1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

The "Said vs. Says" debate

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Cullen9, Aug 8, 2011.

  1. bpoindexter

    bpoindexter Active Member

    I seem to be on board with what most of you practice. I use "so-and-so said" for gamers and most other stories, but I prefer "says" in some but not all features, and I was taught the difference in the two by some very good editors.

    So Cullen, I'm curious now: What was the conclusion?
     
  2. Cullen9

    Cullen9 Member

    We kept the "says," but I know I'll be thinking long and hard next time I think about using "says" in a story.
     
  3. J-School Blue

    J-School Blue Member

    This is what I was always taught.

    I'm now curious what the argument for using it in feature-context is, apart from in reference to "Dude says this random idiom a lot" sort of thing.
     
  4. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    For newspapers, I would save "says" for something that the subject says often.

    "Get your butt off SportsJournalists.com and get some work done," my boss says probably twice a day.
     
  5. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    Why are headlines in present tense?
     
  6. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

    I am, I says.
     
  7. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    To both: Present tense is more engaging.

    For the headline, here's an example from a very good New York Times headline tonight: "Angels tag Rivera and Granderson, handing Yankees third straight loss." It really loses its pop as "Angels tagged Rivera and Granderson," doesn't it?

    The same argument can be made, perhaps less convincingly, in feature writing. We stress action verbs, and present tense always does a better job conveying action.
     
  8. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    I think the justification for present in features is that the subjects are telling the reader a story right now.

    When the quotes are current (ie, talking about something in retrospect), it's logical to be present tense. When the quotes are imbedded within the story (ie, something that was said during the action being described) they are past tense.

    You can't go wrong just doing everything in past tense, but in the right context I think present tense is fine and perfectly clear to readers.
     
  9. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    I'm squarely in the "it depends" camp.

    Seriously, depends on the story, the time element, the approach.

    For me, I simply know which one is right when I see it.
     
  10. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    So you says.
     
  11. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    While we're at it, I just had a minor argument with a non-journalism client who was trying to tell me that I used "says" too much and should mix it up with some other verbs.

    I tried to tell her that people are used to reading said/says and they don't think anything of it, if it appears a million times. It's when you start awkwardly changing them to "recalls" or "muses" that people take notice.

    She didn't buy it.
     
  12. Second Thoughts

    Second Thoughts Active Member

    What this said.

    I remember being told that "says" indicates the speaker is still talking. But I'll sneak it in sometime if it sounds right.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page