Testy Copy Editors

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Phillip Blanchard
 Post subject: Now hear this
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2002 11:17 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 8342
Location: Bethesda, Md.
Stop using "scrambling," as in:<p>--Zambia's government decided in August to reject donated corn from the United States because some of it was genetically modified. Aid organizations are scrambling to find alternatives.<p>--Since Attorney General John Ashcroft's decision to have Muhammad, 41, and Malvo, 17, stand trial first in Virginia, state officials have been scrambling to persuade Congress and Ashcroft to guarantee financial aid.<p>--Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which account for nearly 2 million registered voters, botched the primary and have been scrambling to fix the problems before the general election. <p>You know what I mean. I don't want to see "scrambling" again, unless you're writing about a quarterback or fighter jets.
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SusanV
 Post subject: Re: Now hear this
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2002 1:59 pm 
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Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 1399
Location: In the newsroom
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica ,sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by blanp:
You know what I mean. I don't want to see "scrambling" again, unless you're writing about a quarterback or fighter jets.<hr></blockquote><p>You forgot the eggs!
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Guest
 Post subject: Re: Now hear this
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2002 8:00 pm 
Along the same lines, would you restrict reporters' use of the crutch-phrases "on the heels of" and "in the wake of" to stories specifically about footraces or boating events/issues? I would, simply because they've become lazy-writing cliches ....
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"This is like group therapy with prisoners in the Poynter Institute's dungeon." ... "You take a vocation that the simple-minded consider to be mere drudgery, and you exploit every bit of fascinating and humorous nuance imaginable." ... "Delicious" ... "Ask your professors? The only professors whose opinions matter are named Walsh, Blanchard and McIntyre." ... "What I come here for, I can find ONLY here. Phillip, you've built a great place." ... "Nothing gets us hotter than reading bitchy discussion threads from over-exhausted copy editors endlessly debating the merits of "theater" versus "theatre." ... "I love this site. It's better than the Kool-Aid acid tests." ..."I'm awed at the efficiency with which matters of opinion get hashed out in this forum." ... "Phil is the bomb!" ... "I'd wager that it's exactly your sort of hidebound thinking that contributes to the problems newspapers are having attracting readers." ... "I'm totally obsessed with this site. It's like porn--if you get off on Scrabble." ... "It reveals the backstage carping and vindictive emotions that roil the souls of those trapped at the copy desks." "When they say "testy," they certainly mean it. Whether it's reporters, editors, or the general public, no one is above their savage snark." ... "An apparent crack in the thin grey line." ..."Testy Copy Editors is a bitchboard for journalism's underclass." ... "My desire to read 'Testy Copy Editors' is only rivalled by my desire to pop "Constipated Call Girls" in the DVD player." ... "Phillip Blanchard is not just a testy copy editor, but a prophet scorned in his own time, and those of us who defend wordplay will be punished for it come the Judgment Day." ... "Phil Blanchard is as dashing in person as he is at the TCE board." ... "As far as writing and editing go: Read this board, read Bill Walsh, memorize the style book, read William Zinsser, and read the New York Times. That's a good start." ... "You should let go of your bitterness. You were not the oppressed talent you thought yourself to be. You were a miserable, brooding, silent, joyless grind, lucky to have a job at the Sun-Times, and we're lucky now that you've moved on to afflict others."



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