Old English and newspaper editing

Hey all,

Here is a letter written to Sherlock Holmes in the short story, "The Problem of Thor Bridge". The language is quite romantic, but slightly long-winded. I wonder how our modern-day newspaper editing would change if we still spoke 'ye olde' British English. I think we'd have a different list of social cues and rules for newspaper writing.

How do you guys think news editing would change? It would most likely complicate outsourcing copy editors.

"Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes:

I can't see the best woman God ever made go to her death without doing all that is possible to save her. I can't explain things -- I can't even try to explain them, but I know beyond all doubt that Miss Dunbar is innocent. You know the facts -- who doesn't? It has been the gossip of the country. And never a voice raised for her! It's the damned injustice of it all that makes me crazy. That woman has a heart that wouldn't let her kill a fly. Well, I'll come at eleven to-morrow and see if you can get some ray of light in the dark. Maybe I have a clue and don't know it. Anyhow, all I know and all I have and all I am are for your use if only you can save her. If ever in your life you showed your powers, put them now into this case.

Yours faithfully,

J. Neil Gibson."

Response to Quality-Control Quandary

Hey all,

The article was really thought provoking, especially the guiding question: As newspapers shed copy editors and post more and more unedited stories online, what’s the impact on their content?

This question brings the Tribune Co. to mind and its recent cuts on two resources: paper and staff. The Tribune Co., which owns 12 newspapers, fell into financial troubles when its owner could not pay back loans he took out. As a result, the overall staff will be cut by about 30 percent—this cut includes valuable editors.

The Hartford Courant is suffering from the reduction in its staff. Departmental editors are up to their necks in editorial, organizational and online work. They are not so much worried about the quantity of articles the newspaper can produce as much as the content and organization of stories within the constraints of the new ‘Tribune enforced’ redesign.

Due to reductions in staff, newspapers have a less hierarchal structure and individual reporters enjoy more freedom of expression. These journalists, who report less to editors, write more independent stories in blogs, newsfeeds, etc. that are often published without inspection. Errors go unnoticed and credibility suffers. I personally don’t think a newspaper can reduce editors without hurting credibility.

My opinion is that news staff should shift their focus away from cutting costs and pleasing parent companies. Staff should remember that journalism’s first obligation is to the truth and its first loyalty is to citizens. Editors and reporters are obligated to follow these rules to give their readers information to assess situations for themselves.

News corporations can’t sacrifice personnel and expect to deliver the same quality of news to readers. Neither can independent journalists expect to deliver the same quality of news produced by cohesive teams of reporters and editors. It's true that readers expect immediacy and accuracy. It's difficult to achieve them simultaneously, but nearly impossible to achieve with a reduced staff.

Math Website from Associate Professor Sotirovic

We have a math test on Wednesday and I'm not crying 'Mommy'-I'm crying 'Sotirovic'.

Here is a website with math problems for journalists that she gave her 'Research Methods' class last semester.

Statistics Help for Journalists

I also have the link to a site by Steve Doig that provides math problems similar to the ones on the last worksheet.

Math Test for Journalists

BEST OF ALL: NewsU has a Math test for journalists

How do you edit Ebonics?

Ebonics, also known as African American Vernacular English, is taught in some educational institutions. I think that it's a good idea to expose students to other English dialects besides Standard English. Creole is one of my favorites.

I do not want to debate the teaching of Ebonics - this seems to be a very hot topic. I’m just surprised that Ebonics has been de-constructed into parts of speech to be formally taught.

Wikepedia even breaks Ebonics down into Standard English into: simple progressive, habitual continuative, intensified continuative, perfect progressive, remote phrases, emphasized perfective, immediate future, etc.

For example, “He stay workin'” is an Intensified continuative that means “He is always working” in Standard English. On the other hand, “He been workin'”, although it sounds similar to the aforementioned phrase, is a perfect progressive that translates to “He has been working.”

Since Ebonics can be broken down into many parts of speech, we could actually edit it. Scary huh?

If you don’t quite know what Ebonics is, here’s a link to the Linguistic Society of America. The site provides a good explaination.

Here are several sites with good information on Ebonics structure:
Wikepedia
Analytical look at Ebonics by MAAT Newsletter
A small site on ebonics that’s under some construction

Fanfiction is killing grammar

Web sites created for fans to write fictional stories are murdering all the rules of grammar and diction. Sites such as fanfiction.net and fictionpress.com respectively encourage writers to "Unleash your Imagination" and "Let the Words Flow", but neither ask writers to check their spelling or sentence composition. Although I’ve never written on either of these sites, or the others just like them, I once avidly read posted fictional stories about television shows and movies.

Fans of whomever or whatever can rewrite plots or make up stories about their favorite and/or fictional characters. Many of the stories are better than the actual movies, cartoons, books, etc., but much of the sentence composition in the stories would make editors weep.

Since the stories are written by one person without editors or critics, many typos are undetected. I never cared about the writing mistakes-until I started making them in my schoolwork.

My journalism professors often say that if a person wants to write well, they have to read great writing. I stopped reading “fanfiction” as often because of the mistakes. I began to overlook the mistakes and “just go with the flow”. After all, I knew what the author was trying to say. Soon, the mistakes appeared in my own work. I duplicated the writing that I was used to reading.

Has anyone had a similar experience where they unconsciously duplicated a form of writing? Was is good writing, or bad writing?

Intelligent or unnatural script? Igby goes down

Is the language natural or too scholarly?

Hey all,
I want to know what you think of some quotes from the “Igby Goes Down” movie script. Many reviewers hailed the dialogue in this movie as witty and sharp, but I needed a dictionary to understand much of it. The film is a modern “Catcher in the Rye” story about an upper-crust kid, Igby, who drops out of high school for a bohemian lifestyle. I compiled some of the most confounding quotes. I believe this movie challenges viewers to re-master language. I’m having a hard time believing that all these characters could regurgitate so many great words on command. In a world where we’re happy if we get to use that one “good” word of the day, the dialogue seems somewhat unrealistic.

Do you think, after reading the quotes I list, the movie just kills language? Is this language natural?


Do you, upon first reading the quotes, know the meaning of every word? Most words? Do you think the scriptwriter or editor could’ve rephrased what was said in a simpler way?

Check out these 5 conversations:

1# Igby: How many Vassar professors and intellectual theologians beget nymphomaniacal, pseudo-Bohemian JAPs?

Sookie: I am not a JAP.


2# Sookie: You call your mother "Mimi"?

Igby: "Heinous One" is a bit cumbersome.
[Sookie nods]

Igby: And Medea was taken.


3# Igby: It's incredible that a human being can make such neat, little joints.

Sookie: You make it sound as if I'm anal or something, just because I know how to roll a perfect joint.

Igby: No, not anal. Vegetarian.

Sookie: Well, what does that mean?

Igby: Well, you don't roll like, big rasta spliff joints, do you? Your joints are like salad joints, not like a big, sloppy, bleeding cheeseburger-that-you-rip-into-kind-of-a-joint joint.

Sookie: I guess marijuana isn't a visceral experience for me. Sex is for me.

Igby: Right.


4# Mrs. Piggee: And you, you, ummm... well this is what you're up to.

Igby: Bigger picture Darwinism.


5# Igby: He will lie to you! He will use you up and marry some inbred Darien Frau who will beget him all the towheaded brats he can afford. They are rigid and they are cold! And you don't know! They are cold, cold, cold to the fucking bone!

Photos I would print

Out of the four photographs taken of the Jan. 22, 1987 suicide of Pennsylvania treasurer R. Budd Dwyer, I would rather print picture 1a.
This picture shows Dwyer with the gun in his hand, but the photo remains tasteful to multiple audiences. I would not print photos 3a. or 4a. because they potentially take away Dwyer's dignity during his suicide.

I would consider printing picture 2a. because it illustrates his unstable emotions and determination to end his life in front of others. Although his eyes are slightly unfocused, his almost military grasp on the gun shows his decision is final.

Out of the graphic pictures to choose from, I would print photos #1, boy grieving for his dog; #4, boy is stuck on fence by his jaw; and #5, woman is overtaken by mardi gras mob.

I would print the picture of the boy grieving for his dog only if the incident was not local. I have a strong feeling for animals who have suffered or are suffering, and I would not want the boy to easily access a photo of this moment. I understand that the relevance of the photo would decrease if I did not print it locally, but I would most likely accompany the photo with an article or asf about animals struck by vehicles or something of that nature. I would print this picture on the front page, but only accompanied by a story or facts and figures to lessen the gut-wrenching feeling that comes from seeing the boy's face. I would want to convey the effect of striking animals, but I would not want to overplay such a strong moment of grief.

I could not print the picture of the family grieving for the drowned boy. I could never exploit that moment without their complete consent.


I would print the picture of the boy below only because he did not die. I would specify in the headlines that he lived through this ordeal. I would print the photo and story as a warning against playing near or on dangerous, sharp objects.

The last picture I would print was a particularly difficult decision. I would only print the picture if the woman's face was obscured. Her dignity was taken by the men groping her; I would not want to contribute to her loss by printing her face. I think it is important to get her story out as a warning to women celebrating 'Fat Tuesday'. Her plight may show the dangers of traveling alone in large crowds of stangers. There are many angles I could take on the story, focusing on a larger picture of festival saftey aside from her experience. The image may disturb women and men alike, but I think it carries a strong advisory message with it.