What term identifies the source of a fact, opinion, or quote in a story?

What term identifies the source of a fact, opinion, or quote in a story?

• A. Attribution
• B. Byline
• C. Caption
• D. Lead

Answer: (A)

Attribution is the term for identifying who provided a fact, opinion, or quote in a story. It credits the source and helps readers judge reliability and perspective. In reporting you’ll commonly see phrases like “According to…” or “The spokesperson said…” which place the information with its origin. This distinguishes the source from the journalist’s own voice. Byline refers to the author of the story, not the source of the information. A caption describes an image, and a lead is the opening paragraph that summarizes the main points. Because attribution directly links the information to its source, it’s the correct term for identifying where a fact, opinion, or quote comes from.

Attribution is the term for identifying who provided a fact, opinion, or quote in a story. It credits the source and helps readers judge reliability and perspective. In reporting you’ll commonly see phrases like “According to…” or “The spokesperson said…” which place the information with its origin. This distinguishes the source from the journalist’s own voice. Byline refers to the author of the story, not the source of the information. A caption describes an image, and a lead is the opening paragraph that summarizes the main points. Because attribution directly links the information to its source, it’s the correct term for identifying where a fact, opinion, or quote comes from.