We’re all used to seeing one or two retractions in a given day’s newspaper. We all accept that there are bound to be a few mistakes in grammar or spelling from time to time. Check this out: The Miami Herald had 133 errors of grammar and spelling in its Jan. 18 edition. To its credit, the Herald put itself under the microscope. The paper’s ombudsman submitted the newspaper to a longtime teacher and copy editor. The results “astounded” the ombudsman. While some lapses were a matter of opinion, most were unquestionable:
Nearly 30 of the mistakes she found were unclear statements or missing words that universally would be considered wrong. Take this passage from an article on a visit by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to India:
“The Indian and U.S. militaries had little interaction in the Cold War years, when India was neutral and had close relations with the Soviet Union, but now conduct joint military exercises and regular exchanges.”
The last phrase of this sentence should read, “but they now conduct joint military exercises . . .” Without “they,” it is unclear whether India is conducting joint military exercises with the former Soviet Union or the United States — a substantive difference.
Last month, the Washington Post’s ombudsman admitted his paper is seeing an increase in errors. He blames this on the drop in newsroom employees – from a peak of 950 to 650 today. Further, he adds, those who are editing copy are multi-tasking by producing a newspaper and a website. The Miami Herald ombudsman registers much the same complaint.
But (yes, I started a sentence with “but”) there are also errors that should never have gone from hand to keyboard in the first place. Good writers don’t make these kinds of mistakes (from The Washington Post):
“A story about an Arlington National Cemetery burial described a soldier wearing “shiny black boats” (instead of boots). An item about an auto accident involving NBC newsman Tom Brokaw said he had “slammed on the breaks” (brakes). A listing of unemployment rates in foreign countries included “Cypress” (Cyprus). In a Sports story, the “principles” (principals) attended a dinner celebrating the hiring of Redskins coach Mike Shanahan.”
It’s reasonable to point out that fewer eyeballs looking at a page will result in more errors. It’s also reasonable to think that the “do more with less” philosophy many media outlets employ will add to the problem. But the newspaper ombudsmen need to recognize that we’re in a different world now. There are plenty of businesses where the rule is “get it right the first time.” Newsrooms that still have hundreds of employees should do a better job of achieving that goal.
