The best lesson in journalism I ever got was a Jim Aparo interview

I did a year-long course before I became a journalist more than two decades ago, and I have spent those years learning new things every day. But I still think the best lesson I ever had in writing up an interview was the transcript of a conversation with legendary Batman artist Jim Aparo that I read online, shortly before I trained up as a reporter.

I can't find it now, and haven't read it in my many years (Aparo passed away in 2005, after all), but it kept all the ums and uhs and repeated words that big Jim spoke during the conversation. And it was transcribed perfectly, and it made Aparo sound like a total dipshit, even though he was saying some interesting and insightful things.

The written word is not the same as spoken speech - and when you transcribe someone talking, you take out all the repetition and weird noises people make when they're trying to think of the right word to say. You never, ever add words to what they are saying, and even moving them around at all is highly dubious.

But it's all got to be edited for clarity, otherwise everytime you see another glorious Bat-cover from the 70s, you can't help but see the ums.