personal than official. The letter led to a response, and Wynn ended up interviewing the mother soon after. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cLetter-writing is a way to shake loose sources who are otherwise not shake-loose-able. For me, it\u2019s always a step on the I-can\u2019t-reach-this-person path,\u201d said Wynn, who is executive director of the Nebraska Journalism Trust. \u201cRunning this nonprofit newsroom now, it\u2019s comical how much time we spend thinking [about] what envelopes we should use [or] \u2018do we handwrite the address?\u2019 These things affect how many people open a letter, and how they experience it, and they\u2019re the same questions I was thinking about back in the day when I was working on that story.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Reminding sources that you care<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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Tampa Bay Times reporter Lane DeGregory<\/a> spent five years writing letters to a single source: a woman named Susie Wheldon, whose husband, Dan, a race car driver, had died in a fiery wreck. DeGregory wanted to write about Wheldon, who lived in Tampa Bay with her two young sons.   <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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DeGregory called Wheldon and left voicemails at least three times. She sent five or six emails that went unanswered. Then she decided to write a letter. She typed it on Tampa Bay Times stationary, folding it into an envelope with her business card and three clips she hoped would give Wheldon a sense of her work. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cShe was neighbors with a friend of mine, so I think I mentioned that, too, and outlined why I wanted to share her story. She never responded. I gave her space,\u201d said DeGregory, a Pulitzer Prize winner<\/a>. \u201cThe next year, before the anniversary of her husband Dan\u2019s death, I wrote her another letter. This one, I think, by hand. I told her I was the mom of two boys (making that connection \u2014 I’m not just a journalist) and that I couldn’t imagine having to raise them after losing their dad, and explaining to them what happened, and figuring out what came next.\u201d <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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DeGregory kept sending letters around the anniversary of Dan\u2019s death or timed to the local Grand Prix race where he competed. Over the years, the letters got shorter. DeGregory didn\u2019t want to bother Wheldon; she just wanted to let her know she was thinking about her and the boys and wondered how they were doing. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cI’m not sure if it was the actual notes or my persistence. But five years after Dan’s death she emailed me. She said she’d kept the business card I’d mailed her all those years ago and was finally ready to talk,\u201d said DeGregory, who wrote this story<\/a> about Wheldon. \u201cPeople might be more likely to respond if they know you took the time to compose a note,\u202fwrite it by hand, put it in an envelope, find a stamp and send it out into the world. I also think people hold onto letters and cards \u2014 or set them aside to deal with later instead of deleting them.\u202fBottom line: It can’t hurt.\u201d <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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The importance of place<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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I had this same mentality when reporting my book, which includes a chapter about my childhood home. I hadn\u2019t stepped foot in that house for nearly 20 years but now found myself wanting to walk its halls and feel its walls. I hoped that returning might conjure up long-lost memories and reinforce long-lasting ones. I didn\u2019t know the current owner, so a cold call seemed inappropriate; I wanted to take a more inviting approach.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I wrote the homeowner about my book, our shared connection to her house, and my hope to visit it during a trip back to my hometown in Massachusetts. As I wrote my old address on the envelope, it struck me that mailing a letter there was a way to acknowledge the place that linked sender and recipient.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I received a positive response in reply and had a chance to walk through my old home. The experience makes me think of a quote from 19th century scholar James Willis Westlake, author of \u201cHow to Write a Letter<\/a>\u201d: <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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There is no other kind of writing that possesses for us such a living, human interest, as letters; for there is no other that comes so near to the private lives, \u201cto the business and bosoms,\u201d of the writers. In other productions there is the restraint induced by the feeling that a thousand eyes are peering over the writer\u2019s shoulder and scrutinizing every word, while letters are written when the mind is as it were in dressing-gown and slippers \u2014 free, natural, active, perfectly at home. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Coming full circle with thank-yous<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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Some journalists I spoke with said they\u2019ve sent handwritten thank-you notes to sources. As my mother\u2019s daughter, I\u2019ve done the same. After interviewing Tracy\u2019s mom, I handwrote her a note expressing my gratitude for her time and willingness to talk.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Reporting my book largely involved interviews with clinicians, caretakers, and people who have lived experiences with an eating disorder. It struck me that so many people had poured their heart out to me; the least I could do was take time to thank them. There was no way I could handwrite notes to everyone, so I often turned to email. But in some cases, when I could sense that the person had never shared their story before and had mustered the courage to confide in me, I got out my stationery.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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I also wrote thank-you letters to friends and colleagues who read early copies of my book, as well as those who had taken the time to blurb<\/a> it. As an added touch, I crafted origami bookmarks and included one in each note. Sometimes, as happened all those years ago, the letters sat on my desk for a month as I waited to buy stamps. But eventually, I mailed every last one.  <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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* * *<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Mallary Tenore Tarpley<\/em><\/strong>\u202fteaches at the University of Texas at Austin\u2019s School of Journalism and Media. Her debut nonfiction book, \u201cSlip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery,\u201d will be published by Simon & Schuster\u2019s Simon Element imprint in August 2025 and <\/em>is now available for pre-order<\/em><\/a>. She recently launched a newsletter,\u202f<\/em>Write at the Edge<\/em><\/a>, geared toward helping writers hone their craft.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Journalists can find value in the old-school approach of handwritten letters to gain interviews and thank sources<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"topics":[],"authors":[374],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-12978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays-on-craft","authors-mallary-tenore-tarpley"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUsing Handwritten Letters for Interviews, Sourcing - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Journalists can find value in the old-school approach of handwritten letters to gain interviews and thank sources\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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