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 Post subject: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 12:25 pm 
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Location: Toronto
ASSOCIATED PRESS<p>TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Tribune apologized to its readers and the Tampa Bay Lightning today after mistakenly running an editorial saying the hockey team had lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.<p>Publisher Gil Thelen said it was unclear how the mistake was made Monday night as the newspaper rushed to press following the Lightning's 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 7.<p>The Tribune had prepared two editorials — one for a win and one for a loss. But despite placing the correct editorial in its computerized page-making system, the one prepared for a loss appeared in the newspaper's 275,000 copies....<p>*I know hockey is still a foreign concept to much of America but.....*


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 12:44 pm 
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Location: Albuquerque, N.M. USA
Why do newspapers keep doing this? Haven't the previous fiascos exposed how silly it is to publish an editorial about a professional sports championship?


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 3:08 pm 
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Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Carful now. This is not just a professional sports championship. It's the Stanley Cup!


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 4:18 pm 
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Location: California
Hey, maybe deep down in its circuts the layout program couldn't believe the lousy Florida weenies would win.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 6:23 pm 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by KfitzR:
Carful now. This is not just a professional sports championship. It's the Stanley Cup!<hr></blockquote><p>.... in Florida.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 8:01 pm 
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Location: Woosta
Never had problems like this when the Canadiens were winning the cup!


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 10:57 pm 
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Location: The Herald in Everett, WA
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by canuck:
ASSOCIATED PRESS<p>The Tribune had prepared two editorials — one for a win and one for a loss. But....<hr></blockquote><p>But the people who should have been taking care of their business shucked it off onto someone else and went home at 5 p.m.?


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 11:13 pm 
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I'm with JJ. I don't see the need for editorials about sports championships. I mean, what's there to have an opinion about here?<p>And I imagine Jackie's scenario is what happened. It was left to an overwhelmed copy desk to make the sub, and someone fudged it up...possibly someone who doesn't know Chernobyl from center ice.<p>Lest I be misunderstood here, some of my best friends are editorial writers, and I used to be one. <p>Even if it is YOUR city, what is the point of a sports championship editorial? Who cares?


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 1:36 am 
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Location: Upper Midwest
Why wasn't it caught at the start of the press run? Where I work, we have copy editors double-checking the paper one last time on the press before thousands of copies are printed.<p>Gatekeeper<p>-30-


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 1:09 pm 
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Location: N 36° 57' 9", W 121° 24' 2"
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Bumfketeer:
Even if it is YOUR city, what is the point of a sports championship editorial? Who cares?<hr></blockquote>The suits think readers do. It's about being "Part of Our Community" and other such marketing drivel.<p>Publishers have never figured out that a good newspaper is its own best sales pitch.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 7:35 pm 
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Location: Homebush NSW Australia
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Oeditpus Rex:
The suits think readers do. .<hr></blockquote><p>The suits are right in this instance I think.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:35 pm 
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They care about the championship. They DON'T care about an 18-inch editorial about the championship.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 8:40 am 
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Location: HuskerLand
I'm afraid that if it's a Husker football championship, they do.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 6:05 pm 
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Official explanation, courtesy of AP Industry News:<p> TAMPA, Fla. (AP) … The Tampa Tribune apologized to its
readers and the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 8 after mistakenly
running an editorial saying the hockey team had lost the
Stanley Cup finals.<p> Publisher Gil Thelen said the mistake was made during the
production of the section when extra pages were added and
editorial page editors were not fully informed. The newspaper
was rushing to press June 7 after the Lightning's 2-1 victory
over the Calgary Flames in Game 7.<p> The Tribune had prepared two editorials … for a win and for
a loss. Despite placing the correct editorial in its
computerized page-making system, the one prepared for a loss
appeared in the newspaper's 275,000 copies.<p> The Tribune said the June 8 Nation/World section originally
was slated for 16 pages, but editors added two more pages to
expand coverage of the game. Those extra pages caused the page
number for the editorial page to change, but key editorial page
editors were not informed. Unaware of the plan, newsroom
editors sent the wrong version to the pressroom because of
confusion over the page-number changes.<p> The immediate solution, Thelen said, is to keep alternate
versions of any late- breaking story or editorial in the
author's computer file until the outcome is clear.<p> Editorial Page Editor Rosemary Goudreau issued a statement
on the newspaper's affiliated Web site, TBO.com, telling
readers ``We took a puck in the gut this morning. ...''<p> The incorrect editorial opened: ``The Tampa Bay Lightning
didn't win the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup last night.
But the team had a championship season nevertheless.''<p> The correct editorial, which didn't get in the paper, lauded
the Lightning and credited the team for generating pride and
excitement in the community.<p> A similar mistake happened to the New York Post last October
when early editions of the paper carried an editorial bemoaning
the Yankees' loss to the Boston Red Sox in the American League
playoffs. But the Yankees had staged a late rally to tie Game 7
and won in extra innings.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 6:31 pm 
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Location: Australia
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Those extra pages caused the page
number for the editorial page to change, but key editorial page editors were not informed. Unaware of the plan, newsroom editors sent the wrong version to the pressroom because of confusion over the page-number changes. <hr></blockquote><p>What a load of cr*p. If the correct version was placed on the page, a change in the numbers would make no difference. The only way the wrong editorial could get in the paper is if someone put it on a page.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 6:52 pm 
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Location: Homebush NSW Australia
I'm with Lee, though I'd tend to use less restrained language. Pages can only go to press at Leader after a specific electromic instruction from a designated editorial staff member - in our case me. This failsafe covers, among other matters, a repagination that people have not been correctly informed about. To blame a computerised system or a departmental miscommunication is a cop out.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 10:48 am 
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Location: Nutmeg State
What!? Apparently, adding pages isn't grounds for suspension at some places.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 6:48 pm 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Kewpie:
What!? Apparently, adding pages isn't grounds for suspension at some places.<hr></blockquote>
Basically, people can think they are following the correct protocol but it doesn't get followed through. That's why you have a designated person
who has the responsibility of knowing that if anything can go wrong it will. Readers don't want to lnow who made the goof. They just don't want it to happen full stop.<p>[ June 15, 2004: Message edited by: Paul Wiggins ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 7:03 pm 
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Location: Australia
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Kewpie:
What!? Apparently, adding pages isn't grounds for suspension at some places. <hr></blockquote><p>Last Thursday, the advertising dept tried to pull two pages from one of our weekend sections which had already been laid out and subbed. The section editor told them we'd all quit if they did that... I'm still employed, thank goodness.
The buck stops with me at my paper. If there's a stuff-up on the pages, no matter who did it, it's my responsibility because I set the pages. I get paid quite generously to assume that responsibility so I'm okay with saying "oops, my bad" if anything goes wrong.
If you make a mistake, just say so; it goes over much better than if you've tried to squirm out of it with excuses or finger-pointing.
The weekend magazine at my paper was caught out in a photo-retouch error this week. My favourite part of this story is the line that "the imager has been counselled..." (i.e. threatened).<p>[ June 15, 2004: Message edited by: Lee ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 8:23 pm 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Robert Knilands:
In their minds, they are ENTITLED to leave at 5 p.m. <hr></blockquote><p>Let me advocate for the devil for just a minute here. <p>1. What were you doing when they came in at 8:30 in the morning? Probably sleeping.<p>2. Don't you feel 'entitled" to leave when your shift is over? I sure do.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 8:46 pm 
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Location: Homebush NSW Australia
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Bumfketeer:
<p>Let me advocate for the devil for just a minute here. <p>1. What were you doing when they came in at 8:30 in the morning? Probably sleeping.<p>2. Don't you feel 'entitled" to leave when your shift is over? I sure do.<hr></blockquote><p>One is always entitled to leave at the end of shift. But duties should be completed. I don't get the luxury of asking readers to write their own stories in the blank space or telling the presshands they can't roll because I'd like to go home.<p>When your home team is the grand final of a big comp, it can mean a big day. That's the business.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 9:41 pm 
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Lee:
<p>. If there's a stuff-up on the pages, no matter who did it, it's my responsibility because I set the pages. <hr></blockquote><p>
Stop it at once you'll end up tired and haggard like this
Bruce.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Wed Jun 16, 2004 11:32 pm 
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I'd make one other obsevation. The advertising side of our operation also has a designated person there at press time, so these matters don't usually trouble me too much.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 12:54 am 
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Location: Nutmeg State
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Robert Knilands:

I had a discussion with a non-journalist (lucky him) about this issue recently. He wondered why I couldn't just do as others do and leave work for someone else.
<hr></blockquote><p>I often have to explain to non-journalists why I can't "just take the day off" during the vacation-heavy summer months.


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 Post subject: Re: Those darned editorial writers
PostPosted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:09 am 
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Location: New Brunswick, Canada
When I was in newspapers my late mother never understood why I had to work late to finish a story. Nothing would make her realize that if you covered a news event it had to get into the next edition. Even if it meant missing planned evening events. The external world has really no inkling of how news gets to them. The level of media illiteracy in the general public is quite phenomenal.
And, given the fact that for most people the media are their major source of information after they cease formal education, this is a problem. (Which is not an argument that the media are perfect, by the way.)


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