'Says' versus 'said'

[spud]

I think I've used 'says' all of maybe two or three times ever, but I like what it brings as an occasional change of pace, maybe just because its different. Is there a typical protocol for when and where to use says when attributing a quote? I don't see it that often but enough to like it when I do.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Always "said" in a quote attribution or paraphrase. "Says" is common in PR writing, but not in news writing.

 

[spud]

Always "said" in a quote attribution or paraphrase. "Says" is common in PR writing, but not in news writing.

I've never seen it used in a news piece but I've seen it more than a handful of times in feature stories and it always seemed to work. I'm trying to dig up an example now.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

There are situations in which "says" is appropriate, such as "Al Gore says in his documentary film."

The idea being that, for as long as the film exists, he'll be saying it.

Beyond that sort of thing, if someone says something live, they said it.

 

[Rockbottom]

I use it very sparingly, usually when going back and forth, time-reference wise, with quotes from the same person - said then and says now.

RB

 

[JackS]

I know others disagree, but I prefer "says" in profile or feature stories, particularly when the quote expresses an ongoing opinion.

"SportsJournalists.com is a complete waste of my finger movement and brain space," JackS says.

In straight news, "said" is pretty much mandatory, because quotes are usually part of a snapshot in time.

"I walked past Penn Station, and I didn't see any fight," JackS said.

 

[mustangj17]

Says sucks.

 

[silvercharm]

I know of a newspaper that uses 'says' almost exclusively to make them feel contemporary. Oy.

 

[BTExpress]

Those who hate says should never work the desk, then.

Because headline and cutline writers are told ad nauseum to make their verbs active.

So your headline will say, "Obama says health plan will succeed"

And your cutline will say, "Obama tells members of Congress why they should vote for his health plan."

But your story will say, "President Obama said his health plan will succeed despite crticism from conservative members of Congress."

 

[reformedhack]

"Says" is perfectly appropriate in limited instances for feature writing -- namely, when you're trying to put the reader "in the moment" or show real-time action, but that technique should be used sparingly. It's also the common attribution tense for magazine writing.

"Said" is usually appropriate is almost every instance, however ... especially in newspaper writing (or news writing in any medium).

But, for heaven's sake, don't mix tenses within the same story unless you absolutely know what you're doing.

 

[kingcreole]

Those who hate says should never work the desk, then.

Because headline and cutline writers are told ad nauseum to make their verbs active.

So your headline will say, "Obama says health plan will succeed"

And your cutline will say, "Obama tells members of Congress why they should vote for his health plan."

But your story will say, "President Obama said his health plan will succeed despite crticism from conservative members of Congress."

You are right of course, but I think the thread was talking about copy and not headlines or cutlines.

 

[SF_Express]

"Says" is perfectly appropriate in limited instances for feature writing -- namely, when you're trying to put the reader "in the moment" or show real-time action, but that technique should be used sparingly. It's also the common attribution tense for magazine writing.

"Said" is usually appropriate is almost every instance, however ... especially in newspaper writing (or news writing in any medium).

But, for heaven's sake, don't mix tenses within the same story unless you absolutely know what you're doing.

Simply, reformedhack saved me the time.

 

[RecentAZgrad]

"Says" is perfectly appropriate in limited instances for feature writing -- namely, when you're trying to put the reader "in the moment" or show real-time action, but that technique should be used sparingly. It's also the common attribution tense for magazine writing.

"Said" is usually appropriate is almost every instance, however ... especially in newspaper writing (or news writing in any medium).

But, for heaven's sake, don't mix tenses within the same story unless you absolutely know what you're doing.

I agree whole-heartedly. I've had issues with hard-headed copy editors over this who won't allow "says" in the paper "because that's the way it's always been done." Well, ****, if you don't allow room for growth from what's "always been done," then how the hell is the industry supposed to grow?

"Says" can absolutely be used in feature stories, so long as it's done right and you don't switch between tenses.

 

[awriter]

Always "said" in a quote attribution or paraphrase. "Says" is common in PR writing, but not in news writing.

Not always. Ninety-nine percent of the time, yes, but there are instances where "says" works, particularly in featutres where you're trying to draw the into the scene.

 

[friend of the friendless]

Sirs, Madames,

As noted earlier, "says" in an in-the-moment writing of a feature is okay. I'll go to the Pultizer collection for citations.

Straight news, no.

o-<

 

[Bamadog]

Said in all usages. That's our rule here.

 

[Bristol Whipped]

'Says' is present tense, 'said' is past tense, so your tense should determine which you use when. If you're using says in a feature, then it's a stylistic choice regarding using present tense to tell that feature story as opposed to the more traditional past tense, and you should stay consistent with that.

In straight news, though, says can also be used for attributing a statement that someone has consistently repeated and continues to repeat, ie "Coach Bristol Whipped says the 1996 allegations are false," but even then I would find a better way to phrase it and I would be cautious that coach Bristol Whipped hasn't changed his mind and left you with egg on your face. In fact, while you technically can use 'says' in this instance, I wouldn't recommend it and would say something instead like, 'Coach Bristol Whipped has denied the allegations ..."

 

[RickStain]

I'm not really sure why "said" doesn't work to set the scene in feature stories. The readers know that newspaper stories are never real-time.

 

[Den1983]

I know others disagree, but I prefer "says" in profile or feature stories, particularly when the quote expresses an ongoing opinion.

"SportsJournalists.com is a complete waste of my finger movement and brain space," JackS says.

In straight news, "said" is pretty much mandatory, because quotes are usually part of a snapshot in time.

"I walked past Penn Station, and I didn't see any fight," JackS said.

I've never used 'says' but I have seen it used often in profile and feature pieces, as you said.

I just can never get comfortable using it because it seems so odd.

 

[Double J]

I used "says" in my book for each quote from a person whom I personally interviewed.

When I used a quote that someone else elicited, I used "said."

And I properly attributed the source of each and every borrowed quote.