Author Topic: I hate journalistic writing (Read 100280 times)

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #250 on:** August 26, 2009, 08:23:30 AM »

Are they radioactive?

rivka · « **Reply #251 on:** August 26, 2009, 08:24:18 AM »

Let's turn out the lights and check!

saxon75 · « **Reply #252 on:** August 26, 2009, 12:06:24 PM »

I have seen a pickled cucumber glow in the dark. Of course, it had been plugged into a 110-volt wall socket.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #253 on:** September 07, 2009, 11:30:44 AM »

From the front page of today's New York Times: Gadget Makers Can ID Theives.

Well good! Those ID thieves should be canned.

I had to read the headline a few times before I understood. I just kept wondering why the Times was getting all slangy with "can" instead of "fire".

Jonathon · « **Reply #254 on:** October 23, 2009, 10:54:28 AM »

Out of curiosity, I decided to see what Wikipedia said about copy editing, and I came across this gem of a quote from the cofounder of the American Copy Editors Society (an association for newspaper editors):

Quote

We want them to be skilled grammarians and wordsmiths and write bright and engaging headlines and must know Quark.

Skilled wordsmiths indeed. That's some of the worst coordination I've ever seen.

Brinestone · « **Reply #255 on:** October 23, 2009, 11:30:36 AM »

Quote

Out of curiosity, I decided to see what Wikipedia said about copy editing, and I came across this gem of a quote from the cofounder of the American Copy Editors Society (an association for newspaper editors):
Quote
We want them to be skilled grammarians and wordsmiths and write bright and engaging headlines and must know Quark.
Skilled wordsmiths indeed. That's some of the worst coordination I've ever seen.

And it's even a pretty easy edit. How about:

"We want them to be skilled grammarians and wordsmiths, write bright and engaging headlines, and know Quark."

Porter · « **Reply #256 on:** October 23, 2009, 11:43:54 AM »

That's a citation from a workshop. I'm guessing that this is a quote from something he said, not something he wrote.

It's pretty hard to edit the spoken word like you can the written word.

Jonathon · « **Reply #257 on:** October 23, 2009, 11:44:59 AM »

*points to Porter's member title*

Porter · « **Reply #258 on:** October 23, 2009, 11:54:04 AM »

*points to Porter's sig*

Jonathon · « **Reply #259 on:** January 18, 2010, 10:50:33 AM »

This is one of the worst headlines I've ever seen.

Porter · « **Reply #260 on:** January 18, 2010, 11:19:43 AM »

Wow.

rivka · « **Reply #261 on:** January 18, 2010, 12:05:51 PM »

That is astoundingly bad. Even for the Daily News.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #262 on:** January 18, 2010, 01:13:28 PM »

As awful as that is, it's a pretty difficult headline to get right.

Porter · « **Reply #263 on:** January 18, 2010, 02:19:52 PM »

Getting it right would have involved leaving out some of that information. It's supposed to be just a headline, not the article.

rivka · « **Reply #264 on:** January 18, 2010, 02:44:49 PM »

Bingo!

BlackBlade · « **Reply #265 on:** January 18, 2010, 08:20:13 PM »

Quote

Bingo!

We're playing blackout this round rivka, ordinary bingos don't count.

Porter · « **Reply #266 on:** January 18, 2010, 08:33:09 PM »

It's too late. I already gave her the prize.

rivka · « **Reply #267 on:** January 18, 2010, 09:44:58 PM »

But it was Porter's bingo . . .

Porter · « **Reply #268 on:** January 18, 2010, 09:55:05 PM »

No tagbacks.

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #269 on:** January 19, 2010, 11:40:33 AM »

But this article, as linked to on that page, wins serious points for awesomeness.

The link reads: "Oxymoron aside, man ticketed for 'rocking out' to John Denver"

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #270 on:** January 19, 2010, 01:01:42 PM »

Ah, the editors edited the headline, substituting "Wisconsin" for "Oxymoron aside,".

Alas.

Porter · « **Reply #271 on:** January 19, 2010, 01:19:57 PM »

That's what the headline says, but the link, for me at least, still says "Oxymoron aside".

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #272 on:** January 19, 2010, 01:39:36 PM »

The link says "Wisconsin".

I'm confused.

fugu13 · « **Reply #273 on:** January 19, 2010, 01:47:13 PM »

If you scroll down, on the right there's a link back to the article.

Easiest way to find it is to search for "oxymoron" on the page.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #274 on:** January 19, 2010, 02:41:16 PM »

Ah. And there is it.

Huh.