Attribution
Week 4
1
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]
2
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
3
Attribution
• Someone says something unique
– You’ve never heard it said that way before
– Clever
– Colorful
– Colloquial
4
Attribution
• Someone important says something
important
– Adds credibility
– Adds interest
5
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
6
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
7
Attribution
• Partial quotes
– Better to paraphrase than to use partial
quotes
– Use with phrases of special significance
• “evil empire”
• “axis of evil”
8
Attribution
• Partial quotes
– Ellipses (. . . )
• Readers are suspicious of what you omitted
• Easy to take things out of context and change the
meaning
9
Attribution
• Dialect or Accent
– Don’t
– Exceedingly difficult to do effectively
– Can carry unintended prejudices
10
Attribution
• Correcting quotes
– Should you?
– Grammar
• Usually correct it
– Equal treatment
11
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.
12
Attribution
• Avoid made up quotes
– Paraphrase
– PR exceptions
13
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
14
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
15
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
16
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
17
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.
18
– 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
19
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
20