ATTRIBUTION
USE "SAID" consistently. Don't switch from said to stated to commented ...
You need to attribute to the speaker anything controversial or an opinion of any kind!
Use only what's important to quote. If there is a long quote, and all of it is needed to tell a story, then use it. If the most
important phrase of the whole quote is the only thing worth attributing to the speaker, then only put that in quotation
marks.
For a long quote that has boring information in the middle of it, you can delete that section by using the ellipses.
ie. "I hated the Vietnam War," said Captain Noah Kidding. "It was the worst
feeling hearing gunfire at night in the pitch-black jungle. ... Still, we kept
fighting on."
TYPES
INDIRECT QUOTATION:
Mr. Smith said that 90 percent of Quakertown students go
on to successful professional careers.
ie. Paraphrase the speaker's comments.
PARTIAL QUOTATION: Mr. Smith said that 90 percent of Quakertown students go
to "successful professional careers."
on
ie. Use key phrases from a source's statement and quote them directly.
DIRECT QUOTATION: Mr. Smith said, "Ninety percent of Quakertown students go
to successful professional careers."
on
ie. This is a source's exact words. Use direct quotations when a character says
something controversial, opinionated or colorfully.
CORRECTING GRAMMATICAL ERRORS
For well-speaking sources and important sources for serious news stories, correct their grammar for them in print. If
they mis-speak and say "I like them guys" you can change it to "I like those guys."
HOWEVER, for a colorful human-interest or feature story, you may leave the errors to capture the essence of the
speaker. If that is how they always speak, and it is part of capturing their personality, quote them directly. Keep in mind
if you are quoting an Arkansas farmer this kind of error may be more common or acceptable than if you are quoting an
Arkansas senator.
DELETING PROFANITIES
When you delete something from text, like a cuss word in a story, you can replace it with a kinder euphemism by
placing the change in parentheses.
ie. "That was one hell of a ball game," said Tim Smith.
to: "That was one (whale) of a ball game," said Tim Smith.
By putting the change in parentheses, you tell the reader a word has been changed.
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If the person you are quoting mis-speaks, and omits a word, you may add a word or two to make sense of the quote.
HOWEVER, this quote goes in BRACKETS to show that you have ADDED something to the text.
ie.
"I can't believe we lost this," said John Smith.
"I can't believe with lost this [championship game]," said John Smith.
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WHERE TO PUT ATTRIBUTION
READERS SHOULD KNOW WHO IS SPEAKING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, unless you are building some
suspense.
If a quotation is long the attribution should be placed at the beginning followed by a colon (John Smith spoke out
against the Mayor: ) or after the first sentence of the quote.
A direct quotation should only be attributed once. There is no need to give the speaker at the bottom of the quote, too.
Also, do not summarize an event and give the attribution at the end. That leads to confusion.
YOU MAY give early attribution in the middle of a one-sentence quote if you are trying to emphasize something in
that quote.
ie. "It was," said Colonel Jessup, "simply his military decision."
1. At the beginning of a quote.
ie. John said, "I hate oatmeal."
2. In the middle (after the first sentence).
ie. "I hate oatmeal," John said. "The taste is lousy and it's hard to chew."
3. At the end of the sentence.
ie. "I hate oatmeal," said John.
IDENTIFYING SOURCES
TELL US WHY YOU ARE QUOTING THAT PERSON!!!
If you are quoting a Quakertown policeman for a story about a robbery, tell us that Ed Hindensteu is a Quakertown
policeman.
ie. Quakertown policeman Ed Hindensteu called the robbery a "one-man operation."
or
The robbery, according to Quakertown policeman Ed Hindensteu, was a "one-man operation."
or
The robbery was a "one-man operation," according to Ed Hindensteu, a Quakertown policeman.
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ATTRIBUTION QUIZ
NAME:
DATE:
1. When must you attribute a quote to someone? (4 POINTS)
A.
B.
2. When quoting someone, it is best to use the same verb in the attribution. That way you're keeping the focus on what
the speaker says, and not the fact that they said something at all. What is that verb? (2 POINTS)
3. Where are the two places you should put attribution when using a long quote? (4 POINTS)
A.
B.
4. You can put the attribution to a medium-sized quote any of three places. Write three sentences using "I like eggs" as
your quote, with John Smith as the speaker. Put the attribution in all three places with it written grammatically correct.
(12 POINTS)
A.
B.
C.
5. If we quote John Smith, what else do we need to do to the attribution? Explain why. (4 POINTS)
6. When do you use brackets in a quotation? (2 POINTS)
7. When do you use parentheses in a quotation? (2 POINTS)
8. When is it OK and not OK to have poor grammar in a direct quote? (4 POINTS)
OKNot OK9. What are the three types of quotations you can use as a reporter? (6 POINTS)
A.
B.
C.
10. What do the three dots or ellipses mean in the middle of a quote? (2 POINTS)
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BONUS: (2 POINTS)
How many people were interviewed during the ESPN Top 50 Athletes of the Century special on racehorse
Secretariat?
to quote. If there is a long quote,
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