Editor makes prize from mistakes

Just heard this funny bit from StoryCorps, a nonprofit project that collects stories told by ordinary people. And, in case you copy editors were wondering, the name is indeed one word with a capital "C."

In this story, a retired Miami News editor explains what happened when a pre-printed section turned out to contain several factual errors. He also provides some advice for would-be journalists.

E&P does a big, bad boo-boo

(T)wat the? Just got this from a journalist friend. Hope they correct it soon, or they'll turn off a lot of people, including some Tweeters!

Below is copy I copied and pasted directly from the E&P Pub, which is a site related to Editor and Publisher, the biggest journalist mag out there.

Now They Tell Us

We just started tweeting with all the other twats, and now we see this new video...

Update: They just changed it to "twits." I guess that's better.

March 23, 2009

Now They Tell Us

We just started tweeting with all the other twits, and now we see this new video..

And then there's this, which shows Stephen Colbert on the Today show.

Crank wins award

The following lead is from a story in today's Mirror, UNC's student newspaper, written by my former student, Eric Heinz.

Known for her grueling, but rewarding, journalism classes, Lynn Klyde-Silverstein, an assistant professor for UNC's Journalism and Mass Communications program, was recently awarded Educator of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists' Colorado Chapter.

What kind of system allows someone like me to win an award like this? Have to stay cranky, just to keep up the old reputation.

Some happy news for a change

Who says the newspaper industry is dying? The University of Northern Colorado's campus paper, The Mirror, is celebrating its 90th birthday this weekend. Congratulations, Mirror!

Today's paper includes a history of the publication written by news editor Joshua Espinoza. Considering what's been happening with the news industry lately, I think these words are important to remember:

... the content and aesthetics of The Mirror have evolved and adapted with the times. The writing style has changed; the layout has changed; and the location has changed. But what has stayed consistent for the past nine decades is The Mirror's mission to inform, educate and entertain the community members University of Northern Colorado.

Later, Espinoza reminds us how important newspapers can be:

Having been an essential part of campus life since 1919, the publication has served as a barometer of student opinion on everything from routine occurrences like presidential elections and local politics, to the most memorable events in recent American history - including the Great Depression, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Act, the Columbine shootings and Sept. 11. The students of UNC have been able to view - as if through a metaphorical mirror - the ways in which these national milestones have personally affected them, for better or worse, through the peer-written commentary of The Mirror.

Thanks Josh, for reminding me why I love newspapers. And thanks to the Mirror staff members, past and present, for keeping the UNC community informed and entertained for 90 years.

Say it ain't so

Sad to say, Denver's first newspaper -- and the state's oldest business -- published its last edition today. Today's issue is a keeper, though. Full of great stories about and from the publication's storied past, as well as all of today's news. The front page features a goodbye to readers, framed by the first front page of the first edition, published April 23, 1859.

Just saw the photo on the Rocky's home page, and it's an empty newsroom. Makes me feel a little sick.

Here's an excerpt from the front-page goodbye:

To have reached this day, the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News, just 55 days shy of its 150th birthday is painful. We will scatter. And all that will be left are the stories we have told, captured on microfilm or in digital archives, devices unimaginable in those first days. But what was present in the paper then and has remained to this day is a belief in this community and the people who make it what it has become and what it will be. We part in sorrow because we know so much lies ahead that will be worth telling, and we will not be there to do so.

Rest in peace, Rocky. May your spirit live on in journalists for generations to come.

Whom, I?

Many people have trouble figuring out whether it's proper to use "I" or "me" in certain grammatical situations. And according to an op-ed piece in yesterday's New York Times, even presidents make the mistake of using "I" when they should be using "me." One reason the authors, Patricia T. O'Connor and Stewart Kellerman, offer for this error is what they call "hypercorrection:"

Then, why do so many scofflaws keep using “I” instead of “me”? Perhaps it’s because they were scolded as children for saying things like “Me want candy” instead of “I want candy,” so they began to think “I” was somehow more socially acceptable. Or maybe it’s because they were admonished against “it’s me.” Anybody who’s had “it is I” drummed into his head is likely to avoid “me” on principle, even when it’s right.

Another mistake along the same lines occurs when people write "whom" instead of "who." I think writers do this because they think using "whom" makes one appear more learned. Like when people use big words that they don't understand, just to impress the readers. Not that my students ever do that.

I don't mind it when I hear these mistakes in spoken language. We simply don't have enough time to edit ourselves when we talk. It's when you make mistakes like these in writing that brings out the crank in cranky editors like me. I'm sure many will disagree. I have a friend who is an English professor, and she cannot stand to hear "can I" when "may I" is preferred. I can take it or leave it. Does that mean someone will come along and take away my "grammar junkie" card?

Now don't get me wrong. I can't stand to hear people say things like "I seen that" and "It don't make no difference to me." Double-negatives also give me the willies. One has to draw the line somewhere.

What makes you cranky?

With a name like 'craigslist,' what do you expect?

Someone in my house has been printing out ads from craigslist. Either she' s looking to move, or she wants me to edit the ads. I hope it's the latter. Three of the four ads contained misspellings. I have a special prize for the author of the first ad, who threw in a second mistake for free.

"Heat included in Rent/Move in Speicial/ Avalible now..."

"OAKBROOK APARTMENTS: Unfirnished..."

"$500 Funished Studio Apartment ..."

I hope you're as appalled as I am.

So please, dear readers, if you're going to post something on the Internet, proofread it for goodness sake. And if you're not a born editor, ask a friend -- or an editing teacher -- to proof it for you.