GalacticCactus Forum

Author Topic: I hate journalistic writing  (Read 100477 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,868
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #275 on: February 09, 2010, 02:29:14 AM »
I read this in Sunday's paper.  Sure, it's a quote from over 50 years ago, but it cracked me up how much language has changed since then, and how weird it sounds to 2010 ears:

Quote
In 1953, John J. Bennett, the chairman of the City Planning Commission, announced his desire to rid Times Square of all the flea circuses, penny arcades, freak shows, wax museums and shooting galleries — which actually sound like a lot of fun.

“We want to keep the Gay White Way gay and white . . ."
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Annie Subjunctive

  • Hausfrau
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 10,921
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #276 on: February 15, 2010, 10:18:43 AM »
"It is true, however, that the opposite of Little Rock, Arkansas is Boulder, Colorado." - Tante

Offline rivka

  • Linguistic Anarchist
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,155
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #277 on: February 15, 2010, 10:31:25 AM »
Fun article. :)
"Sometimes you need a weirdo to tell you that things have gotten weird. Your normal friends, neighbors, and coworkers won’t tell you."
-Aaron Kunin

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #278 on: February 16, 2010, 10:05:06 PM »
Speaking of crash blossoms . . .

G.O.P. Hopes for Senate Control Face Hurdles
« Last Edit: February 16, 2010, 10:05:43 PM by Jonathon »
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Brinestone

  • Nerdkins
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 6,235
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #279 on: February 17, 2010, 06:48:18 AM »
The sad thing is, they could fix that with a simple 's after GOP.
Ephemerality is not binary. -Porter

Offline The Genuine

  • Ambcloacador of Right On
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3,570
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #280 on: February 17, 2010, 09:30:52 AM »
I don't get it, JB.

"Hopes" is plural, and they're the ones facing the hurdles, right?
I think Jesse's right.

 -- Jonathon

Offline Brinestone

  • Nerdkins
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 6,235
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #281 on: February 17, 2010, 10:58:06 AM »
Yes. The problem is that it can easily be misread, until the reader runs into another verb: face.
Ephemerality is not binary. -Porter

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,868
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #282 on: February 17, 2010, 11:53:20 AM »
I don't like face hurdles because they're always looking up my skirts when I jump over them.
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline sweet clementine

  • nigh unto importance
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3,906
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #283 on: February 17, 2010, 11:58:29 AM »
But props to you for jumping hurdles in a skirt
"I must be due for a mighty smiting sometime soon." ~Annie

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,868
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #284 on: February 17, 2010, 01:24:26 PM »
I'm quite dainty.
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Brinestone

  • Nerdkins
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 6,235
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #285 on: February 17, 2010, 02:15:25 PM »
Quote
I'm quite dainty.
Man, the joke I was about to make in reference to this was so inappropriate.
Ephemerality is not binary. -Porter

Offline The Genuine

  • Ambcloacador of Right On
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3,570
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #286 on: February 17, 2010, 02:32:00 PM »
:: pouts ::

I wanna see the joke!
I think Jesse's right.

 -- Jonathon

Offline Brinestone

  • Nerdkins
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 6,235
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #287 on: February 17, 2010, 03:22:50 PM »
It was in reference to Tante's post about the giant spiderweb of indifference picture, in which she stated that her crotch was undainty.
Ephemerality is not binary. -Porter

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,868
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #288 on: February 17, 2010, 09:08:54 PM »
"Dainty" has got to be one of my favorite adjectives.  It really doesn't get enough air time for my taste.
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #289 on: March 20, 2010, 09:00:56 PM »
I can't figure out how to parse this headline.
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline rivka

  • Linguistic Anarchist
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,155
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #290 on: March 20, 2010, 10:07:04 PM »
The title that appears on the top (in FF, at least) makes far more sense.
"Sometimes you need a weirdo to tell you that things have gotten weird. Your normal friends, neighbors, and coworkers won’t tell you."
-Aaron Kunin

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,868
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #291 on: March 22, 2010, 02:49:48 AM »
Butcher Sparkles in Duck Loss During Annual Trip to Florida

 :wacko:  
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #293 on: May 04, 2010, 06:05:19 PM »
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline rivka

  • Linguistic Anarchist
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,155
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #294 on: May 04, 2010, 06:12:42 PM »
Is the misspelling theirs or the person they're quoting?
"Sometimes you need a weirdo to tell you that things have gotten weird. Your normal friends, neighbors, and coworkers won’t tell you."
-Aaron Kunin

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #295 on: May 04, 2010, 06:16:29 PM »
I would guess it's their own. Typos in quotations are usually silently corrected. If it really is a misspelling that belongs to the quoted person, and Fox News wants to preserve it, then they should add a [sic].
« Last Edit: May 04, 2010, 06:17:36 PM by Jonathon »
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,868
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #296 on: May 04, 2010, 08:53:44 PM »
Or a  :sick:  
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline JT

  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,190
    • View Profile
    • http://www.entropicalisle.com
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #297 on: May 13, 2010, 10:41:04 AM »
Sports journalism continues to keep the bar quite low:
Quote
He was the 10th ranked player in the state of Virginia, but his All State recognition came on defense where he possessed all of the intangibles including a 4.4 forty time.

--------------

Since I don't know how obvious it is to non-sports fans, something like a 40 yard dash time is decidedly tangible. Intangibles are things like leadership ability, heart, and work ethic.
entropicalisle.com
What sets the carbon atom apart is that it is shamelessly promiscuous.

Offline rivka

  • Linguistic Anarchist
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,155
    • View Profile
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #298 on: May 24, 2010, 05:22:19 PM »
WHO thought that typeface was a good idea? Not the one most of the text is in; the one the headlines are in. And even worse, the examples are in it too!
"Sometimes you need a weirdo to tell you that things have gotten weird. Your normal friends, neighbors, and coworkers won’t tell you."
-Aaron Kunin

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
I hate journalistic writing
« Reply #299 on: May 24, 2010, 06:22:20 PM »
What. The. Crap.
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!