ABSTRACT
A journalist must find a way to take all the words they hear from people and read in documents, make decisions about the worth and usefulness of what has been collected, and weave them into a story structure. Journalists typically use direct quotations to let sources amplify their ideas, offer their justifications or descriptions, elaborate their positions, and share details about their experiences or plans. This chapter offers examples of how this process should be carried out. Topics include the difference between direct, partial, and indirect quotes; proper wording and punctuation in attribution; use of the he said-she said “speech tag”; covering speeches; writing interview stories; mining official documents; and, ethical considerations in the interview process. The chapter closes with a reminder that the use of spoken and written sources requires a reporter’s best intelligence, honesty, ethical judgment, and news sense.
