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Proofreader required at local newspaper., Spelling mistakes and bad English at NWN |
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May 11 2012, 11:12 AM
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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.
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May 11 2012, 02:48 PM
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QUOTE (Bloggo @ May 10 2012, 08:31 AM) 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!
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May 11 2012, 03:02 PM
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QUOTE (Brewmaster @ May 11 2012, 03:48 PM) 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.
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May 22 2012, 10:32 AM
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and a gem today that really need rewriting, or there's breakthrough in medical science... QUOTE 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...
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May 22 2012, 01:21 PM
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QUOTE (Darren @ May 22 2012, 11:32 AM) 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!
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May 22 2012, 05:24 PM
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and corrected (well, nearly) QUOTE RENOWNED actor Nigel Havers, Carole Middleton,mother to the Duchess of Cambridge Now awaiting my consultancy fee.
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May 22 2012, 07:43 PM
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QUOTE (Darren @ May 22 2012, 06:24 PM) 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.
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May 22 2012, 07:46 PM
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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.
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Rem tene verba sequentur
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May 23 2012, 07:43 AM
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QUOTE (lordtup @ May 22 2012, 08:46 PM) 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.
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May 23 2012, 08:21 AM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ May 23 2012, 08:43 AM) 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.
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Right an injustice - give Simon Kirby his allotment back!
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May 23 2012, 10:14 AM
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Everybody knows this one, right? QUOTE 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.
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May 23 2012, 12:22 PM
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QUOTE (Mark NWN @ May 23 2012, 12:40 PM) 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.
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Know your place!
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May 23 2012, 09:30 PM
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QUOTE (On the edge @ May 23 2012, 01:22 PM) 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?
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May 24 2012, 10:11 AM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ May 23 2012, 10:30 PM) 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 QUOTE 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
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