If the reporter believes that the mayor likes the direction of a work program, the reporter needs to ask the mayor how he or she feels about it rather than assuming the feelings. Attribution is needed when the facts presented are considered controversial or not common knowledge. If the basketball team wins its fourth game in a row, such a fact is common knowledge. But if the win was because the center played the best game of his career, the journalist needs to attribute that information to someone, perhaps the coach or a fan. If the reporter injects such information in a story without attribution, it is not objective.
Direct quotes are powerful but the reporter can summarize and attribute the statement as well.
A good rule to follow is, when in doubt attribute. If you can't attribute an opinion or statement to someone it is probably your opinion and not objective. Examples of good attributions Columbus - Ohio ranks among the top 10 states in protecting parks and wildlife habitats but is one of the five worst in revitalizing commercial and residential land, according to a Sierra Club report released Friday. Lima - A young woman accused of murdering her father told jurors Monday she lived in constant fear of him and that years of abuse led her to shoot him in the back. Johnson made the donation to eliminate any possibility of the team dissolving.