Prevent Someone From Quoting You Out of Context
This article was originally published on Medium on January 5, 2022 (https://medium.com/@non-monetized_together/a-foolproof-method-to-prevent-someone-from-quoting-you-out-of-context-186a1e7e2d01?source=friends_link&sk=d43c10e9275e4a5de2f9d1738a5381f1)
#Defamation #WritingTips #Misquotes #WritingTechniques #Safety
Have you ever worried that a third party will pick up your article and quote it unfairly? Are you in a situation where you would be unable to undo the damage?
I have a solution here that I’ve never seen used before. You can write each word of the context in bold and then alternate word-by-word between one of your sentences and the context.
Let’s say, you want to say something along the lines of “if it wasn’t for Gavin, we wouldn’t have to deal with the poor living conditions. However, Gavin could not have predicted or foreseen the damage they caused, and it wasn’t their responsibility anyways.” This could easily be taken out of context if someone just quotes you from the first sentence. They could make you look like you want to blame Gavin.
So, you say, “if however it Gavin wasn’t could for not Gavin**,** have we predicted wouldn’t or have foreseen to the deal damage with they the caused, poor and living it conditions. wasn’t their responsibility anyways.”
Maybe, you are saying “have a nice time in Hell, Brad!” Yet, you are referring to a water park named Hell. You say, “have there a is nice a time water in park Hell, named Brad! Hell”
Now, nobody can defame you by taking part of your writing out of context. Just make sure you let your readers in on your strategy before you use it.
Concerned that this will take too long? That’s probably what you thought when you were learning how to type! Also, my method probably isn’t something you have to do often, and it can be important considering how misinformation travels.