Are proof readers a dying breed or is it the first position a
publisher cuts back on? I kind of hope the latter, because if the former, then
they're not doing a very good job. Of course, if that's the case, maybe those publishers better rethink things!
Now, I can excuse the occasional typo in a news article.
Catching every error is almost impossible, especially if you've read the
article several times. But headings? No. There's no excuse for a typo in a
heading. I mean, the type is LARGE and BOLDED. Should be easy peasy to review,
right?
Well, apparently not. As I perused my daily paper Wednesday
morning, I came across this article and the heading stopped me (if you click on the photo, it should enlarge for you to see it better).
I thought the article
was about some person personating an owl and couldn't figure out why it would be an offense. Not so. That one little missing LETTER made a
serious article (about a shooting) look humorous (I won't even go into what my
daughter had to say about the blurb before the article – she's a grammar freak,
what can I say).
Proof reading shouldn't stop with books, magazines, or
newspapers. People writing e-mails should practice the act – many times. I
don't know how many e-mails I've received in the past where I couldn't
understand what was being communicated.
I re-read everything I write – e-mails, comments, blogs,
letters, you name it! It only takes one wrong word to turn something serious
into a joke.
So what do you think about proof reading? Do you think
people have gotten lazy or just cheap? Or is it the same thing? Hmmm.
CORRECTION: After all of the above, I realized I
made a mistake (which I have since corrected) in a previous post about an
upcoming Beatnik Café my writers group is putting on. It will be held on
Friday, Dec 7 (NOT today). Don't know WHAT I was thinking! But hey,
if you're still interested, it will be at the 4 Starters Coffee Café, 2495
Commons Blvd, Beavercreek, Ohio
Hope you have a super-duper weekend.
7 comments:
In defense of the newspaper writer/typesetter, they are under stupendous deadlines.
If I'm a regular reader of someone, I'll ignore an occasional typo, but if they do it regularly, it's plain sloppiness.
I proof everything only because I'm so OCD. But there are times things get by me.
Between posts, comments, emails, novel writing, and articles, I write thousands of words every day. I'm sure I slip up occasionally.
Maria - I don't think it's the deadlines so much as the lack of staff. The paper just gets thinner and thinner and the employees just have to do more. My husband did show me that the on-line version of this article DID have the correct heading, though!
I do see more than my fair share of errors in this paper, though. But then, I really only buy it for the comics! :)
If it wasn't a shooting, then the hooting might be a little funny as a mistake.
Have a super duper weekend :-)
Yeah you cal tell the Dayton Daily News is short staffed, but this puts the DDN to shame! I was expecting an article about a waitress in a tight shirt, and short, orange shorts LOL. And yes, I proofread even emails!
Whisk - I first laughed when I saw the headline, but when I read what the article was about, I thought "This is so wrong!" Frankly, I wish the article WAS about someone impersonating an owl. The reality is too sad.
Jennette - The waitress thing never even occured to me!
Thanks for stopping by. I'll see you on Saturday! Looking forward to getting my copy of the book. Hee hee!
Stacy: Agreed.
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