Use the phone for God's sake!

You don't.

How do you know the quotes in a press release came directly from the source, and not from a handler or agent? You don't.

Sometimes, you use them if you have to, noting where they came from. If there's any way to avoid it, I would. But sometimes there is not.

 

I don't quote press releases for that very reason. Ever.
And an e-mail exchange is not even close to being an interview.

 

Trust me. They don't.

 

The SID of the small college at my last (as in final) newspaper stop openly admitted to making up quotes for his coaches.

EDIT: The coaches said those quotes were usually better than any thing they'd have actually said.

 

It is the stated policy of my paper that if you use quotes that come from a press release, e-mail, text message or IM, you MUST clearly state said source in the very first quote. We had a young news reporter who was fired two years ago for violating that policy. I thought it was pretty harsh, but that was the rule.

 

how do you quote a smiley face?

when asked what he thought about starting this week, Smith responded " "

 

very good.

 

If there's laughter in the background, you know it ain't Frank.

 

Sometimes I wonder if the people who have these cozy little rules have ever actually covered a beat.

Athletes return texts 100 times more often than calls. So we text them and get info.

Is it ideal? No.

Is it better than getting nothing? Yes.

 

Ding ding fucking ding.

Spot on.