Proofreader required at local newspaper., Spelling mistakes and bad English at NWN Options

[Grumpy]

I suppose at the end of the day, it boils down to NWN using a system that doesn't provide an efficient spell-check. If I put soptlight into my version of Word 2007, it is automatically converted to spotlight.

[Baffers100]

It's all very well critising eachother's spellings, but none of us (I presume) are paid journalists. There is a distincton between people casually using a forum, with various degree's of English ability and anal tendencies, to people who form a career using the written word.

In my eyes, everyone can post on a forum whether or not your English is letter perfect. (Commas at every, other, word are actually my, bugbear!) but when looking at journalists and anybody else who gets paid on their written communication, should high quality English and a eye for detail not be a fundamental requirement for the job?

Going back to the OP, the quality in the NWN lately does not reflect either high quality English, or an eye for detail.

[Brewmaster]

It happens with every news paper from time to time. Come on, give them a break. Its a good "value for money" paper and I can overlook the odd typo.

Last year they printed a report concerning activities on 23rd April and headed it 'St. George's Gay ...'

I sent the cutting to Private Eye and got a tenner.

Keep up the good work, NWN!

[Andy Capp]

Last year they printed a report concerning activities on 23rd April and headed it 'St. George's Gay ...'

I sent the cutting to Private Eye and got a tenner.

Keep up the good work, NWN!

Excellent.

[Roger T]

Last year they printed a report concerning activities on 23rd April and headed it 'St. George's Gay ...'

I sent the cutting to Private Eye and got a tenner.

Keep up the good work, NWN!

A good return on investment. I believe stamps were cheaper then, so even more money for you. I think in Middle England, you'd be beheaded for saying that. When St George was actually alive. History may not be my strongest subject.

[Baffers100]

Last year they printed a report concerning activities on 23rd April and headed it 'St. George's Gay ...'

I sent the cutting to Private Eye and got a tenner.

Keep up the good work, NWN!

Ha ha! It may be worth buying it just for that reason!

[Nothing Much]

Well done Brewmaster. I have hopes that you have the copy framed for the future,
not the cheque that is. I expect that went soon after receipt.

Your good luck was an appalling error for quite a widespread paper.
I have a tiny local free paper run by 2 journos and a team of advertising people.

Most of the stories are up to date, the adverts for local events are useful.
I have not come across a typo in the 10 or so years it has been around.

My favourite was for a pub in Anglia that had 3 events in February each one with a different spelling.
1 out of 3 was correct....D+ for effort?
ce

[Darren]

and a gem today that really need rewriting, or there's breakthrough in medical science...

RENOWNED actor Nigel Havers, mother to the Duchess of Cambridge, Carole Middleton, and TV presenter Claire Balding were amongst the thousands who witnessed the world’s number one racehorse Frankel make a triumphant return at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday.

Somewhat poor grammar...

[James_Trinder]

I read the NWN online exclusively now so think that I am getting quite good value for money for my total investment of nothing. However, the NWN still owe me a few quid from when there was a paid online subscription for a while.

[Baffers100]

and a gem today that really need rewriting, or there's breakthrough in medical science...



Somewhat poor grammar...

Ha ha, I had to read that twice!

[Darren]

and corrected (well, nearly)

RENOWNED actor Nigel Havers, Carole Middleton,mother to the Duchess of Cambridge

Now awaiting my consultancy fee.

[Andy Capp]

and corrected (well, nearly) Now awaiting my consultancy fee.

That looks like three people.

I'm no expert, but I would have written:

RENOWNED actor, Nigel Havers; mother to the Duchess of Cambridge, Carole Middleton; and TV presenter, Claire Balding; were amongst the thousands who witnessed the world’s number one racehorse, Frankel, make a triumphant return at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday.

[lordtup]

Couple of points on this one.
Firstly remember the halcyon days of the old "Grauniad" (sic).Guardian to our younger readers.It was an excepted mark of a left wing journalist to dispense with the niceties of grammar in order to meet deadlines and the printers did nothing to overrule this philosophy.

Secondly ,surely in this modern age of computer generated submissions the spell checker rules supreme.

[Biker1]

Secondly ,surely in this modern age of computer generated submissions the spell checker rules supreme.

Not always.
For example there is a report on the NWN home page where meters has been used for the unit of measurement.
Now I thought in the UK that a metre is a measure (just over three feet) and a meter a measuring device: (e.g. The gas meter is about a metre from the back door.)?
This would not have been detected by spell check.

[Simon Kirby]

Not always.
For example there is a report on the NWN home page where meters has been used for the unit of measurement.
Now I thought in the UK that a metre is a measure (just over three feet) and a meter a measuring device: (e.g. The gas meter is about a metre from the back door.)?
This would not have been detected by spell check.

Very good. I'm pretty sure I'd have spelled metre "meter", but you're quite right.

[JeffG]

Everybody knows this one, right?

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

[Mark NWN]

Breaking news often contains mistakes due to the speed in which we try and get it online, also we rely on the emergency services for a lot of information and if their details contain errors, which they sometimes do simply because a lot of it is taken down by people at the scene of incidents, we report what they tell us. I apologise for any mistake which may have appeared in my copy, I am human and it does creep in occasionally, as with every other newspaper or publication out there from time to time.

If anyone ever has an issue with what I have written, or thinks I should be looking at a matter more closely, please call me on 01635 564532 or email mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk. Always willing to listen.

[On the edge]

Breaking news often contains mistakes due to the speed in which we try and get it online, also we rely on the emergency services for a lot of information and if their details contain errors, which they sometimes do simply because a lot of it is taken down by people at the scene of incidents, we report what they tell us. I apologise for any mistake which may have appeared in my copy, I am human and it does creep in occasionally, as with every other newspaper or publication out there from time to time.

If anyone ever has an issue with what I have written, or thinks I should be looking at a matter more closely, please call me on 01635 564532 or email mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk. Always willing to listen.

Don't worry! The responses you get to these slips is says more about the life some people have to lead. Mark Twain understood.

[Biker1]

Don't worry! The responses you get to these slips is says more about the life some people have to lead. Mark Twain understood.

I disagree.
I think it is important that publications get the copy right with correct spelling & grammar.
I appreciate that sometimes errors creep through but this seems to be more prevalent in some publications than others.
Say, for example, you submitted a death announcement to a paper and they got the spelling wrong. Would you be OK with this?
Would you be happy if you bought a book and found it to have grammatical and spelling errors?

[JeffG]

Would you be happy if you bought a book and found it to have grammatical and spelling errors?

Funny you should say that. I downloaded a book to my Kindle which had the sentence

She managed a weary smile ..., then lead them into the darkness of the front hall.

Still, it was on the Kindle free list, so I guess I shouldn't complain