"Said"

The author of the Writing For the Media book says that one should not look for substitute words for “said.”  I think that this depends entirely on the article or story.  The context will help someone to determine whether or not to use the word said.

For example, straight news stories will often use said in interviews because they want to get their point across simply, without confusion.  They also must tell the story exactly as they know, and the cannot be biased and use their opinion in the story.  Feature stories, however, are more stylistic and can use more descriptive words such as exclaimed or yelled.

Also, in stories that use only said, there can also be descriptive words around the word “said.”  Someone can say something angrily or happily or excitedly.  This can add color to the story that is not present by simply said that someone “said” something will happen.

Articles that are straightforward often use said, so that they remain simple and easy to read.   The interviews are an important part of the news, so they say said in order to show the important of the quote, rather than how the person said it.  In feature stories it is equally important to know how the person spoke, so other adjectives may be used to communicate the emotion to the reader.  Stories with the conflict and impact news values may also use words besides “said” in order to show the importance and feeling of the article.

Although there is most likely no right or wrong answer to the word “said,” I think feature stories and stories with more color should include more interesting and descriptive words.

There are many news values that are present in every news story.  Proximity and timeliness are two that are the most common.  In lead paragraphs, one can find the where and when in which the story is taking place.  This is important because it can determine whether the reader chooses to continue reading the article.

My local newspaper back home is the MetroWest Daily News.  The first story I looked at is entitled “Framingham Man in Ashland Car Crash has Life Threatening Injuries.”  The title tells the who, what, and where.  It shows timeliness and proximity because the article went up shortly after the accident.  Although people may not know the person who suffered injuries, they will be interested in where the crash occurred and they will also know that there will be traffic around that area.

“Do You Love Barbie” is an interesting article on the website because it is a very short piece about an event that will be happening in the MetroWest area.  It shows timeliness and proximity and also an element of the bizarre because most wouldn’t expect to see that in an everyday paper.  It draws a certain reader in, and allows them to be a part of an event in the area.

Finally, “Framingham Pantry to Reopen” is a story with impact.  Many people have suffered some sort of loss since the pantry has not been open.  However, they will be relived to find out that it will reopen on March 14^th.  Those who rely on the pantry will again have a place to go, and this allows interest and relief for those reading this article.

Timeliness and proximity are the most important values in an article.  Conflict and impact are the important values in order to draw the reader in.