1 Attribution Week 2

2 Attribution Why use quotes in your stories? Add credibility Add color Direct quotes are personal Quote marks tell the reader that something special is coming [Don’t disappoint them]

3 Attribution What goes between those quotation marks? The kernel of the comment in the speaker’s own words Striking statements Something significant Dialogue that “shows rather than tells” Quotes are for reaction and interpretation, not facts

4 Attribution Someone says something unique You’ve never heard it said that way before Clever Colorful Colloquial

5 Attribution Someone important says something important Adds credibility Adds interest

6 Attribution Accuracy Exact words Verify Just because it is a quote doesn’t release you from making sure it is correct. People lie People mislead on purpose

7 Attribution Paraphrasing Clarify speaker’s statements Rephrase more clearly, usually with fewer words Paraphrases must be attributed, but they do not get quote marks. The speaker’s comments in your words

8 Attribution Partial quotes Better to paraphrase than to use partial quotes Use with phrases of special significance “evil empire” “axis of evil”

9 Attribution Partial quotes Ellipses (... ) Readers are suspicious of what you omitted Easy to take things out of context and change the meaning

10 Attribution Dialect or Accent Don’t Exceedingly difficult to do effectively Can carry unintended prejudices

11 Attribution Correcting quotes Should you? Grammar Usually correct it Equal treatment

12 Attribution Remove redundancies Paraphrase is your best bet Delete obscenity, profanity and vulgarity Must be a compelling reason to use them, even in a direct quote.

13 Attribution Avoid made up quotes Paraphrase PR exceptions

14 Attribution When to attribute Always on direct quotes Should be attributed to a person (a name) Avoid “authorities,” “officials,” “sources” Always when the statement expresses an opinion

15 Attribution You DO NOT need to attribute: Items that are public record Generally known information Information available from several sources Information that is easily verifiable Information that makes no assumptions Information that contains no opinions Noncontroversial information

16 Attribution Use “said or “says” “said” for past events If the source may not say the same thing again now “says” for coming events If the source is likely to say the same thing now Whichever one you use, be consistent through the story

17 Attribution Where does the attribution go? In a multiple-sentence direct quote, it goes at the end of the first sentence. Put attribution first only if it is necessary to help the audience be clear on who is being quoted. Don’t follow a fragment quote with a continuing quote that is a complete sentence

18 Attribution Source identification The first time a source is quoted, include full identification College Station Mayor Larry Ringer Can break long or detailed identification information into multiple segments if there is only one source quoted.

19 Attribution Put the person’s name or the personal pronoun before “says” or “said.” If the identification is long, you may put the “says” or “said” first Do not attribute direct quotes to more than one person

20 Attribution Off the record Information may not be used Not for attribution May use the information but without attribution Deep background May use the information, but not indicate any source