I read the thread titled, “Would you allow the f-word in this case?”
The discussion centered around when, if ever, the use of expletives should be allowed in a story. The example starting the discussion was published with a bracketed word replacing the “f-word”:
“The doctor told me I’d never run,” she said. “So I said, ‘(Forget) you, I’ll run a marathon.’”
The woman quoted has obviously overcome great obstacles through a sense of determination that she chose to express using the word “fuck.” I do believe the quote loses something when it is replaced with “forget.”
Several of the comments suggested that rather than change a direct quote with a bracketed word, the whole quote should be paraphrased. This could be one solution, but paraphrasing would diminish the impact of the quote just as much as changing “fuck” to “forget.”
She never said “forget,” but she also said something a little more inspiring than, “She was determined to run a marathon.” When printing “fuck” is out of the question, I would stick to the brackets.
Other comments focused around several newspapers’ willingness to print Vice President Cheney’s famous cussing incident.
The Washington Post printed: ‘”Fuck yourself,” said the man who is a heartbeat from the presidency.’
I think it would be hard to argue that the vice president’s exact words weren’t newsworthy. This was on the senate floor, directed at a senator. Cheney is an integral part of an administration often centered around faith and piety.
I think avoiding the f-word in the Cheney story would have been foolish. The word was too important. “Fuck” was the story. I highly doubt that the headline to the marathon runner story would have read: “Woman directs obscenity at doctor.”
It’s a judgment call that should center around relevance and newsworthiness. I don’t think a blanket policy works when you’re dealing with people’s words.
