“He said, She said” All about Quotes Beginning Journalism

Qualities of a good, dance on the table quote: An important person said it It is a unique statement It is an ordinary statement phrased in a unique manner

Attributing quotes All quotes need to be attributed to the source. (no floating quotes) WRONG: “That was a fantastic performance.” RIGHT: “That was a fantastic performance,” junior Sally Smith said.

Placement Attribution should occur at the end of the quote or in the middle, not at the beginning. WRONG: He said, “I hope we are having tacos for lunch today.” RIGHT: “I hope we are having tacos for lunch today,” he said.

More Placement For long quotes, the attribution should be in the middle, in a logical place. EXAMPLE: “Since the Minnesota Twins have never lost a World Series game in the Metrodome, I think their stadium should be torn down,” senior Jack Jones said. “The magic of the dome should be preserved.”

Punctuation Punctuation ALWAYS goes INSIDE the quote marks. EXAMPLE: “I wish everybody could drop seminar,” junior Sarah Stevens said.

Punctuation Start a new paragraph for each quote. Quotes stand alone.

Verb for Attribution Always use said with a quote. In RARE cases, it may be appropriate to include how it was said (he said with a grin), but most of the time, it is not. Avoid descriptive attribution — exclaimed, shouted, whispered, snarled, quipped, explained, shared…they imply bias and are cheesy.

Verb for Attribution Said always goes after the sources name. People are more important than verbs.

Attribution exception Use “according to” when referring to previously printed material. Ex: According to The Kansas City Star…

Attribution Never refer to the interview in the attribution. NO When asked… In reference to the question…

Source Names Sources should always be identified. Use the full name of the source first, then use the last name for all other references. EXAMPLE: Junior Sara Smith thinks the policy is bogus. “It’s so dumb. The teachers are just trying make fools out of us,” Smith said.

Even more attribution rules Use year in school to identify students, Include a special title (student body president, quarterback, etc.) if they have one. DO NOT capitalize those grades. EXAMPLES: sophomore Sara Smith junior French Club president Sally Smith freshman point guard J.J. Jumper senior class president Carolyn Gatewood

Even more attribution rules Identify teachers by subject or organization but not both. Avoid courtesy titles—no Mr., Ms., Miss or Mrs. You may use Dr. when appropriate. EXAMPLE: English teacher Justin Bogart OR head basketball coach Justin Bogart principal Dr. Joe Gilhaus social studies teacher Scott Hirons

Even more attribution rules Do not quote inanimate objects or organizations. Attribute it to a person. WRONG: He dropped out when he was 17, according to the school. RIGHT: He dropped out when he was 17, according to principal Dr. Joe Novak.

Even more attribution rules Avoid stacking quotes. “I love vanilla ice cream,” she said. “I love chocolate ice cream,” he said. This is lazy reporting. You haven’t gotten enough facts.

Even more attribution rules Do not capitalize the names of grades or titles unless they are start the sentence. WRONG: “That was so gross,” Junior Ed Smith said. RIGHT: “It’s up to the students,” sophomore Silly Student said.

Common Errors If you don’t know the name or title, DO NOT MAKE IT UP. EVER. Making anything up is bad, no matter what. Comma goes inside the quotation marks. Name and title BEFORE said. Use this style always: “Quote,” title + name said.