I was looking at this article in the Times magazine and was struck by what seemed to be the proliferation of exclamation points (31). Another piece of comparable length about Chris Matthews from a few weeks ago boasted 4 (three of which were: "Ha!"). So what I am wondering is:

a) how do journalists decide when interviewing/taking notes? where is the line between a period and an exclamation point? this seems like it can drastically alter the meaning of a quote (“The fish is not going to eat itself!” vs. “The fish is not going to eat itself.")

b) what is with all the exclamation points in the gay lifestyle article? are they simply more exclamatory as a group, New York Times Magazine?