Mistakes

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Everyone makes mistakes, including journalists too. Although some mistakes may seem minor, they are all important because you can learn from them in the end.

The worst mistake that a journalist can make is to spell names wrong in some peoples opinions. Irene Epstein asks, "How would you like it if the newspaper misspelled your name?" She follows this rule so close to heart that if one of her students misspells a name they get 0 for that assignment. Another mistake with names is mixing up the names.
The next big mistake is to misquote someone. It is important to get what they say correct, especially since it is worth quoting in the first place.
Another mistake is mixing up the facts. Although, it may seem like a minor detail it could make or break the story.
The last common error I am going to bring up is AP Style Book errors. Typing email instead of e-mail or not capitalizing or capitalizing a word.
The most important part of making a mistake is correcting it as soon as you know it is wrong. This will keep you a crediable and respected journalist.
"Mistakes are part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from." -Al Franken "Oh, the Things I Know" 2002

Photo Credit Via: Creative Commons

1 comments:

Maddie Boswell April 6, 2011 at 9:26 PM  

I think that proofreading is a skill that most people still need to fully develop. It seems like no matter how many times I go over things before submitting them I still wind up with typos. Following the AP stylebook has been an adjustment to me this semester, but I am finding that it is a very useful resource.

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