Using Quotes from Other Media Sources

The guys on my beat are cool with lifting quotes, so long as it's the day after original quote-getter already ran with it, and as long as it's not something earth-shattering exclusive.

 

Always attribute the quote if you don't get it yourself, even if you suspect it was given to a pool of reporters. At the very least, you're protecting yourself if the person who says it challenges the quote.

 

I'm skittish about using any quote I didn't hear with my own ears. I know a lot of reporters who take pride in not using a tape recorder, and it shows when I read their quotes the next day. Hell, I barely trust the folks at my paper to feed my an accurate quote, and it's not a knock against them. Like Jason Robards (as Ben Bradlee) said in a certain movie you may have heard of, "I hate trusting anybody."

 

For some reason, a couple of writers in Atlanta still have had a problem with this. (Levine & Curtright).

 

Let me guess: Their quotes read better? Fewer um, uhs, cuss words and run-on sentences?