Presser quotes

[Dangerous_K]

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.

 

[SF_Express]

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.

 

[Batman]

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.

 

[Ace]

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).

 

[Ike Broflovski]

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.

 

[Dangerous_K]

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.

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

 

[TheMethod]

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, "Bum**** said" tells the reader all it needs to know.

 

[Ike Broflovski]

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, "Bum**** said" tells the reader all it needs to know.

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.

 

[PinSuperfly]

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.

 

[Some Guy]

As everyone else says, yes, it's OK, as long as you use "said in a conference call" or "said at a news conference."

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.

 

[imjustagirl2]

If the schools says they said it, they said it.

I could not disagree with that more.

If they have audio, listen to it. Make sure.

 

[Some Guy]

If the schools says they said it, they said it.

I could not disagree with that more.

If they have audio, listen to it. Make sure.

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.

 

[wickedwritah]

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.

Penn State has a habit of editing out bad quotes from Joe Paterno's press conferences.

A few years ago, Bob Flounders from The Patriot-News challenged Joe Pa in an exchange that was played on Dan Patrick's show, among other places. Guess what quote didn't end up on the quote sheet?

 

[imjustagirl2]

If the schools says they said it, they said it.

I could not disagree with that more.

If they have audio, listen to it. Make sure.

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.

I didn't say that. What I said was I disagree with "if they say the person said it, they said it."

And I said if there's audio for you to hear, you should hear it. Just to make sure.

If your only option is a statement or a quote sheet, then that's all you have. But when I covered college games, and I was in a post-game presser and then I got the quote sheets, it was not even close.

 

[Some Guy]

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, "Bum**** said" tells the reader all it needs to know.

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.

We are explicitly forbidden to write "in a conference call" or "in a press conference" or the like in our copy. The desk is directed to edit it out if we try.

The argument is that, in most cases, this kind of information is superfluous and sentence-fattening. I tend to agree.

There are some exceptions, of course. But for the most part, I agree.

Otherwise, do you people include this info on every quote? What if you are writing a story that includes quotes from a live press conference, a conference call, a post-game pow-wow with the coach?

Every single quote could have come from a different interview. Do you specify where you got each one?

 

[Some Guy]

If the schools says they said it, they said it.

I could not disagree with that more.

If they have audio, listen to it. Make sure.

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.

I didn't say that. What I said was I disagree with "if they say the person said it, they said it."

And I said if there's audio for you to hear, you should hear it. Just to make sure.

If your only option is a statement or a quote sheet, then that's all you have. But when I covered college games, and I was in a post-game presser and then I got the quote sheets, it was not even close.

No doubt, if you have access to the audio, you use that. That isn't even up for debate.

 

[ADifferentOkie]

I think we're all in agreement that using the stuff is fine. It's better if you're there to hear it yourself, but there is nothing wrong with using supplied quotes if that's all you can get.
I tend to explain where I got it on the first reference. I don't think that is fattening -- I think it is valuable information to the reader.
But either way, I'd say to go ahead and use the quotes you have.

 

[wickedwritah]

As a reader, I don't care whether Joe Blow said it in a mid-week press conference, jogging around campus or sitting on the bowl.

It doesn't matter that much to me.

 

[Some Guy]

I think we're all in agreement that using the stuff is fine. It's better if you're there to hear it yourself, but there is nothing wrong with using supplied quotes if that's all you can get.
I tend to explain where I got it on the first reference. I don't think that is fattening -- I think it is valuable information to the reader.
But either way, I'd say to go ahead and use the quotes you have.

I really don't think the reader cares where you get the quotes, unless it's something really spectacular.

"Get the hell off my lawn," Carr told a reporter who was hiding in his trash can.

But something from a Monday presser than happens every week? Blah.

 

[ADifferentOkie]

I was taught to be transparent. I try to do that, as long as it is reasonable.
I think it's worth spending half a sentence to explain where the quotes came from once in the story.