More TCE in the news

vtuss · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:20 pm

From Romenesko letter page:From DON RUSSELL, Philadelphia Daily News: A quick Google search (an omnipotent force that I maintain is, in fact, THE occult hand) turns up a "Todd J. Behme" as a member of the Testy Copy Editors website. So I suppose he should be excused for a lack of humor. But c'mon, humor is exactly what's missing in newspapers today. Witty headlines, puns and, yes, inside jokes are how we engage readers. When they get the joke, they understand that their newspaper is human and it is talking to them.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:33 pm

Behme's humorlessness should not taint us all.

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:44 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by blanp:
Behme's humorlessness should not taint us all.<hr></blockquote>Even if many of us do get testy about puns and other wordplay in headlines and self-indulgent writing by reporters?

ToddJBehme · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 5:15 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by blanp:
Behme's humorlessness should not taint us all.<hr></blockquote>I can't believe how wrongly I was deemed guilty by association. I'm the freakin' Al Roker of this crowd.[ July 27, 2004: Message edited by: Todd J. Behme ]

Matthew Grieco · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 5:38 pm

I can't find the relevant page of Romenesko's site (because I never read it and do not know how to navigate it). Anyone got a link? What was the context of Todd being singled out for such absurd criticism?

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:17 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Anyone got a link? What was the context of Todd being singled out for such absurd criticism?[/QB]<hr></blockquote>
http://www.poynter.org/forum/?id=letters

SusanV · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 8:15 pm

This is what Todd posted over there that occasioned the Russell retort:From TODD J. BEHME: I had never heard of the "Occult Hand" club until I read the Chicago Tribune story Sunday. I've always been against using a newspaper as a playground or a place for inside jokes. Once a year, I think, my college newspaper allowed staffers to do goofy things with their bylines. It just made us look more like amateurs than we already were. I honestly don't mean to sound like a killjoy, and I suppose some people will tell me to lighten up, but we have enough credibility problems these days without trying to sneak stuff like this into print so we can e-mail story links to club members and say "Look what I did."

DominEditrix · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:11 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Vince Tuss:
From Romenesko letter page:From DON RUSSELL, Philadelphia Daily News:... and, yes, inside jokes are how we engage readers..<hr></blockquote>I'm unclear how inside jokes engage anyone but the 4.5 people who understand them. I remember trying to explain to a fledging author that "you had to be there" was silly as a defence of a poorly written scene, the basis of which was his "real" life. I feel much the same about inside jokes in a medium that is - theoretically at least - supposed to enlighten and inform the general public. On occasion, I feel that way about T.S. Eliot, as well...D.

Jackie · **Posted:** Wed Jul 28, 2004 1:00 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by SusanV:
This is what Todd posted over there that occasioned the Russell retort:From TODD J. BEHME: I had never heard of the "Occult Hand" club until I read the Chicago Tribune story Sunday. I've always been against using a newspaper as a playground or a place for inside jokes. Once a year, I think, my college newspaper allowed staffers to do goofy things with their bylines. It just made us look more like amateurs than we already were. I honestly don't mean to sound like a killjoy, and I suppose some people will tell me to lighten up, but we have enough credibility problems these days without trying to sneak stuff like this into print so we can e-mail story links to club members and say "Look what I did."<hr></blockquote>
You go, Todd.

KfitzR · **Posted:** Wed Jul 28, 2004 9:54 am

Actually I get regular laughs from this group of folks. I don't find you all humourless at all. Keep up the good work.

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