From the CNN site
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wants the 18 Saudi suspects held in Saudi in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be tried in Istanbul.
The reporter (probably a non-native speaker) chose to use wants instead of wanted.
So, my question is
Is reported speech, as we know it, a thing of the past (or is it a mistake on his part)?
Hasn't it always been the case that backshifting is not obligatory when the reported thing still prevails (in this case he still wants them to be tried in Istanbul)? Or do you see this as a new development?
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Hasn't it always been the case that backshifting is not obligatory when the reported thing still prevails (in this case he still wants them to be tried in Istanbul)? Or do you see this as a new development?