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 Post subject: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:22 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 1:01 am
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Location: Bethesda, Md.
Most people here had long ago stopped thinking about Wichita's serial killer of the 1970's, a man who called himself the B.T.K. Strangler for the binding, torturing, killing method he used in at least seven instances back then. (New York Times)<p>***The Times copy desk didn't get Nicole Stockdale's memo:<p>The serial killer that has resurfaced in Wichita is BTK, and he's a strangler, but he's not the BTK Strangler. He's just BTK. And maybe the BTK strangler.<p>[ April 02, 2004: Message edited by: blanp ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:47 am 
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Location: Albuquerque, N.M. USA
Can you pinpoint her memo better, or is that a bad link? Or am I blind?


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:54 am 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by jjmoney62:
Can you pinpoint her memo better, or is that a bad link? Or am I blind?<hr></blockquote><p>You're blind. It's down the page a bit under Tuesday, March 30. It's reproduced above anyhow.


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 9:15 am 
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Why can't the NY Times call this person whatever they want on their own pages? According to her memo, it's a difference of capitalization.<p>The BTK Strangler sounds like the Hamburglar's evil(er) twin.<p>[ April 02, 2004: Message edited by: jjmoney62 ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 12:23 pm 
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Location: Saranac Lake, N.Y.
What is the reason for not uppercasing "strangler"?<p>Isn't it used as a faux proper name?


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 3:24 pm 
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Location: Dallas
BTK already has a name: It's BTK, not the BTK Strangler. It's like saying Rapist Jack the Ripper. It's just not part of his name.<p>Why the media picks up the names it picks up may be up for debate. BTK gave himself this moniker; it stands for bind, torture, kill. And, yes, he did strangle most of his victims -- but not all. His fifth victim was stabbed. He also shot someone who survived.<p>And here is the direct link. <p>Read more here.<p>[ April 02, 2004: Message edited by: Nicole Stockdale ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 3:28 pm 
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Still sounds like an extremely low-level in-house style matter to me.


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 4:34 pm 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by jjmoney62:
Still sounds like an extremely low-level in-house style matter to me.<hr></blockquote><p>Accuracy, coherence, consistency.


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 4:47 pm 
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Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 1:01 am
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Location: Everett, Wash.
That from the ACC editor. Or Editor, if you prefer.


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 4:49 pm 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by blanp:
<p>Accuracy, coherence, consistency.<hr></blockquote><p>And if the New York Times, over there on the east coast, in every story refers to this guy as the BTK Strangler every time, they would be *accurate, coherent and consistent.* <p>Some might read "BTK" standing alone and wonder, what the hell's a BTK? As opposed to the fuller name -- oh yeah, that's the guy who strangles people.<p>This just doesn't rise to the level of requiring a universal style mandate.


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 5:02 pm 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by jjmoney62:
<p>And if the New York Times, over there on the east coast, in every story refers to this guy as the BTK Strangler every time, they would be *accurate, coherent and consistent.* <p>Some might read "BTK" standing alone and wonder, what the hell's a BTK? As opposed to the fuller name -- oh yeah, that's the guy who strangles people.<p>This just doesn't rise to the level of requiring a universal style mandate.<hr></blockquote><p>Yes, it does, for the reasons Nicole Stockdale outlines above. Just the fact that he kills people in ways other than strangling is enough.


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 5:21 pm 
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(Continued privately via e-mail.)


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 5:33 pm 
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(... wondering why a simple heads-up became a major production. It's not like I issued a Red Alert. )<p>[ April 02, 2004: Message edited by: blanp ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 6:18 pm 
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(also scratching my head)


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 8:23 pm 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by blanp:
(... wondering why a simple heads-up became a major production. It's not like I issued a Red Alert. )
<hr></blockquote><p>I suggest a weekend in Vegas.


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 Post subject: Re: Pay attention, please
PostPosted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 8:25 pm 
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I used to get the BK Strangler at Burger King,


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