Sloppy writing

[SamScribble]

Here in Somewhere-Out-There, one of the TV channels is currently hyping a forthcoming documentary series as ‘a truly amazing and astounding revelation over three fantastic weeks’.

If you happen to be the executive responsible for commissioning or purchasing the show then, yes, you might possibly hold the view that the show is ‘amazing and astounding’. (Although I very much doubt that it is.) But claiming foreknowledge that three weeks – 21 days, somewhere in the future – are going to be ‘fantastic’ seems more than a little over the top.

Mind you, this is the same TV channel that began a recent sports bulletin with a reporter standing in the middle of an empty sports field saying: ‘Standing here today, the late Fred Smith seems like a giant of the game’. I suppose it’s possible that the reporter could see dead Fred standing there. But I certainly couldn’t see dead Fred on my screen.

Other channels are just as bad. If not worse. One channel labels every second news item as ‘exclusive’, even though ‘our reporter’ – who always seems to be ‘across the story’(whatever that means) – is generally shown reporting from some sort of press conference at which there are at least a couple of dozen other reporters. Clearly, exclusivity is not what it once was.

Am I being picky here? Am I the only reader/listener/viewer who is fed up with the increasingly-sloppy writing of the 24/7 news media?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

No one advertizes their gold or diamond mines, so assume that those who pimp their stuff start at MEDIOCRE and worse.

 

[mynameisben]

Am I being picky here? Am I the only reader/listener/viewer who is fed up with the increasingly-sloppy writing of the 24/7 news media?

Oh, no. Not at all. Sloppy writing from television news outlets is the order of the day. Don't kid yourself into thinking the tabloidization of American news broadcasting is not complete. It is. A degreed news journalist has no chance at a job when pitted against a pretty-faced chucklehead who knows how to pronounce most of the words she reads off a teleprompter. Copy writers are scarcely any better. Getting the news (such as it is) out fast enough to beat million's of viewers' first inclination to jump on the internet to get the story takes precedence over grammar and spell-check. Besides, sloppy writing is a much better fit to the audience they know they have left.

Rather than be fed up about it, you should consider getting your news from a different source, Like NPR, The Washington Post, or The Economist. Heck, even the articles that appear in Juggs Magazine are generally better written than the dreck that comes out of television news broadcasts.

 

[sr71plt]

It has been fun to see, over a couple of years, a frequent TV commercial by a ambulance-chasing law firm have to be pared down. It started off with "X will get you what a good person like you deserves" and moved to "X will get you what you deserve" and is now running "X will get you what you may deserve." I guess they aren't all that impressed with the clients who have bitten on their commercial.

On word usage, I think all commercial writers were out on sick leave the day that the difference between "fewer" and "less" was discussed.

 

[PayDay]

Am I being picky here? Am I the only reader/listener/viewer who is fed up with the increasingly-sloppy writing of the 24/7 news media?

Poor writing or not, you watched it, you cannot un-watch it. They did their job perfectly, they made you stare at the screen and pay attention to whatever they were trying to sell you at the time.

That's what the TV is for...

 

[TxRad]

Zombie News doesn't need good writing.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

All the news TEX needs is in the B21 Liquor store ads.

 

[bronzeage]

Here in Somewhere-Out-There, one of the TV channels is currently hyping a forthcoming documentary series as ‘a truly amazing and astounding revelation over three fantastic weeks’.

If you happen to be the executive responsible for commissioning or purchasing the show then, yes, you might possibly hold the view that the show is ‘amazing and astounding’. (Although I very much doubt that it is.) But claiming foreknowledge that three weeks – 21 days, somewhere in the future – are going to be ‘fantastic’ seems more than a little over the top.

Mind you, this is the same TV channel that began a recent sports bulletin with a reporter standing in the middle of an empty sports field saying: ‘Standing here today, the late Fred Smith seems like a giant of the game’. I suppose it’s possible that the reporter could see dead Fred standing there. But I certainly couldn’t see dead Fred on my screen.

Other channels are just as bad. If not worse. One channel labels every second news item as ‘exclusive’, even though ‘our reporter’ – who always seems to be ‘across the story’(whatever that means) – is generally shown reporting from some sort of press conference at which there are at least a couple of dozen other reporters. Clearly, exclusivity is not what it once was.

Am I being picky here? Am I the only reader/listener/viewer who is fed up with the increasingly-sloppy writing of the 24/7 news media?

When sports writing was confined to daily news papers sports writers had enough trouble keeping up a weekly column. Imagine filling 30 or more minutes of air space, every day for a year. There simply isn't enough stuff to fill the time, good or bad.

 

[oggbashan]

Greengrocers' spelling

In the UK it is a common practice for greengrocers, farmers' markets and vegetable stalls to misspell and to use wrong punctuation e.g.

Tomatoe's for Tomatoes

Collyflowers for Cauliflowers

Carats for Carrots

Peeches for Peaches

It is traditional because some stall holders found that they were approached by people pointing out the errors. That gave them an opportunity to sell, particularly if they were one stall among many selling similar produce.

Some of the impact has been lost because so many do it, but if it makes the customer feel superior, the selling technique can still work.

I think that some sloppy writing isn't sloppy at all, but a carefully measured attempt to make the message fit the intended audience.

 

[mynameisben]

In the UK it is a common practice for greengrocers, farmers' markets and vegetable stalls to misspell and to use wrong punctuation e.g.

Tomatoe's for Tomatoes

Collyflowers for Cauliflowers

Carats for Carrots

Peeches for Peaches

It is traditional because some stall holders found that they were approached by people pointing out the errors. That gave them an opportunity to sell, particularly if they were one stall among many selling similar produce.

Some of the impact has been lost because so many do it, but if it makes the customer feel superior, the selling technique can still work.

I think that some sloppy writing isn't sloppy at all, but a carefully measured attempt to make the message fit the intended audience.

I think I'm going to set up a cart on my nearest street corner, selling "Mrs. Ben's Tasty Tater Tits."

 

[oggbashan]

I think I'm going to set up a cart on my nearest street corner, selling "Mrs. Ben's Tasty Tater Tits."

Would that work?

Have you noticed how much spam about Viagra and Cialis has mis-spellings?

That is to try to evade spam filters, and also to avoid prosecution for false trade descriptions. If you order Cia*is and get Cia*is, not Cialis, then they have supplied exactly what you ordered.

 

[Handley_Page]

On word usage, I think all commercial writers were out on sick leave the day that the difference between "fewer" and "less" was discussed.

Perhaps they were on holiday (vacation); sick leave implies something else. they are sick when writing !

 

[sr71plt]

I've found hilariously fractured English business signs and adverts in Thailand, Japan, and China--and there are various collections of these floating around--but I don't think those were on purpose. (And I don't laugh at them too hard, because I'm sure the reverse attempts would be even more amusing).

 

[oggbashan]

I've found hilariously fractured English business signs and adverts in Thailand, Japan, and China--and there are various collections of these floating around--but I don't think those were on purpose. (And I don't laugh at them too hard, because I'm sure the reverse attempts would be even more amusing).

Even Rolls-Royce had a problem with car names. One proposed model name meant shit in German.

Then there was the Vauxhall Nova 'No va' in Spanish; the Toyota MR2 (m,r,deux = merde = shit) in French.

And whatever gave the Japanese the idea that Cedric was a great name for their range-topping saloon, or Starion (reportedly a mishearing of Stallion) for a sporty saloon?

 

[sr71plt]

If some car company put out a model with the name Stallion, I'd buy it.

 

[mynameisben]

Or I could set up on Restaurant Row in Chinatown, offering my satisfying Peeking Dick.

 

[TxRad]

If some car company put out a model with the name Stallion, I'd buy it.

Check out the trike by that name. It uses a 4 cylinder Ford engine and an automatic transmitting. It has great performance and handling but is more car than motorcycle. I'll see if I can find a link.

 

[oggbashan]

1980s Advert from a Mediterranean resort:

The Dolphin Bar

Noted for our speciality Fish Dishes, Steaks, Hot Dogs and Salads.

Also, we serve the same dishes

at our

Hawai Bar Restaurant

Apparently Dolphin and Hawai are interchangeable.

 

[oggbashan]

You could try the Ariel Atom which is a fantastic car/bike, but your girlfriend might not like it when it rains.

 

[SamScribble]

And on a radio news bulletin reporting on an on-going labour dispute: ‘It looks like it could be a long road to hoe.’ Imagine the potholes that is going to create.

 

[sr71plt]

Check out the trike by that name. It uses a 4 cylinder Ford engine and an automatic transmitting. It has great performance and handling but is more car than motorcycle. I'll see if I can find a link.

Well, it's gotta look like a stallion of a car would look. (I'll volunteer to design the hood ornament).

 

[TxRad]

Well, it's gotta look like a stallion of a car would look. (I'll volunteer to design the hood ornament).

They are not building them this year as they didn't get enough orders to make it profitable. You can check it out at Thoroughbred Trkes. They have some 1011 models left.

it uses a 2300cc fuel injected v4, has heat and air conditioning, and a 7 cubic foot trunk. Power steering, a wheel instead of handlebars. Inline seating.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

... ‘It looks like it could be a long road to hoe.’ ...

So that's how washboard is created!

Who knew

 

[PayDay]

When sports writing was confined to daily news papers sports writers had enough trouble keeping up a weekly column. Imagine filling 30 or more minutes of air space, every day for a year. There simply isn't enough stuff to fill the time, good or bad.

Sure there is, but it would require actual journalism to do it, and that would really take away sponsorship dollars. Not to mention they would have to hire fact checkers, and journalists.