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Presser quotes

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Dangerous_K, Sep 5, 2007.

  1. Dangerous_K

    Dangerous_K Active Member

    What are some opinions on using press conference quotes from one you didn't attend? I'm working on a college football game preview and couldn't make the teleconference for one team. I downloaded the presser from the university's media center. Before I've always been able to use quotes from a teleconference I was sitting in on and was wondering if using downloaded quotes from the school was a no-no.
     
  2. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    Somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt it. That's what they're there for.

    If you want full disclosure, just attribute the first quote to "said in a conference call Tuesday." or whatever.
     
  3. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    I did the same thing a couple weeks ago, and was wondering the same thing. Eventually figured it was OK since you could call up the SID and get the same stuff faxed or e-mailed to you. As long as you're taking it from the big list o' comments, and not from a regular story, to me it's really no different than popping in a quote or two from the sheet they give you at the end of the game.
    Like SF said, that's what they're there for.
     
  4. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    If they are there from the school they are free to use (but one concern is that they could be "cleaned up"). You should say that it was said in a press confernce or conference call, but you should say that any way.

    This is pretty easy, actually. It's grayer if you get the press conference quotes from another source (like a story in a different publication).
     
  5. As everyone else says, yes, it's OK, as long as you use "said in a conference call" or "said at a news conference." If the school has audio clips of the conferences online, I'd also listen to them as a backup, because quotes sometimes get cleaned up for the quote sheets by the schools in, well, let's just say, very odd ways.
     
  6. Dangerous_K

    Dangerous_K Active Member

    Fortunately it's the raw audio file, and it's direct from the school's site. The input's greatly appreciated!
     
  7. TheMethod

    TheMethod Member

    I don't even think you need to write "said in a conference call." What difference does it make where and how he said it? Unless adding that somehow adds clarity to the quote, "Bumfuck said" tells the reader all it needs to know.
     
  8. I don't agree with you at all, but we just went over this a couple of weeks ago. Let's put it this way: a reporter might want to include the setting as a way of protecting himself or herself against the kind of quote-sheet sterilization that teams and colleges have been known to do. That's why I'm suggesting listening to an audio clip as a backup.
     
  9. PinSuperfly

    PinSuperfly New Member

    Always be wary of quotes you don't hear for yourself. Schools and teams don't always transcribe the tape verbatim. Be careful and cautious.
     
  10. Some Guy

    Some Guy Active Member

    I don't even see the need for clarification. If the schools says they said it, they said it. And if they supply the raw audio file, as some schools do, even better.
     
  11. imjustagirl2

    imjustagirl2 New Member

    I could not disagree with that more.

    If they have audio, listen to it. Make sure.
     
  12. Some Guy

    Some Guy Active Member

    So do you never, ever, ever use a quote sheet from a college game? Do you attribute it? ... "quote," Joe Blow said on a school-supplied quote sheet.
     
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