“Quotes and
attribution,” I said
Rules for newswriting and copyediting
By Jeff South
VCU School of Mass Communications
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3 sources of news info
 What people say
 What reporters observe
 What is contained in documents
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3 type of quotes
 Direct quotes - speaker’s exact words
“I am not a crook,” President Nixon said.
 Indirect quotes - paraphrase
President Nixon said he is not a crook.
 Partial quotes
President Nixon said he is “not a crook.”
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It’s OK to say ‘said’ a lot.
 It’s simple and neutral.
 Substitutes like ‘claimed,’ ‘noted,’
‘pointed out,’ and ‘maintained’ imply
value judgments.
 Substitutes like ‘stated,’ ‘asserted,’
and ‘elucidated’ sound stilted.
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It’s OK to say ‘said’ a lot.
 ‘Added’ is OK if true.
 Sometimes you can use ‘explained’ or
‘noted’:
The Constitution guarantees freedom of
speech, she noted.
He explained that he was late because of
a dentist appointment.
 Use ‘according to’ for documents only.
‘Said’ is fine for documents, too.
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Why synonyms don’t work
 O.J. Simpson claimed he was happy.
 Gov. Jesse Ventura pointed out that
religion is a crutch.
 Mayor Tim Kaine noted that most
Richmonders support the Million Mom
March.
 Hillary Clinton denied she had broken
any laws.
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When to use direct quotes
 Speaker’s words must be special.
 Words that reflect personality or
other characteristic
 Memorable sentences or phrases
 Phrased better than you could
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When to use direct quotes
 Beware of slang and dialect.
Don’t needlessly embarrass
people you quote.
 Be picky. Don’t overuse direct quotes.
You’re not a court reporter!
 Direct quotes should not repeat info
from a previous quote. Don’t write:
Clinton said he plans to go to Moscow next week.
“I plan to go to Moscow next week,” he said.
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How to write direct quotes
 Don’t add words to direct quotes.
Avoid parentheses.
 If you must explain a direct quote:
 Set it up with the background.
Instead of: “As soon as I get home,” Wilson said,
“I’m going to bury it [his dog Rover’s body] next to
the doghouse.”
Write: Wilson said he knows exactly where to bury
his dog Rover’s body. “As soon as I get home, I’m
going to bury it next to the doghouse.”
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How to write direct quotes
 A colon can be an elegant punctuation
mark between a paraphrased setup
and a direct quote:
She said she won’t give up: “I’ll go to my grave
fighting this battle.”
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How to write direct quotes
 If you must explain a direct quote:
 Use a partial quote.
Instead of: Jones said, “SADD (Students Against
Drunk Driving) is out of control on this issue (to
outlaw happy hour).”
Write: Jones said the group Students Against
Drunk Driving is “out of control” on its push to
outlaw happy hour.
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How to write direct quotes
 Generally, don’t use ellipses.
 Never use ‘ … ’ at the start of a quote.
 Rarely, you might use ellipses at the
end of a quote for literary effect.
“I wonder …” His voice trailed off as Sherman
pondered how life would have been different
in Mississippi.
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How to write direct quotes
 If necessary, use an ellipsis in the
middle of a direct quote.
 Don’t use more than one ellipsis in a
direct quote.
 When in doubt, paraphrase and use
partial quotes.
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How to write direct quotes
 Original quote:
“I demand, and I’ve said this before on
many occasions, that Elian be returned to
Cuba,” Castro said.
 OK:
“I demand … that Elian be returned to
Cuba,” Castro said.
 Or:
Castro repeated his demand that Elian be
returned to Cuba.
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Partial quotes
 Use if speaker’s words are strongly
emotional or highly opinionated.
 Partial quotes sometimes imply the
writer doubts the quoted words are
true.
She said she was “annoyed” by the article.
 Try removing the quotation marks.
She said she was annoyed by the article.
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How to use quotes
 Mix direct and indirect quotes.
 Use paraphrasing and partial quotes
to set up direct quotes.
She said the case is now in the jury’s hands.
“We’ll have to wait and see what they do.”
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Attribution
 Whenever in doubt, attribute.
 Always attribute information that could
be disputed (especially about crimes).
 Always attribute opinions.
 Attribute feelings and beliefs.
He said he felt sorry.
She said she believes in God.
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Attribution
 If you attribute a paraphrase, you
don’t have to put attribution in the
direct quote that follows.
Clinton said he believes human cloning is
immoral. “So I call on Congress to ban the
cloning of humans.”
 Generally, for short direct quotes, put
the attribution at the end.
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,”
she said.
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Attribution
 Generally, for long direct quotes, put
the attribution in the middle.
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,”
she said. “I, for one, am going to ignore the
rule.”
 Usually, start the paragraph with the
quote, not the attribution. This grabs
the reader’s attention.
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Attribution
 Don’t quote two people in the same
paragraph.
 Put them in separate paragraphs.
 Let the reader know you’re switching
speakers.
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Attribution
 Instead of:
“This disaster could have been avoided,”
Wilcox said.
“It was entirely the governor’s fault,” Ruiz
said.
 Write:
“This disaster could have been avoided,”
Wilcox said.
Ruiz agreed. “It was entirely the
governor’s fault.”
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‘South said’ or ‘said South’?
 Most editors prefer ‘South said,’ as in:
“This course will be difficult,” South said.
 Reverse that if you have a clause or
phrase (like a long title) after the
name:
“The situation is hopeless,” said Ralph Goode,
the field coordinator for the Red Cross.
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Abbreviated titles in quotes
 Spell out all formal titles when used in
quotations, with one exception: Dr.
“Governor Gilmore considers the bill a waste of
money,” said his spokesman, Mark Miner.
“I have asked General Colin Powell to be my
running mate,” Texas Gov. George W. Bush
said.
Mayor Tim Kaine said, “Dr. Chargois has given us
all an example to follow.”
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