Monday, May 24, 2004

Quote Policies

I can't believe people have problems with this. Some do.

1.) We do not clean up quotes. "I ain't going to the store" should not become "I'm not going to the store, old chap."

2.) We do not creatively render dialectical phrases. Thus, we write "got to" for what sounds like "gotta" and "going to" for "gonna." We do not penalize people for being mushy-mouthed.

3.) We render sentences in the best grammar we know.

4.) If a quote isn't clear on its own, paraphrase it. Don't add parenthetical expressions. Never publish a sentence such as: "I enjoy it [going to the park] very much," he said.

5.) We don't make people look stupid for no reason. "I think our current president, Bill Clinton, shouldn't have invaded Iraq," she said.