Finding errors when in search of the truth can be very frustrating for readers. Editors must work thoroughly and quickly with great diligence to avoid printed errors. This is becoming increasingly difficult with the advances in technology and the heightened need for speed in newsrooms.
Please see a few common errors I have found and discussed in a blog post, and additional errors can be found in Tyler Grant's Editing Detective post.
Certainly, mistakes are bound to happen; and they should be considered an opportunity to learn. On the other hand, I believe that carelessness is what generates many inaccuracies. Errors can be avoided through thorough editing, and scrutiny. Writers should be sure to allow time for editing, and for revision that checks dates, spelling, grammar, names, and facts.
My reporting instructor Shelly Decker emphasizes the importance of spelling names right, and I never understood how often this happens until it actually happened to me! When photographed for the Edmonton Journal Look section, my name was spelled Chelsea instead of Chelsey – this is a common misspelling of my name and had the photographer spoken to me for clarification, could have been avoided. Many of the other names of the models were mixed up or also misspelled.
I find that my own writing is prone to using improper verb and subject placement, and consciously try my best to be aware of this when writing. I also try to watch use of misplaced and dangling modifiers, as much of the red pen on my returned assignments signals this is often a recurrent blunder of mine. My writing has improved immensely since I began the journalism program at Grant MacEwan University, and I hope by the time I graduate that I have made all my mistakes and learned everything I can to be a great writer.
Photograph by: Walter Tychnowicz, edmontonjournal.com
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