Would you use this quote?

[BillyT]

I think I a becoming a cranky old man, but I do not think I am going to use this quote. (I may paraphrase).

County budget passes, crusty town supervisor stands up and says, "Eighty percent of the budget is unfunded mandates. We're just bending over and taking it with the unfunded mandates. All we are doing is eating ourselves."

 

[93Devil]

I would not use it.

Think of all the potential headaches that could come from running it. I like the "eating ourselves" quote much better.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Maybe he meant a spanking.

 

[reformedhack]

BillyT, as good as it is, I don't think I'd use the quote, either, just to spare myself the inevitable phone call from readers and/or an editor. I think I'd probably paraphrase but keep the kicker.

Supervisor Jones was clearly frustrated by the outcome of the vote, estimating that 80 percent of the budget is attached to unfunded mandates.
"All we are doing is eating ourselves," Jones said.

 

[mediaguy]

Can't use the quote. Not a metaphor you want to encourage. End of story.

 

[BillyT]

Thanks.

I had decided not to use it. I just wanted to make sure I was on the right track.

The daily reporter at the meeting tweeted it.

I find myself going back and forth, because I read a lot of papers and blogs, and of course there are different standards everywhere.

 

[Fredrick]

Can't use the quote. Not a metaphor you want to encourage. End of story.

Depends if your competitor is running it. The lazy suits might think you "got beat" on a story if you didn't run the quote and the competition did.

 

[imjustagirl]

Can't use the quote. Not a metaphor you want to encourage. End of story.

Depends if your competitor is running it. The lazy suits might think you "got beat" on a story if you didn't run the quote and the competition did.

He's not missing the story. He's choosing different quotes.

You're making no sense.

 

[Ace]

Can't use the quote. Not a metaphor you want to encourage. End of story.

Depends if your competitor is running it. The lazy suits might think you "got beat" on a story if you didn't run the quote and the competition did.

He's not missing the story. He's choosing different quotes.

You're making no sense.

He might get in trouble for choosing to have standards in this day and age, though.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Policy here is that we run such language past a glass office, and they decide on a case-by-case basis. Very subjective judgment process here. I don't always agree with the outcome, but I do like our policy of not having a blanket rule. My guess is we'd probably run it.

 

[JR]

Run it. He said it, didn't he?

If readers complain, give them the phone number of the town supervisor.

However, I think Frank's paper's policy is correct.

 

[JimmyHoward33]

if its already been Tweeted you almost have to run it, so as not to look like you're shilling for the guy and protecting him from himself.

Generally, though, I agree with Frank's policy and would probably lean towards what reformedhack said. Keep the kicker, might not need the bending over.

 

[outofplace]

if its already been Tweeted you almost have to run it, so as not to look like you're shilling for the guy and protecting him from himself.

Generally, though, I agree with Frank's policy and would probably lean towards what reformedhack said. Keep the kicker, might not need the bending over.

This is why I would want to bounce this one off an editor. My first instinct is not to run it and do something like what reformedhack suggested, but if the competition ran with it, that's a tougher call.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

I quoted a college baseball player after his team salvaged one win in three games at Long Beach State: "It's about time we hit the frickin' ball."

Boss called me three days later (when the only complaint call came in) to say I shouldn't have written it.

He said we all know what the word stands for. I asked if heck was OK. Yes, he said. I asked if hell was OK. No, he said. We all know what heck stands for, I said.

Finally, he gave me an example of how I could have written it.

Third baseman Chris Hill, in a way that made it clear just how relieved he was, said it was about time the team hit the ball.

 

[LongTimeListener]

"Eating ourselves" could be seen as a reference to female contortionist masturbation.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

if its already been Tweeted you almost have to run it, so as not to look like you're shilling for the guy and protecting him from himself.

Generally, though, I agree with Frank's policy and would probably lean towards what reformedhack said. Keep the kicker, might not need the bending over.

This is why I would want to bounce this one off an editor. My first instinct is not to run it and do something like what reformedhack suggested, but if the competition ran with it, that's a tougher call.

I would never, ever make editorial decisions based on what someone else tweeted.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Run it. He said it, didn't he?

Extensive journalism experience talking here, folks. Take heed.

 

[Versatile]

Policy here is that we run such language past a glass office, and they decide on a case-by-case basis. Very subjective judgment process here. I don't always agree with the outcome, but I do like our policy of not having a blanket rule. My guess is we'd probably run it.

This all the way. I think you're wrong to make the decision yourself not to run it, especially if the competition likely will. Even if you're the news editor, if you have a boss, this is a good one to run by them. It's a colorful quote spoken in a public forum by a high-ranking (it's all relative) official.

If I were running the ship, I would have wanted that quote in my paper. I would have wanted that quote high-up in the story.

 

[Fredrick]

I quoted a college baseball player after his team salvaged one win in three games at Long Beach State: "It's about time we hit the frickin' ball."

Boss called me three days later (when the only complaint call came in) to say I shouldn't have written it.

He said we all know what the word stands for. I asked if heck was OK. Yes, he said. I asked if hell was OK. No, he said. We all know what heck stands for, I said.

Finally, he gave me an example of how I could have written it.

Third baseman Chris Hill, in a way that made it clear just how relieved he was, said it was about time the team hit the ball.

frickin should have been allowed at least on the internet edition of the story. my god, we can't print frickin???

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

My issue was more with the lame-ass way he wanted me to write it, with no quote, but trying really hard to let people know the guy really meant what he said that we didn't quote him saying.