Don't Quote Me on That

For years I've been noticing different versions of the same quotes in our city's newspapers. Sometimes two stories in the same newspaper will have different versions of the same quote. The quotes are close enough that the reporters obviously got them at the same time, but different enough that you have to wonder how much the reporters ever get right. I don't think we can chalk this up to Ozzie-English, either. In this age of digital voice recorders and iPods with microphones, why are reporters still using pens and notebooks, and jotting down notes that are mostly wrong?

Today's example:

Dave van Dyck, Tribune:

"How we use McCarthy, that's my concern," Guillen said. "Every time we use him for like three innings, it's not fair [to use him] the next day.

"The savior right now is McCarthy."

Toni Ginetti, Sun-Times:

"Right now, it's tough because we have one kid who's been our savior," Guillen said. "We have to know how to use him. I have to be careful how I use him. Using him two or three innings all the time isn't fair for him. If we use him a few innings, I need to stay away from him the next day."