You say "steal", I say "steel" ..tomato..tomatoe

[Grazie]

I was really trying to not say anything but I just cannot help myself...I am after all a journalism major, so I cannot let this one go - and headlines on a major newspaper like Buenos Aires Herald under today's "IRAN rejects UN speech" top headline news, is the story about.... "Thieves Steel (sic) Coppola's TETRO".
Is there anything wrong with this headline? I thought this newspaper for all its typos and daily faux pas, it is journalistically inexcusable to have a misspelled word on a headline. Newspaper is in the information business no? If BA Herald needs a proofreader, I am volunteering to do this por GRATIS but please no more misspelled words. It is just not professional!
There I said it - no need to editorialize or dissect my comment - I just thought everyone should just run and buy a copy of today's Herald (will help sales- really). Or just pass by a kiosko and look at the Herald's front page . The word "steal" is totally different from "steel" - was there any confusion about which is which and what is what?
English is the chosen language of this paper, they should have a spell checker at least if they do not want to hire a proofreader. Come on!

 

[Ernie]

Hello Grazie,It's on the online version as well!. Check www.buenosairesherald.com .They have been printing spelling mistakes for as long as I can remember... Even with words which are not pronounced the same, like "carrier" and "career". In the late 70's and into the early 80's they used to print a column called "Ramón Writes", penned by Basil Thomson, in which this character Ramón wrote letters in "English" to a friend abroad. These letters were translated literally from Argentinian slang, and resulted in expressions like:"She made a scandal of the big seven" (ella armó un escándalo de la gran siete)"Please, that you are taking me out of the little houses" (por favor, que me estás sacando de las casillas)"To father monkey with green bananas!" (a papá mono con bananas verdes!)"Why don't you go to the shell of you mother!?" (por qué no te vas a la c.... de tu madre!?)
The list goes on and on. The column was really funny! But the spelling mistakes are not!
The Herald is a rag! CheersErnie

 

[chris]

Grazie, you are right - the Herald's English is dreadful. Why don't you write a letter to the editor? The one good thing I can say about the Herald is that they are very independent and honest in their comments about Argentine politics. Ernie, the Ramon series was republished a few years ago. I agree, they are hilarious!

 

[chris]

I suggest that you send a letter to the editor stating that they were not interested in your offer. You could also contact the owners in South Carolina and ask why the paper is not adhering to minimal stnadards.

 

[Grazie]

After Ernie's advise to me yesterday, I resolved to buy the BS Herald as a POOPER SCOOPER.
Today I was laughing again because on page 2 under ODD COUPLE...84yr old woman, Volpes, with 24 yo husband in Santa Fe...the articles goes on to say that the 84 yo woman was very close to the mother of the boy "Reinaldo" and that he came to live with Volpes after the boy's mother died...here is comes..."the BROOM was only fifteen by then..." Can you get a load of that?...
Ernie, as you said it is a rag, hey?...POOPER SCOOPER ...I think I can spell that.Wynnswoods, I am glad you too have a good sense of humor about this.
If they are too busy to do proper spell checking and proof reading, I will continue to buy it every other day and use the "rag" as mentioned above. It really is funny - in a sad sort of way.

 

[chris]

I think the Herald runs on a shoe string budget. It's owned by a company in South Carolina that also owns several other papers. It would seem that the owners take little interest in the Herald. In their defense, they are very honest in their comments about Argentine politics. Some of the columns are very useful sources of information.

 

[tangobob]

I think you will find that spell cheque will not pick up there mistakes like dose.
But seriously this happens in all papers, in the rush to the printers such errors are often overlooked. The Guardian became so famous for it's mistakes it was known by many as the Grudian.
As long as their english is better than my spanish I will be happy.