In paragraphs of direct quotation it is often necessary to insert explanatory phrases, such as, “said Mr. White,” “declared the speaker,” “the report continues,” “explained Mr. White in conclusion,” “the report concludes,” etc., but such phrases should be buried in an unemphatic position in the first sentence of the paragraph. Paragraphs of direct quotation should not begin with such unemphatic phrases as, “Mr. Blank continued by saying, etc.,” “The speaker then said,” “The report continues.” It is likewise ineffective to begin with phrases like, “I believe,” “I feel sure,” “I think,” “I know.” The newspaper reader will take for granted that what the speaker says is what he “thinks,” “believes,” “knows,” or “is sure of,” and the reporter, therefore, may omit these needless phrases entirely or may put them in a less prominent place. Instead of beginning a paragraph with,
“I believe that the income tax is the fairest of all taxes,” said Senator Borah.
it is preferable to omit entirely the phrase “I believe,” or else to put the quotation in the following form:
“The income tax, I believe, is the fairest of all taxes,” said Senator Borah.
In paragraphs of indirect quotations or of summaries, it is as necessary to use explanatory phrases as in those of direct quotations, and this explanatory matter should be put in unemphatic positions. The form of the phrases should be varied as much as possible so that the repetition will not be evident. Among the active verbs that may be used in explanatory matter are: “say,” “point out,” “show,” “declare,” “explain,” “insist,” “ask,” “advocate,” “demand,” “continue,” “conclude.” Passive forms include: “considered,” “discussed,” “given,” “described,” “demonstrated.” It must always be made plain by these and other means that all matter not quoted directly gives the substance of the speech or report.
When the body of the story consists of a series of direct quotations, these paragraphs are introduced by such phrases as: “He said in part,” “He spoke in part as follows,” “The report in brief follows,” “His address in full is as follows,” or “The complete report follows.” Such introductory statements end with a colon, and usually stand alone as a separate paragraph. In a continuous quotation extending through several paragraphs, quotation marks are placed at the beginning of each paragraph but at the end of only the last paragraph of the quotation. Quotations within quotations are set off by single quotation marks, and quotations within quotations within quotations by double marks.
It is not always necessary to arrange the matter in the body of the story so that it will follow the exact order in which it was given in the original. When the lead presents the most important statement, the following paragraphs frequently explain or amplify this statement, and then other parts of the speech follow, although in the original they may have preceded. In rearranging the order of quotations, care should be taken to establish close connection between them and to avoid misrepresenting the thought or spirit of the original. How a long speech is given in brief form partly by direct quotation, partly by indirect quotation, and partly by summarizing statements, is shown in the following example:
Washington, Jan. 2.—Taking up the gage of battle offered by Senator Bailey in his denunciation of direct government measures, Senator Ashurst, of Arizona, the state whose progressiveness delayed her entry into statehood, today made eloquent defense of the initiative, the referendum, and the recall. That the people in the states now using the initiative and referendum, have taken a more active interest in voting upon measures brought before them at the polls than have the members of the United States senate in adopting or rejecting laws, was Ashurst’s reply.
“There is not one record,” he declared, “of an instance where a law has been rejected or accepted under the initiative and referendum by less than 40 per cent of the entire number of voters within a state, yet in the senate itself, composed of 96 members, each paid $7,500 per year to remain there and vote upon measures, generally only 55 to 60 per cent of the total membership vote upon a bill, and frequently a bill is passed or defeated by 29 or 30 per cent of the entire membership.”
The bill to construct a railroad in Alaska, the senator pointed out, passed the senate by a vote of only 32 per cent of the entire membership; on the army appropriation bill in the 62nd Congress only 36 per cent of the membership voted.