Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

[anunitu]

I have noticed some news stories seem to have grammar and spelling errors. I understand why this happens with normal posters here,we are NOT professional writers.
I just think people who do the NEWS would be better at proof reading.
It doesn't happen a lot,but does happen enough to be noticed.

I can misspell but I am not a professional writer(also bad at grammar),and many here are very good about posts and writing.

Just wondering how you feel this lack in professional writing and news stories.

[Larix]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

I am also wondering why that is so! :=S ::sick:

[Munin-Hugin]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

It frustrates me to no end, seeing the so-called professionals making such mistakes, especially considering that it's been said that news and media "dumb down" the word usage and content to reflect a fifth grade reading level.

Of the same tune, but not the same note, a story arose in this area not too long ago that had be gnashing my teeth in irritation, regarding improper word usage. There was a black bear roaming the town and the local newspaper constantly referred to the animal as a "bruin".

[DanieMarie]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

As a writer, I can tell you:

-No matter how good of a writer you are, you're going to have some typos and grammatical errors. Perhaps you wrote a sentence so many times that it got garbled up and you overlooked it because you'd already overlooked it so many times. Or perhaps you were on a short deadline. Or, perhaps you simply weren't paid enough to spend all that much time on your article and you need to move onto the next job so that you can make enough money to eat. All three of those situations are common in today's writer's market. But...
-...That's why there are editors and proofreaders. In theory, anyway. In many cases, these people are also paid little and have huge workloads to get through.
-When it comes to the news, speed trumps everything else. Most publications skimp on the proofreading and fact checking process in order to be the first ones to get the story out, or at least to get it out before everyone moves on to the next issue. I'd say this is the biggest culprit behind the drop in quality.
-A lot of media outlets simply repost op ed pieces from blogs. Huffington Post and Slate do this frequently. They usually choose blogs with large followings and pieces that are well written, but at the end of the day, these pieces are simply reposted and do not get edited before they go up. So there's that.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

This is generally less of an issue with the writers than it is with the editors. As Danie said above, when you're a writer, you make mistakes sometimes. Typos happen and sometimes your brain is going so fast that your fingers can't keep up and things slip through. Sometimes you have to rewrite a section so many times that you miss things. It's the editors job to go through and correct any mistakes, or send it back to you for grammatical and syntax fixes. But again, as Danie said above, especially in the news it's all about speed and scoops.

Also, the internet has increased the number of pseudo-professional writers in the world, as well as pseudo-news sites and blogs. Which brings down the reputation of the profession as a whole. News reporting also has different grammatical rules than academia or fiction writing, which sometimes muddies things up a bit. Plus I do believe the whole dumbing-down of society thing. So I think there are multiple issues at play here.

But what gets me is the drop in quality of fiction writers... what passes as a good book nowdays is frankly quite terrible. Now I realise this is reflection more on the readership than it is on the authorship... but I still find it deplorable and saddening.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

I have no problems with typos. And there is a big difference between someone who writes for a living and someone who doesn't.

Years ago, newspapers and magazines had proper editors who did a tidy job. They had to, because print was physically set up, and errors weren't easily corrected. This went for books, too. With the coming of the digital age, instead of things being easier and quicker, they became quicker and sloppier. No need for it, honestly.

I do have a problem with the misuse of language, which shows that the writer really lacks a grip. For example - and this is one of my pet peeves - the different between hung and hanged. I come close to a murderous rage every time I spot that one.

And another peeve is when someone sends me manuscripts or messages written in text-speak. Sorry, I just won't deal with this. Life is too short.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

This is generally less of an issue with the writers than it is with the editors. As Danie said above, when you're a writer, you make mistakes sometimes. Typos happen and sometimes your brain is going so fast that your fingers can't keep up and things slip through. Sometimes you have to rewrite a section so many times that you miss things. It's the editors job to go through and correct any mistakes, or send it back to you for grammatical and syntax fixes. But again, as Danie said above, especially in the news it's all about speed and scoops.

Also, the internet has increased the number of pseudo-professional writers in the world, as well as pseudo-news sites and blogs. Which brings down the reputation of the profession as a whole. News reporting also has different grammatical rules than academia or fiction writing, which sometimes muddies things up a bit. Plus I do believe the whole dumbing-down of society thing. So I think there are multiple issues at play here.

But what gets me is the drop in quality of fiction writers... what passes as a good book nowdays is frankly quite terrible. Now I realise this is reflection more on the readership than it is on the authorship... but I still find it deplorable and saddening.

*cough*fiftyshadesofgrey*cough*

- - - Updated - - -

And another peeve is when someone sends me manuscripts or messages written in text-speak. Sorry, I just won't deal with this. Life is too short.

For the love of all that is holy, do people actually do this?

-------

I think there is also something to be said for the writing career track. Back in the day, you studied journalism, communications, creative writing, English, or something along those lines, maybe wrote for your university paper and/or submitted to literary journals, got an internship at a paper over the summer, and then eventually got an entry level job at a publication when you graduated. Now, those jobs either don't exist or don't pay at all, internships are really hard to get (and tuition has risen to the point where unpaid internships over the summer are impossible for a lot of people), and most writers have to carve out their own career paths through freelance work. It's a learning curve. I'm still on that curve myself. I still find myself re-writing passages that I slipped up and wrote with passive voice and stuff like that. I'm getting a lot better at it over time, but it's definitely a process. I think it's important to remember that most internet publishing (including major media outlets) represent a lot of writers at the beginning of their careers, especially as they do not pay much. No one is perfect at the beginning, no matter how talented they are. If we expected every writer to be perfect in order to be published, we wouldn't have any writers. It would be a catch 22 situation where writers would need to be perfect to get their work out and build up experience, but they could never get the experience necessary to get to that point. Working with editors helps writers get better and grow over time. When the editing process gets thrown out the window, that growth goes with it as well.

[Amelia-Mary]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

My name gets spelled wrong EVERY time in local news papers... Typos tend to be worse in local papers I've noticed

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

For the love of all that is holy, do people actually do this?

You would be amazed... that and more...

I never expect perfection (ye gods, I know I slip up!) but I expect good manner, covering letters, and - since I put extremely detailed submission guidelines on my website - some semblance of showing that these have been read. Most do this and I've no complaints. But a sizable majority must think I'm an idiot or something!

[DanieMarie]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

You would be amazed... that and more...

I never expect perfection (ye gods, I know I slip up!) but I expect good manner, covering letters, and - since I put extremely detailed submission guidelines on my website - some semblance of showing that these have been read. Most do this and I've no complaints. But a sizable majority must think I'm an idiot or something!

Those are totally reasonable expectations. Submissions guidelines are there for a reason and covering letters should always represent your language skills.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

Those are totally reasonable expectations. Submissions guidelines are there for a reason and covering letters should always represent your language skills.

They should indeed. And a goodly number of people still cut and paste in their articles, seemingly oblivious that this sort of thing is relatively easy to spot.

The other thing I often find with news stories is the unintended nonsense in the headlines. They can be so ambiguous that in the end I don't know what the article is going to be about!

[DanieMarie]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

They should indeed. And a goodly number of people still cut and paste in their articles, seemingly oblivious that this sort of thing is relatively easy to spot.

The other thing I often find with news stories is the unintended nonsense in the headlines. They can be so ambiguous that in the end I don't know what the article is going to be about!

Don't even get me started on headlines! I think that's another editorial thing, though. So many publications go for "clickbait" headlines these days. It drives me crazy. Some of the worst offenders get weeded out fairly quickly (the "what you see next will blow your mind" types), but I still find most pretty manipulative. A good headline should interest the reader, but it shouldn't be overblown in comparison to the story or misrepresent the story. i feel bad commenting on headlines because that has to be my worst skill as a writer, but still....

Also, people actually cut and paste in their articles? I'm still shocked and appalled. As a writer, I take some pride in what I do and it bothers me when people think they can get published without actually writing things (even if they don't succeed). It's like expecting to get a construction job without being able to work a drill!

[Rae'ya]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

I think it's because 'writing' is a a bit like 'art'... everyone who's parent gave them a bit of praise growing up thinks that they are an amazing writer or artist (maybe I should add 'singing' into that mix). There are a LOT of terrible writers and artists out there, who truly believe that they are talented.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

I think it's because 'writing' is a a bit like 'art'... everyone who's parent gave them a bit of praise growing up thinks that they are an amazing writer or artist (maybe I should add 'singing' into that mix). There are a LOT of terrible writers and artists out there, who truly believe that they are talented.

So true. And yes, I'd add "singing" to that list. I can count on my hands the number of people who can play music well enough to entertain a room (and are willing to get on stage and do it), and I went to college for music (I have an associates degree in jazz vocal). That doesn't change the fact that everyone and their dog thinks they can do it.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Wondering about news stories with spellig mistakes among other things

People who know me well, know that I was very keen on music in my youth and studied it for years. I remember working once with a girl who bragged endlessly about her piano playing, and convinced everyone she worked with how wonderfully she played.

One evening though, she came over to my house and I thought I would offer her a chance to play the piano. 'Of course,' she said, never missing a beat.

She sat down at my piano with a flourish, then stared at it. 'Um.... where's Middle C?' she asked