Don't quote me on this

Posted by Nick Laitner at Tue, 05/08/2008 - 7:10am in

An inspirational quote from Liverpool and England superstar Steven Gerrard, receiving his honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University last month:

“I am very proud to become a Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University. Not only has LJMU done so much for this city and the people of Liverpool but it has given the science of football international credibility."

Now, like all people who do what I do, I’ve ghosted quite a few quotes in my time for a variety of different people (including, incidentally, England footballers). The trick is to get your key message across in an interesting and ‘human’ way, something that Gerrard’s quote above does well. However, the most important thing about a news quote is that it has to reflect the voice of the person who is associated with it – authenticity is key.

And while Steven Gerrard is renowned for many things – footballing genius, Herculean on-field exertions, inspirational captaincy – he is not known for phrases such as “it has given the science of football international credibility.” With this choice of words Stevie G’s PR man, sadly, stretches the boundaries of the reader’s own credibility.

But at least Gerrard’s quote was on the record. The recent weeks of fervid speculation around Westminster has seen the return of that journalist’s friend (and truth’s enemy), the anonymous briefing. You can’t open a paper without reading about “senior Brownites”, “friends of Miliband” or even “sources close to Geoff Hoon” attacking, opining, or plotting.

These quotes can wield a huge amount of news traction, given that the reader actually has no idea where they come from, or how senior the “senior” source is. As David Aaronovich rightly asks in today’s Times, 'since when was any source ever described as a “no-mark backbencher”, a “convenient quote-hanger” or an “inconsequential former minister”?’.

David Miliband – famously described by Tony Blair as “the Wayne Rooney of the Cabinet” - proved last week that the only thing more newsworthy than an anonymous quote is an on-the-record statement. And if you want further proof of that, think how many column inches would be filled if Steven Gerrard chose to label Wayne Rooney as “the David Miliband of the England team”.

Tagged with: Media, quotes, Steven Gerrard