Pulp Non-Fiction
I do so enjoy writing mildly condescending letters to sites that they could sadly never consider publishing. I picture a harried editor reading it and saying, "What a dick. These wankers always think they know better..." before printing it out and heading to the bathroom. They probably think I'm some crotchety retiree with nothing better to do - which is funny when I think of how prodigiously critical I will be in 35 years or so when I may be retired and will have all day to wax at jaded and eloquent length about whatever takes my fancy.
But anyway, it's a civilised way to vent after another very long week. Here I go again, and once more the target is that bastion of mediocrity, www.news24.co.za:
News24 really needs to send its writers on training courses to better their English in particular, and their journalistic skills in general. I wouldn't know which stories originate from feeds and which are written by your staff, but typos, poor grammar and often banal prose aren't worthy of such a widely-read site.
"Warriors in charge at Newlands" is an example. Sure, one generally writes out single-digit numbers in full, but not in the context of cricket scores, where it now sticks out horribly. Whoever set this out just didn't think at all. Also, who saw fit to put a comma in: "The batsmen to be dismissed were, Adam Bacher (41)..."? Surely understanding high-school grammar like this is a prerequisite for being a journalist?
And what about a bit of editorial oversight in something like "Seen a ghost lately?"? The article states: "Tapping into an explosion of interest in phenomena that defy scientific explanation..." Come again? Where's the research behind that statement and its two totally unqualified assertions? Surely you're not lending credence to a belief that science has no explanation for things regarded as "paranormal"? I admit the whole article could be read as mildly tongue-in-cheek, but you've gone and stuck it in your technology section with a dross of serious science about it! Where's the insightful editor's comment pointing out to otherwise easily-led readers what selection effects are? Lazy.
Many of the office workers and professionals I know who read on-line news daily regard News24 as dumbed-down journalism for mass consumption, a few good columnists notwithstanding. I would never expect you to publish this, but please take the criticism to heart - News24 is painful to read sometimes.
But anyway, it's a civilised way to vent after another very long week. Here I go again, and once more the target is that bastion of mediocrity, www.news24.co.za:
News24 really needs to send its writers on training courses to better their English in particular, and their journalistic skills in general. I wouldn't know which stories originate from feeds and which are written by your staff, but typos, poor grammar and often banal prose aren't worthy of such a widely-read site.
"Warriors in charge at Newlands" is an example. Sure, one generally writes out single-digit numbers in full, but not in the context of cricket scores, where it now sticks out horribly. Whoever set this out just didn't think at all. Also, who saw fit to put a comma in: "The batsmen to be dismissed were, Adam Bacher (41)..."? Surely understanding high-school grammar like this is a prerequisite for being a journalist?
And what about a bit of editorial oversight in something like "Seen a ghost lately?"? The article states: "Tapping into an explosion of interest in phenomena that defy scientific explanation..." Come again? Where's the research behind that statement and its two totally unqualified assertions? Surely you're not lending credence to a belief that science has no explanation for things regarded as "paranormal"? I admit the whole article could be read as mildly tongue-in-cheek, but you've gone and stuck it in your technology section with a dross of serious science about it! Where's the insightful editor's comment pointing out to otherwise easily-led readers what selection effects are? Lazy.
Many of the office workers and professionals I know who read on-line news daily regard News24 as dumbed-down journalism for mass consumption, a few good columnists notwithstanding. I would never expect you to publish this, but please take the criticism to heart - News24 is painful to read sometimes.
posted by Thor Harley at 8:16 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home