Words escape us sometimes, or at least the proper spelling skitters by eyeballs and brains and creates strange results.
A few days ago a Bee story made reference to “a heard of buffalo,” which prompted one reader to wonder exactly what the buffalo were listening to, or if “phlox of geese” would show up soon.
Even before many readers noticed the error, the editor overseeing the story called to acknowledge it and accept responsibility.
It was a mistake. She knows the difference between “herd” and “heard.”
Then another story, in the Metro section, reported a decision to “declare marshal law….” Yes, everyone at the newspaper knows it should be “martial law,” but these things happen.
Why? People get in a hurry and read right over this type of obvious mistake.
Haste is always the enemy of precision.
One of the backups for precision is the computer-driven spell-checking software, which does not know the difference between “heard” and “herd,” or “marshal” and “martial.” Few computers recognize homonyms and the dangers they represent to newspapers. I expect “new” and “knew,” or “through” and “threw,” to show up any day now.
Also, reading text on a computer screen is not the same as reading it on paper. More than half the computer-written letters and e-mail the ombudsman’s office receives have similar errors, often in letters pointing out spelling mistakes.
These are not excuses, but reasons. The ultimate protection against these errors would be enough wide-awake editors with plenty of time to read every word carefully.
Another reader, who also appreciates words, suggested one Bee writer was due congratulations for the phrase, “tenebrous labyrinth” in a Halloween story.
I confess, “tenebrous” sent me running for the dictionary. It means “dark and gloomy,” which seems a perfect choice in the context of a Halloween story. I sometimes criticize stories that use 50-cent words when 10-cent words will do, to borrow a phrase. This time, it worked just fine.
The same reader recalls when The Bee confused “gentile” with “genteel.” I could not find evidence of this goof in the files, but it sounded too close for comfort.
Another reader was upset that The Bee Classified section used a run-on sentence in explaining how to buy an advertisement. The advertising department promised the period would be in the proper place by week’s end.
Sports up front
Readers did not rush to phones to complain that the final 2001 World Series game was not featured with a Page 1 story the next morning, but a few readers were curious. Given that big sports events frequently make the front page of The Bee, decisions that irritate some readers, it seemed inconsistent not to treat this very big game as very big news.
The Sunday night thriller was, according to The Bee’s sports section, one of the most exciting World Series games in history. The series featured breathtaking come-from-behind victories and last-minute game-winning hits, plus a first-time world champion beating the dreaded and/or revered Yankees.
But it wasn’t a local event, and it didn’t feature a local team. That is the standard applied to decisions about putting sports stories on the front page, according to Executive Editor Rick Rodriguez. The Bee considers Bay Area teams to be local. Obviously, the Yankees and Diamondbacks are not.
Rodriguez pointed out that when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA championship, that game was treated the same. An index item was featured at the top of the page, but no story or photograph on Page 1.
The stories on Page 1 Monday included a top story on the war in Afghanistan, a big story with two pictures about the dangers road workers face in construction zones, a story that said the FBI plans to test Washington, D.C., mail starting on Monday, a news feature on the role the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court plays in fighting spies and terrorists, and a local story about how turkeys talk.
A Sports section story later in the week pointed out that nearly 40 million people watched the game, and it was the most-watched event locally by a large margin. The baseball game outdrew the popular Sacramento Kings game on television by better than six to one.
Comment: I was surprised not to find this particular game featured, at least with a photograph, on the front page. It was big news Sunday night. I would have been happy to defend a decision to cover the World Series finale as a news event more interesting than a clever and well-written story about turkey calls.
Rodriguez was right when he suggested that no matter what The Bee does or doesn’t put on the front page, someone will question the decision.
Readers’ voices
“Thank you for your fair coverage of the current terrorist issues,” Charlene Larson said. “I appreciate that you are representing both sides fairly and not increasing panic unnecessarily.” She also supported the governor’s decision to warn folks about bridges, even though he was criticized for it.
Not everyone agrees that the coverage has been evenhanded, of course. Several weighed in earlier that The Bee should support the administration, avoid details and not criticize anything done in a time of war.
Reader Martin J. Fuerst, expressed still another view.
“As a U.S. Army veteran,” he wrote, “…I wish to object to an editorial decision made for the Nov. 1 issue … You decided to relegate news about our country’s war against Islamic terrorism in Afghanistan to Page 20. This type of news should be kept on the front page. In the future, please maintain this type of news on Page 1.”
That was the same day that economic news dominated the front page, anthrax confusion was baffling experts, and Sara Jane Olson pleaded guilty to planting bombs to kill cops in 1975 for the Symbionese Liberation Army. News leaked out of a settlement in the Microsoft antitrust case, a local law enforcement officer was charged with assault, and a local story proclaimed, “Fear is taking its toll on the lives of Americans.” The top Afghanistan story inside that day reported that the Pentagon had decided to send in more ground troops to aid opposition forces directing aircraft.
The reader has a good point.
But then, they often do.
