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Libyan Terrorist Suffers from "Prostrate" Cancer

Posted by Phil Jamieson on Tue, Aug 25, 2009 @ 12:50 PM
  
  
  
  

Years ago we had a daily page on our ProofreadNOW.com site dedicated to finding a grammar, punctuation, or typographical error a day in the Wall Street Journal. Back then it was an ordeal to actually find an error a day, given that the WSJ was just about the most thoroughly edited paper in print.

We stopped the effort when the Journal's ownership changed and their attention to quality nosedived. Finding mistakes every day now is simply (and sadly) an easy job. But an editorial in yesterday's (8/24/09) edition was just too hard to pass up. It was about the Libyan terrorist recently released from a Scottish prison, as he was suffering from prostrate [sic] cancer.

This mistake was made on the third-most-read page of the paper! So why isn't "prostrate" in their checklist? It should be in every copy editor's checklist of words to zero in on!

Sure, readers know it's a typo (I hope). But what does this do for the quality perception of the Journal? Do they care? Do you care? Does it diminish the Journal in your mind? I have to say it does in mine. I'd love to hear comments from readers.

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Comments

Reminds me of the other night, we were out for an evening meal at a local restaurant; I opened the menu and there on the first page: We hope you enjoy your dinning experience. If only I'd known, I would have brought my tuba.
Posted @ Tuesday, August 25, 2009 5:35 PM by shannon
Sadly, they don't care. As someone who does care, I think it's awful the way publications like the WSJ are demonstrating such indifference to correct English. I'm sure it's because they are downsizing editors and proofreaders.
Posted @ Tuesday, August 25, 2009 9:20 PM by Jen
WSJ dumbs down again - in a title line, no less. 8/29/09, p. A10. "Consumers World-Wide Breath Life Into Technology Industry" 
 
 
 
Did they fire their copy editors or are they just that ignorant?
Posted @ Monday, August 31, 2009 8:11 PM by Phil Jamieson
Latest Wall Street Journal dumb-down: 'Countours of the Overhaul Is Coming Into Focus" - WSJ, p. A4, 9/9/09. I guess while the contours IS coming into focus, their drive for quality ARE getting blurrier and blurrier.
Posted @ Monday, September 14, 2009 9:39 AM by Phil Jamieson
People who live in glass houses ..., Phil.  
 
You are obviously unaware of your editor's faux pas to Kimberly Largent-Christopher's article on this very website the other night, and the almost comical series of events that followed in the Comments section and beyond.  
 
Just goes to show that even the Best of the Best can have an off night.
Posted @ Thursday, October 01, 2009 12:44 PM by greyhound
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