[Tim]

While I realize Deb Sederberg may seem to be my target du juor I'm really curious how stuff like this finds its way into print.

______
The unfinished statistics for 2009 (unfinished because some projects are unfinished) was 19.97 percent.

Everyone agreed that they wanted to know from both the unions and the contractors, how the hiring works.
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Does the Dispatch not have proofreaders? I know we have a couple of folks from the Dispatch here - how is this allowed to continually happen?

Thanks in advance for any "inside" insight.

[Dave]

I'm pretty sure what you are not liking in those examples would have been corrected by a copy editor rather than a proofreader, though the two jobs do have some overlap.

In any case, it seems like a lot of publications cut copy editors/proofreaders when there is belt tightening ("Oh, you can proof your own work, can't you?"), and when that happens the quality of the publication's grammar and spelling take a serious nosedive.

[Tim]

I'm pretty sure what you are not liking in those examples would have been corrected by a copy editor rather than a proofreader, though the two jobs do have some overlap.

In any case, it seems like a lot of publications cut copy editors/proofreaders when there is belt tightening ("Oh, you can proof your own work, can't you?"), and when that happens the quality of the publication's grammar and spelling take a serious nosedive.

It's not about what I do or don't like, it's a question of whether quality control is in place. Also, this person has been turning in this kind of work for months. It's baffling that she's still employed in print news.

[MC Born & Raised]

I'm pretty sure what you are not liking in those examples would have been corrected by a copy editor rather than a proofreader, though the two jobs do have some overlap.

In any case, it seems like a lot of publications cut copy editors/proofreaders when there is belt tightening ("Oh, you can proof your own work, can't you?"), and when that happens the quality of the publication's grammar and spelling take a serious nosedive.

This has been explained to Tim in a previous thread. No need to get into it again. He's just trying to stir something up. Not biting again.

[Tim]

This has been explained to Tim in a previous thread. No need to get into it again. He's just trying to stir something up. Not biting again.

Uh, no - it's never been explained from the ND's perspective.

[MC Born & Raised]

Uh, no - it's never been explained from the ND's perspective.

Yes. It has.

http://www.citybythelake.org/forums/index....l=speak+english

But it's your M.O. to belittle others so I'll let you continue to do that. Some people aren't happy unless they have something to complain about. No need to warn me, moderators, about picking a fight. I'm done in this thread. Promise.

[Tim]

Yes. It has.

http://www.citybythelake.org/forums/index....l=speak+english

But it's your M.O. to belittle others so I'll let you continue to do that.

Who are you - Kanye West?



You work at the paper, so I'll ask you - are people aware of this? Isn't there someone in a position of authority reading this stuff and shaking their head? I read the Dispatch every day. There are many fine writers there, whose articles are 100% devoid of the gaffes Sederberg continues to make. Her mistakes have got to stick out for that reason.

I don't know how old you are, but I'd guess I've been reading the News Dispatch since before you were born. I've been gone for a long time, but I still take great pride in my home town. So when one of the institutions of my home town is brought down by someone's inability do do their job I say something. If that offends you perhaps you should not frequent a public message board where people are free to express their opinions - even the ones you don't like.

[Dave]

Yes. It has.

http://www.citybythelake.org/forums/index....l=speak+english

Durn. I wrote almost exactly the same thing in the other thread and didn't remember it. I'm really looking forward to early onset Alzheimer's.

I'm really looking forward to early onset Alzheimer's.

[lighter]

The News-Dispatch (Tim, capitalize "The" and hyphenate "News-Dispatch" please) has been hamstrung by a bad economy and a corporate philosphy out of Kentucky that isn't too worried about how you see the product. The staff has been more than halved in the last five years, with only a few positions filled. They have fired all but one photographer who now works for both the La Porte and Michigan City papers. "Proofreaders" (known as copy editors in the newspaper-world) are down to just a few -- and they are tasked with three-times the amount of work they used to have ... and overtime isn't available.

Nobody in the process is thrilled with less-than-great writing or mistakes. Probably 90 percent of those involved in the product care about the city and county -- along with journalism. But there is a clear ownership issue and a high management issue at The News-Dispatch and Herald-Argus.

Your venom should be geared toward the Paxton Corporation or the local publisher and executive editor. But they won't care about your petty concerns of typos or what you consider poor writing. They are geared toward one goal: Profit.

Sure, you can debate whether hiring more copy editors, reporters and designers would improve the product. That becomes a cost-benefit analysis. Hiring four people would cost roughly $150,000-$200,000 in wages/benefits. That means a lot more newspapers and advertising need to be sold. In the current economy, that's not likely. Newspapers are dying -- some faster than others. Those who are left at The News-Dispatch are trying to keep it alive because they believe it helps the community and it also provides a paycheck.

Had the company decided years ago to expand coverage/coverage area, it may be in a better financial situation. They decided to contract, instead. In business, it is often easier to cut than build.

It comes down to this: If your boss told you to do three or four-times as much work in the same time, and told you not to expect a raise, how would your work be affected? Negatively. So, while there are errors in newspapers, there's no reason to act like someone has just crashed a plane into your brain. Those errors are, by-in-large, the result of many different factors hitting the newsrooms across America. Paxton thinks you should just be happy you have a local product with some local coverage; those who work for The News-Dispatch (and care about it) really are trying to inform the public about the local news.

One day, Paxton will sell or firesale The News-Dispatch and Herald-Argus. We'll see if that's a good thing or bad for the community as a whole. If a local company started a media group, you may see more initial care for the workers, news and advertisers. But Paxton isn't local, and when it comes to a news gathering operation, their ND/HA management is, in one word, clueless. But, like I said, they are more worried about the bottom line than your complaints about what you consider bad writing or the occasional improper spellings.

Your mean-spirited complaints, though, come across as the rants of a bitchy old man. I don't think that's what you are, but that's how you are perceived. And while we'll try our best to catch the errors going into newspapers, we're far from perfect. For that, we apologize.

[dusk]

Durn. I wrote almost exactly the same thing in the other thread and didn't remember it. I'm really looking forward to early onset Alzheimer's.

I'm really looking forward to early onset Alzheimer's.

LOL!

[Tim]

The News-Dispatch (Tim, capitalize "The" and hyphenate "News-Dispatch" please)

If you'll look at the front page of the paper, you'll see News Dispatch is not hyphenated.

So, you're saying the News Dispatch can't afford to correct mistakes? Okay - while disappointing, that's at least a viable answer.

[Tim]

Durn. I wrote almost exactly the same thing in the other thread and didn't remember it. I'm really looking forward to early onset Alzheimer's.

I'm really looking forward to early onset Alzheimer's.

Look, Dave - the Alzheimer's jokes are really lame.

And another thing -

Look, Dave - the Alzheimer's jokes are really lame.

[Tim]

It comes down to this: If your boss told you to do three or four-times as much work in the same time, and told you not to expect a raise, how would your work be affected? Negatively.

Nope. If I were told to do more work for the same money I would be faced with two choices - quit or do the work. If I made the decision to continue to do my job I would approach it with the same professionalism I do now.

Please do not attempt to tell me how I would react in a professional situation.

[huskers888]

Nope. If I were told to do more work for the same money I would be faced with two choices - quit or do the work. If I made the decision to continue to do my job I would approach it with the same professionalism I do now.

Please do not attempt to tell me how I would react in a professional situation.

Or you could do the same amount of work you always did for the pay you historically have received. Mr. Tim. THAT SOUNDS FAIR.

[Tim]

Or you could do the same amount of work you always did for the pay you historically have received. Mr. Tim. THAT SOUNDS FAIR.

Not really. If the parameters of your job requirements were widened but your pay was not increased you would not be able to do the same amount of work as you did in the past for the same amount of money.

[Dave]

Nope. If I were told to do more work for the same money I would be faced with two choices - quit or do the work.

Ahh, but what if you're willing to do the work, but the job can't be done? Such as discovering you're the only copyeditor for the entire newspaper when there used to be four. Can't just put in extra hours -- because there's a deadline every day, and as soon as you're done with Tuesday's edition, you have to get to work on Wednesday's. So you get behind, and try to prioritize your work -- get the main headline articles right, make sure people's names are spelled correctly (always important!), and deadline's here, the News Editor has already decided he's going to include that article you didn't have time to get to because he needs to fill the space, and -- it reads the way Yoda talks.

You might say you'd quit if conditions were such that you couldn't do your job, but c'mon, nobody around here is throwing their jobs away these days, especially in a field (journalism) which has been cutting jobs everywhere.

[Tim]

Ahh, but what if you're willing to do the work, but the job can't be done?

So - if someone asks me to something humanly impossible would I quit? No - I probably would not, but I'd be looking for a new job.

And while we're talking about it -

So - if someone asks me to something humanly impossible would I quit? No - I probably would not, but I'd be looking for a new job.

[Tim]

your petty concerns

[Jenna]

So when one of the institutions of my home town is brought down by someone's inability do do their job I say something.

First off, maybe I am crazy, but what is wrong with the excerpt? Secondly, Tim, do do?? Tsk, tsk. Looks like someone needs an editor.

[Tim]

First off, maybe I am crazy, but what is wrong with the excerpt? Secondly, Tim, do do?? Tsk, tsk. Looks like someone needs an editor.

I don't make a living in print journalism, and no you're not crazy. Both of the excerpts are grammatically incorrect.