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Speaker: Are we seeing the end of MSM, and is that a good thing?

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  • Ian Dalziel,

    Drownings?
    H2Oh Ohs?
    Aquatic accident?

    I heard some terror suspect had been 'neutralised' on the radio the other morning - what'd they do turn him into an acid first?
    Last time I looked the only opposing force to life was death - so why not say killed if they mean killed?

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    There is also the chance they enchased the suspect in carbonite.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    so it’s not just a merkinism for the act of rendering someone impotent?

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to linger,

    a merkinism for the act of rendering someone impotent

    OIC CIA
    or were you looking for Pubic Add-dress?

    ;- )

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Either way the term is a figleaf.

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    more stuff - ups...

    "But it doesn't stop there. The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) has established the Greater Christchurch Group, which will take over Cera's responsibility for monitoring the recovery and provide policy advice to ministers and Government departments.
    On top of DMPC there will be other relevant ..."

    from: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/77375852/recovery-entities-say-new-model-will-work

    Good that they spelt out what DPMC stands for,
    shame that the new Australian subs can't hold that piece of information in their heads from one paragraph to the next!
    A minor cavil I know - but just one of far too many - One has to ask if Fairfax and their readers are being well served by these cost cutting 'improvements'?

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Sunday Star Times today (Sun 27/3) has a masthead-level plug for a story in the Sunday magazine about a New Zealand director's documentary series on climate change:

    Changing the world
    Kiwi director's climactic message to 430 million viewers

    Really?
    I don't think this is her last word on the matter...
    ...but it is evidence of rising 'c' levels amongst illiterate reporters and subs.
    Sigh...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

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    The Herald don’t need no stinkin literacy – justive for all.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Brent Jackson,

    What I find astounding is that there is a significant proportion of the mistakes which will show up in a spell-checker. Justive gets a nice red wiggly line under it when I type it here - how come the headline writers don't get to see (or notice) something like that ?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 620 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Brent Jackson,

    how come the headline writers don’t get to see (or notice) something like that ?

    Justive must be ‘c’ed to be believed?

    Many errors happen in captions and headings – I’m not sure if spellchecking programs run in final layout programs, people rushing, errant digits, no one seems to check final ‘pages’ (product) any more – and Aussie subs, say no more…

    …then again, I found another couple of ‘climactics’ in a reputable science site article on climate, and spell checker won’t pick them up, only a rap on the knuckles reinforces that!

    The NZ Herald also hosts this column on marketing:
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/small-business-sme/news/article.cfm?c_id=85&objectid=11610507
    about bad marketing material – case in point the caption:

    What do you think about these six bullets points?

    Firing blanks, methinks…
    they try to get it right later on:

    What do you think about these six bullets?

    But the attempt is still ‘pointless’
    – I want to put one bullet through the copywriter…

    Please, before you create any communication be in website copy, a brochure, an advertisement, your next newsletter; before you send anything out – put your customers’ shoes on.
    1. Have you eliminated the I’s, we’s?
    2. Is it chock full of benefits to them?
    3. Is it of interest to them?
    4. Is it glorifying you. If so will they care?
    P.S. This applies on the personal explanation front to.

    Oddly they leave out proofreading – their errors have been highlighted

    I’ll give them the last word, if they don’t mind eating their own:

    Whoever put this together for them; along with whoever approved it; should be fired! Or at least severely reprimanded.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

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    The Herald has a decent little story on how much various degrees earn which shows that entering the preforming arts may not be the best idea.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

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    There’s nothing like a major media outlet blowing its our own trumpet… but what a pity they’ve mispelt the sponsor’s name. Twice.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

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    When it comes to proofreading, subs can never be too cafeful.The Herald manages to prove this on the front page of their site at the moment as well as in the headline and metatags of the story. Doh!

    Caféful – when a journo loses all literacy skills as the result of consuming too many lattés.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    the 'Can't be Stuffed Department' continues...
    Today they have a big feature on Peru
    with promoting links like:

    Peruse pulsating Peru
    Peru is as complex as its most intricate and exquisite weavings.

    Yet the story is headlined:
    More to pulsating Pura than magnificent Machu Picchu
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/south-america/78376673/more-to-pulsating-pura-than-magnificent-machu-picchu

    I can find no evidence of Pura being another name for Peru.

    Sub editors seem to have joined the legendary city builders that preceded the Inca - a lost race with mythical skills...

    This thread is starting to turn into the wonderfully funny book we used to keep in The Press proofreaders room - which recorded the errors we stopped and also the ones we missed - in a special hall of shame. I wonder what became of that after the machines took our jobs.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

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    I see your Pura Ian, and raise you a rather large joint.

    This 'latest' headline is prominent on the front page of the Herald site at the moment, and the linked story -- Cannibas protest goes up in smoke outside the White House -- has the same misspelling.

    The story is pulled from the Washington Post where the error doesn't exist, so the headline seems to have been rewritten locally for humour -- another classic Herald fail.

    Cannibas? Whatever are those Herald subbies smoking?

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • bob daktari, in reply to Alfie,

    why this person ceased blogging is beyond me given the material on offer each and every day

    http://editingtheherald.blogspot.co.nz

    auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 540 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Despite all their own shortcomings in this department The NZ Herald still makes a story out of the Met Service site having a few typos .
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11616531

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

    Lest this becomes a bash the Herald thread, it’s worth mentioning that Newshub are equally capable of poor research and typos.

    TV3 ran this story last Thursday on Stonewood Homes coming back from liquidation under its new owners. Almost everyone in Christchurch would be aware of this story, but somehow former owner Brent Mettrick became “Merrick” (1:07) and the company was captioned (1:16) as “Stonewhood”.

    Basic errors like this would never have gone to air when Phil Corkery was the ChCh bureau chief. But alas, he disappeared in Weldon’s recent cleanout.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    hark! The Herald angles…
    Meanwhile back at the NZ Herald slackness still rules the roost two of their ‘name’ columnists turn in poor work: Barry Soper thinks Key plays golf with an ex Israeli Prime Minister (Ehud Barak)

    Winston Peters raised the hackles in a blazing attack against Barak’s golfing buddy,

    That’d be ‘Barack’ (Obama) Barry to his friends, Barry…

    …and Brian Rudman launches into an attack on The Nation’s piece on the history of some of our urban statuary and memorials, I suspect without watching the segment in question (and probably spurred on by an equally ill-conceived piece on the whale oil blag – it’s not a blog really is it) – nowhere in the Phil Vine TV piece do they advocate pulling these statues down, in fact they basically say what Rudman wants them to say – which is we should know who these people are and their stories so we learn from the past.

    Rudman should just write in the comments section, he’d fit in there with all the other shallow reading reactionaries…

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Alfie,

    Stonewhood

    one of them posh silent Ws, innit

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to Sacha,

    one of them posh silent Ws, innit

    Much posher now the company's been bought by infamous brothel owners, the Chow brothers. Although I note they're being referred to in the MSM lately as "property magnates".

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to Alfie,

    property magnates

    though OTOH, given our theme of inaccurate word use in the MSM, the journos might just think "magnates" means that their properties are more ... sticky?

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Meanwhile back at the NZ Herald slackness still rules the roost two of their ‘name’ columnists turn in poor work..

    Barry Soper fails again.

    Their sharp as a tack, pinstripe suited minister Chris Finlayson conjures up the image of an MI5 chief, which gleaming shoes fit for a phone...

    The word you're looking for is "with", Barry. How hard is it to read through your finished copy and spot the obvious clangers before they're published?

    Time to bring on the subs.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    Current lead story on the Herald website is ... just not news. In any possible way. Not recent, not relevant, not local, not - nothing.

    And not the first time, either.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to Alfie,

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    Barry Soper fails again.

    The SIS report conjures up images of Inspector Clouseau with his heavy moustache and deerstalker Sherlock Holmes hat.

    I know its not Soper that is responsible for grabbing the accompanying photos but....
    FFS
    A stock photo of Sherlock instead of Clouseau.........?.
    Clouseau wears Sherlock's hat? AAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHH

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

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