Our news-side columnist's mistakes

[Mr. X]

Our news-side columnist referred to John Edwards as Sen. John Edwards in a Thursday column as in "Sen. John Edwards was tabloid exposed for ducking out of the Beverly Hilton."

Edwards has not been in the Senate since the early days of 2005.

The columnist is in his 80s, beloved, is a friend of the Republican governor, can get any Senate Democrat on the telephone in a day (he was a Democratic Party activist in the past) and bulletproof despite his many mistakes. Among his worst are getting the last name of the family owning the closest Major League Baseball team wrong. I don't think he is edited.

Is this nitpicking? I cringe every time a mistake of his makes in into print, such as lower-casing party in Democratic Party. In this column, he fessed up to writing the wrong name of a long-ago candidate, initially writing that the husband ran when it was the wife. He made reference in the column to his "flawed offerings."

As a reader, I wonder about the truth of some of the things he writes, especially about things long ago.

Does this matter? Paper and staff has shrunk considerably, but advertising and profits are great. Paper is a weekly distributed free, so circulation is not an issue. We are considered the No. 3 paper in the county, behind our twice-weekly competition and the leading-circulation daily in the county, but ahead of all the other papers in the county.

 

[Stitch]

Are senators still called senator after they leave office? I know state governors have been called governor in various debates (Reagan in 1980 and Romney in 2008).

He should have used former Sen., but at least it's not confusing Sen. Edwards with the Sci Fi Channel John Edwards.

 

[hockeybeat]

Our news-side columnist referred to John Edwards as Sen. John Edwards in a Thursday column as in "Sen. John Edwards was tabloid exposed for ducking out of the Beverly Hilton."

Edwards has not been in the Senate since the early days of 2005.

The columnist is in his 80s, beloved, is a friend of the Republican governor, can get any Senate Democrat on the telephone in a day (he was a Democratic Party activist in the past) and bulletproof despite his many mistakes. Among his worst are getting the last name of the family owning the closest Major League Baseball team wrong. I don't think he is edited.

Is this nitpicking? I cringe every time a mistake of his makes in into print, such as lower-casing party in Democratic Party. In this column, he fessed up to writing the wrong name of a long-ago candidate, initially writing that the husband ran when it was the wife. He made reference in the column to his "flawed offerings."

As a reader, I wonder about the truth of some of the things he writes, especially about things long ago.

Does this matter? Paper and staff has shrunk considerably, but advertising and profits are great. Paper is a weekly distributed free, so circulation is not an issue. We are considered the No. 3 paper in the county, behind our twice-weekly competition and the leading-circulation daily in the county, but ahead of all the other papers in the county.

What does "tabloid exposed" mean?

 

[DanOregon]

I've heard many political and military leaders referred to with their most recent title without a qualifier. Once you're a Senator, you're a Senator. Same with a cabinet secretary, a general or any official title.

Now if it is clear that he didn't realize Edwards is no longer a Senator, that's something else.

 

[Mr. X]

Tabloid exposed is a reference to the National Enquirer story on Edwards and allegations he fathered a child with a woman not his wife.

There is no U.S. office I can think of that a newspaper would refer to someone as still being in office when he or she is out of office.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Sci Fi Channel John Edwards.

John Edward

 

[forever_town]

You might either refer to him as former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) or as former vice presidential candidate John Edwards or somesuch.

I've seen people refer to former senators by title as if they were still senators. It's the same as referring to a former admiral as an admiral in copy. You can still do so, although you should use (USN-Ret.) behind an admiral.

For example: VAdm. James Stockdale (USN-Ret.).

All that said, I think it's a little nitpicky to harp about Edwards not currently being in the Senate.

 

[I Digress]

Tabloid exposed is a reference to the National Enquirer story on Edwards and allegations he fathered a child with a woman not his wife.

There is no U.S. office I can think of that a newspaper would refer to someone as still being in office when he or she is out of office.

President Clinton.....ex prez's keep the title.

 

[EE94]

its more embarrassing that no one edited it
the guy's [past is a great resource - just because he's old doesn't mean he gets tossed aside
but he should be edited and fact-checked

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Ed Anger is your cityside columnist?

 

[SF_Express]

You might either refer to him as former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) or as former vice presidential candidate John Edwards or somesuch.

I'm in the "you can use the most recent title and it's no harm, no foul" school, but if you use Sen. John Edwards as an honorarium, you wouldn't put the (D-N.C.) behind it.

 

[Mark2010]

Why isn't the guy edited? EVERYTHING should at least have a read on it (time permitting) before going into print. All it will do is help the guy appear more credible.

Every single time I have caught a columnist's error in fact when working the desk, the columnist thanked me. Saves them from looking like an idiot.

 

[Mr. X]

Why isn't the guy edited?

There is very little editing of anything at the paper because of its very small size.

The staff consists of a reporter, the columnist and me, the sports editor.

The very wealthy but clueless thirtysomething publisher goes over things, seemingly to make sure that nothing that he objects to gets into the paper.

Two more gripes about the columnist -- his getting the name wrong of the family the owns the metropolitan's area's major league baseball team and failure to have the proper style for Democratic Party. He has lower-cased party. I think both of those mistakes have to hurt the paper, the latter more than the former. Plus, we have a lot of critical readers who think they know everything, making mistakes hurt more.