The article I chose for this activity is titled:Transit fares increase potentially a spark
By Justin Bell, Edmonton Sun. Last Updated Feb. 1, 2010.
The first item on the accuracy checklist is numbers and math. In this article there is a reference to the increase in transit fares for both single fares and bus passes. Both costs listed are correct, as they match the prices listed on the ETS homepage.
The second item on the checklist is names and titles. There are a couple names of citizens’ whose quotes were added to the story. There is no way to verify these names so we can only assume they have been spelt correctly. Other names include Stu Litwinowich and Patricia Dickson. I verified that Stu's name was spelt correctly through the Amalgamated Transit Union Homepage, but his title is actually "President Business Agent" as opposed to just "President." As for Patricia, I was able to find her name used in a similar article, and it was spelt the same way.
Many of the other items on the list do not apply. Location for instance, is obviously Edmonton.
Lastly, spelling and grammar. In the sentence "Her concerns about more bus violence was echoed by others," the word "was" is being used incorrectly. To fix this error the author could have done one of two things.
1. Her concerns about more bus violence were echoed by others.
2. Her concern about more bus violence was echoed by others.
I was unable to find any additional errors, but that doesn't mean there weren't any, it just means I can't find any.
To close, saying that accuracy is important in journalism is an under statement. It is the essence of journalism. Without accuracy, an article or piece is useless to its readers. All facts, dates, names, etc. must be 100 per cent accurate... otherwise, you're just another unqualified reporter pretending to be a journalist.
The first item on the accuracy checklist is numbers and math. In this article there is a reference to the increase in transit fares for both single fares and bus passes. Both costs listed are correct, as they match the prices listed on the ETS homepage.
The second item on the checklist is names and titles. There are a couple names of citizens’ whose quotes were added to the story. There is no way to verify these names so we can only assume they have been spelt correctly. Other names include Stu Litwinowich and Patricia Dickson. I verified that Stu's name was spelt correctly through the Amalgamated Transit Union Homepage, but his title is actually "President Business Agent" as opposed to just "President." As for Patricia, I was able to find her name used in a similar article, and it was spelt the same way.
Many of the other items on the list do not apply. Location for instance, is obviously Edmonton.
Lastly, spelling and grammar. In the sentence "Her concerns about more bus violence was echoed by others," the word "was" is being used incorrectly. To fix this error the author could have done one of two things.
1. Her concerns about more bus violence were echoed by others.
2. Her concern about more bus violence was echoed by others.
I was unable to find any additional errors, but that doesn't mean there weren't any, it just means I can't find any.
To close, saying that accuracy is important in journalism is an under statement. It is the essence of journalism. Without accuracy, an article or piece is useless to its readers. All facts, dates, names, etc. must be 100 per cent accurate... otherwise, you're just another unqualified reporter pretending to be a journalist.
Image by Myke Waddy on Wikipedia.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThe only error i was able to find throughout your blog post was in the sentence "There are a couple names of citizens’ whose quotes were added to the story." I don't believe the apostrophe at the end of citizens is necessary. The sentence also reads a little confusing to me.
Otherwise, there are no other errors that i was able to find.
Good use of links, lists, and bolding of words to make the story easier to understand and disect.