Just Write Tuesday #17 I need to vent!

I can't possibly write anything creative because I'm soooo irated right now. I'm trying not to be, but I am. As my profile indicates, I'm a freelance writer. I cover a handful of school boards and townships for our local afternoon paper.

Last week a story of mine ran with a quote from a very outspoken board member and now he's claiming (get this) not that he was misquoted but that he didn't intend the comment to come out that way.

So now he is threating to quit the school board and according to the superintendent he is quite irrate.

As newspaper readers, do you expect the quotes in stories to be what people were inferring or what people were saying.

Yeah, my point exactly.

How am I to know what you are inferring, I can only write down what you are saying and if you are going to say something completely off the cuff at a public school board meeting while the press is in attendance than you deserve to be quoted.

In fact, you should be quoted.

Even the superintendent says the quote is correct, though she claims a small portion of it was attributed to the wrong individual. I spoke to that individual and he, of course, says that he has "no recollection who said what." Big F'n surprise!

So I'm off to the same school board meeting and I'm bound to be verbally assaulted by a professional who regrets his own words. I'm bringing a friend to serve as a bodyguard and witness. Plus the meeting is near a Starbucks and who can refuse that afterwords. LOL

I think there is a valuable lesson in all of this. If you are going to open your mouth at a public meeting, expect to be quoted and you can bet that whatever I file tonight, will definately include a quote from him.