上篇的TED-Ed與大家分享了虛構小說的力量；而今天，我們要往反方向前行，看看真實的敘事將如何聯結起這個世界！Michele Weldon 以記者的角度出發，介紹了撰寫新聞報導時的三個主要資料來源，以及在紛亂資訊中挖掘重點的訣竅．你曾經夢想過擔任記者，揭露世界不為人知的一面嗎？或者，也許我們並不以記者為職業，但在這社群媒體普及的時代，每個人都是一個電台，而你我都擁有從周遭挖掘好故事、分享給更多人知道的能力！我們該如何撰寫這些故事才能抓住更多人的目光呢？
註：
由於TED-Ed官方還在進行網站與影片的中文化，目前尚未開放有中文字幕的TED-Ed影片。如果對完整中文稿有興趣，以下是我們為您準備的影片中英對照稿，敬請參考：
Every day we are bombarded on all platforms of media with personal stories that span the continuum, from the embarrassing and the trivial to the dire and the critical. The foodie posting photos of every plate of lasagna he orders, the Iranian blogger describing the shooting death of Nedā Āghā-Soltān.
每天，各種媒體平台上持續不斷的個人故事轟炸著我們，有些令人尷尬、有些微不足道，有些則是極為驚悚或充滿批判性：從朋友享用的美味的意大利千層麵照片到伊朗部落客描述 Nedā Āghā-Soltān 被射殺的情景都有．
Authentic narrative is the glue that connects people, providing a compelling reason to keep reading. It makes the personal universal, transcends the individual, and makes a story timeless and humanistic. How, as a journalist, do you ask the questions that yield this type of narrative? You have to know what to ask of whom.
而真實的敘事就是凝聚人們的黏著劑、讓人們持續地閱讀故事．它構成了個人的小世界、並使其超越個體、並讓故事永恆並散發人性光輝．然而，若你是一位記者，你要怎麼問問題才能挖掘出這種故事呢？你必須知道問問題的對象！
First you need to understand that every piece of journalism requires a trifecta of sourcing. If you picture the reporting process as depicted by a triangle, one side will be official sources, another side will be overview sources, and a third side will be unofficial sources. All three components are necessary in every well-reported piece.
首先，你必須瞭解每一篇報導都必須要有三種資料來源．如果你將報導的過程想像成一個三角形，其中一面會是官方資料來源、一面是概論式的資料來源、而另一面則是非官方資料來源．上述這三個元素對每一篇優秀的報導來說是缺一不可的．
The first side has official sources. Those are the people with titles and expertise, who own the company; are spokespeople for the movement. They tell you the numbers, and the answers to how much, how many, where, when, and who. A second side of the triangle includes overview sources: academics, consultants, authors, who are not directly connected as stakeholders, but have knowledge of the big picture. Yet it is the third side of the trifecta – unofficial sources – who hold the power of the individual’s insight. This is where you can find the why, giving consequence on the event, trend, phase, or idea and what it means on a soul level to someone affected by it.
第一個資料來源是官方資訊．這些擁有公司的權威人物及專家們是事件此時的代言人．他們將提供你許多數據，回答人、事、時、地、量等問題．第二種則是概論式的資料來源：學者、顧問、作者．他們並不直接與事件相關，但他們擁有建構事件全貌的知識．第三種資訊則來自非官方來源：擁有洞察力的評論者，而這便能讓你找出某個事件、潮流、某個階段、某種想法產生的前因後果，以及這些事件對人們的心靈產生什麼影響．
So how do you mine for the gems, identifying what is compelling from what is chatter? You ask surprising questions. To achieve the complicated, fragile human connection, you regard the stories of every subject as sacred. Realize that an anecdote is oxygen that breathes life into a grey story of exposition, facts and data. What the surgeon did at home the morning he operated on a woman’s brain tumor. How it feels to dream and train for the Olympics for a lifetime.
那麼，你要怎麼去蕪存菁，從紛擾的各種資訊中分辨出吸引人的資訊呢？藉由詢問出其不意的問題！而為了串聯起人與人之間複雜而脆弱的關聯，你必須慎重地看待每個故事，並瞭解趣聞軼事能夠讓枯燥的闡述、事實描述、和數據充滿生命力！例如，一個外科醫師在即將為一位女性進行腦部腫瘤手術的早晨會吃什麼當早餐呢？一位運動員夢想著奧林匹克奪牌並為訓練一生的感覺又是什麼？
There are times when it is important to convey information quickly, to present bulleted facts and updates. When a situation is urgent, when action is required now, when you need to know where the tornado will hit, how fast the fire is spreading, and if it will reach your home today.
有些時刻，能快速地傳達重點訊息與最新動態才是關鍵所在．當緊急事件發生時，你必須明確的告訴大家如何行動、需知事項、或者龍捲風襲擊地點、火勢蔓延的速度、以及火勢是否會在當天蔓延至你的家園．
But the narrative personal stories that contribute to the buffet of journalism are pieces that have the luxury of a slow dance of information. It is this artful solicitation of story that will make the journalism memorable and will deliver the narrative bond that will connect us to each other.
然而，為新聞界增添最多色彩的個人故事報導，通常都是將資訊仔細消化後所得的作品．而這些吸引人的故事將使得讓一篇報導令人難忘，而敘事的力量也將使我們每個人相互聯結！
來源 > 撰稿及翻譯：劉耘 | 影片：Michele Weldon: Capturing authentic narratives