‘Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells’ may have moved to India
By Andrew Grant-Adamson • Jul 31st, 2006 • Category: Journalism, LanguageSince restarting Wordblog a month-and-a-half ago I have become increasing aware of the lack of a sub-editor. However long I spend reading copy, I find huge errors of grammar, punctuation and spelling creeping in. Too often, what I intended to say is less clear when read a few days later.
On the whole bloggers are too kind to point out these mistakes. Newspaper reporters have always faced readers ready to write a letter to the editor blaming “the decay of the education system” for a misplaced comma.
India too has long been a country where the correct use of English is highly regarded. Writers there may now find themselves the subject of a post on the mediaculpa blog. It is part of the Newswatch India site.
This minute examination of a front page last Friday is an example of the mediaculpa approach:
Here’s a look at the front page of today’s Times of India, Delhi edition.
Today’s lead has the same fault about inverted commas as it was with yesterday’s anchor. Single quotes are used for quotations within quotations. Elsewhere, even if it is a phrase or just a word, double quotes are used.
Incorrect use around artificial in the intro…
The post is long and certainly holds the Times of India to account. But I do wonder if “Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells” has moved to Simla.
Andrew Grant-Adamson is Andrew Grant-Adamson is a journalist who now teaches a new generation of writers, subs and editors at the University of Westminster.
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