OOC#2: My Heart Was Broken

One of you guys came pretty close to writing one of the best stories sofar in JRN 200. Close, but not close enough: a name was misspelled. Twice. You know what that means. This is what I wrote to the student:

ASSIGNMENT GRADE: 1.0 (1 FATAL FACT ERROR)

INSTRUCTOR’S COMMENTS: THIS FATAL REALLY BREAKS MY HEART BECAUSE YOU DID SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB ON THIS STORY. BUT JOURNALISM ISN’T ABOUT WRITING; IT’S ABOUT GETTING IT RIGHT, AND THE MOST BASIC FACT IS A NAME. PLEASE DO CONSIDER DOING A REWRITE FOR THIS; SIMPLY FIXING THE NAME FATALS WILL RESULT INA SUBSTANTIAL BOOST IN THE ASSIGNMENT GRADE. AND GOING FORWARD, PLEASE MAKE SURE WE ARE PROPERLY CHECKING OUR WORK, NOUN BY NOUN AND NUMBER BY NUMBER AND TITLE BY TITLE AND SUCH. YOU’RE DOING GREAT WORK IN THIS CLASS, BUT WE NEED TO BE AS VIGILANT AS WE ARE HARD-WORKING AND TALENTED.

Sadly, this wasn't the only instance of someone writing a great story but fataling a name. Please, don't let anyone else learn this the hard way.

Lawsuit: You And Me Are (Almost) Fatal-Free!

The good news is, we had only TWO of us fact-fatal this time. We've had as many as eight do so in any one assignment lately, so this is progress.

The bad news is, we had a number of people who failed to turn in the assignment. And that's really bad. The 0.0 we get for missing an assignment is far, far worse than the 1.0 we get for a fact fatal. Here's why:

The worst thing we can do in journalism -- even worse than getting a fatal -- is to blow off an assignment. A newspaper can't go to print with blank spots in the pages, and a 30-minute newscast can't to to air without content that fills up all 30 minutes. That means in the media business, you can never miss a deadline.

And yes, to reinforce good habits and deter bad ones, assignments that are not done will have a much more severe impact on your final grade than fatals will, and if I have to use a tie-breaker in determining your final grade, the first categories I will use will be whether you blew off any assignments, since that tells me how seriously you are taking this class.

I express that value in the grading scale. Everything we do in here translates to a 1,000-point scale to which your grade is converted to a smaller subset of points that add up toward that. So when we get a 4.0 you get 100 percent of points, a 3.9 gets us 99 points, a 3.8 gets 98, and so forth.

And under that scale, a fact fatal that gets us a 1.0 still gets us 70 points. If we screw up an assignment so bad that we get a 0.1, that's still 61 points.

But a 0.0 is zero points. At a 0.1, we're closer to a 4.0 than a 0.0.

Again, that's to emphasize that missing your deadline is simply not an option in the media biz. We always need to hit our deadlines. Every single time.

Beyond that, none of us can afford to miss a single assignment because we need the practice! This semester we're working on out-of-class stories (which are our biggest projects that most impact your final grade), and the best way to make sure you're writing it in a proper journalistic manner is to have opportunities with these practice stories to try our best, review our work, keep applying good habits and learn how to fix our bad ones.

We can't do that if we don't do that.

Again, the more you tell me you are unreliable as a journalist by skipping assignments and not showing up without a valid excuse, the more I will recognize that in your final grade. I can work with you if you give me an assignment that's not up to snuff -- and so can an editor in a real-world setting -- but I can't work with nothing, and I can't work with you if you're not here. Neither can your future bosses.

Rescue: Fatals

Included ...

PROBLEM: We spelled the middle name of the boy as both Roger and Rogers. It was the former.

SOLUTION: We really need to make sure we are giving just as much time to fact-checking after we finish writing as we are actually writing. Avoiding fatals has nothing to do with talent, just vigilance. Please review the fact-checking strategy posts from earlier this semester (that you can find here) and make changes to your proofreading habits as needed.

Here is a very basic strategy I think would help: when finished writing but before sending, print out your story. Then, on the printed copy circle every noun (person, place or thing), number, title, address and quote. Then, go through each circled item and check them against the book. As you check and certify that they are correct, put an X-mark over each circle. I promise you that you will catch 95 percent of fatals this way, if you do it carefully and thoroughly. 

****

PROBLEM: We said the collapse happened at 4:10 p.m., when in fact it happened at 4:40 p.m.

SOLUTION: Same as above, as times are numbers that need to be double-checked for accuracy.

**** 

PROBLEM: We said the collapse took place overlooking a pound, when in fact it was a pond. A spelling error that creates a new word and a change of meaning is a fatal.

SOLUTION: This is an example of a spelling error that spell check won't catch, because the error creates a correctly-spelled but unintended word. After all, pound is spelled correctly, if we were trying to spell pound (which means, among other things, an enclosure where animals or lawbreakers are kept). Problem was,  we were trying to spell pond, as in, a small body of water.

One more time: spell check is a supplement to -- but not a substitute for --  checking your story fact-by-fact, line-by-line, and quote-by-quote to ensure accuracy.

**** 

PROBLEM: We spelled the last name of Chenn name as Chen, with one too few N's.

SOLUTION: Same as earlier noted. No such thing as a small error, either we're right or wrong in the same way you can't be a little bit dead.

**** 

Learning to write isn't journalism. Learning to organize information isn't all of journalism. Putting in a system of checking facts before, during and after writing and organizing information is what makes this kind of writing and organizing known as journalism.

The good news is, many of my previous classes had fatals binges, especially early in the semester when we're still reconciling balancing speed and accuracy. The fact is, most people in previous classes get two or three or four fatals in practice stories over the course of the semester, and still end up with a solid grade.

The bad news is, some of us have already used up our three or so fatals. We have to buckle up and start avoiding 'em here and there.

Still, while this is discouraging, let's not get discouraged. The whole point of these exercises -- and getting fatals, too -- is to learn by doing, reviewing what was done, learning what could be done better, and then applying those lessons the next time.

And that's what we're going to do here, by redoubling our efforts to carefully fact-check everything we write.

In a previous blog post, I offered a number of cut-and-pasted handouts on good fact-checking habits. I'm not in the business of handing things out just to be busy; those handouts included many tips we should be integrating into our routines, so we can become relatively fatal-free. You can link directly to those handouts right here.

Let's not let these bad times go to waste. Rather, let's use these mistakes as an opportunity to identify where we tend to trip up and how we can do better the next time, and as motivation to follow through with rigorous fact-checking from here on out.   

Meeting/Police: Fatalspalooza

This is the time of the semester fatals should be trending down. But what I'm seeing is that they're trending up. This is not good.

Keep in mind, this list contains fatals from TWO assignments, so it looks a lot longer than usual. Still, these are more fatals that we should be seeing by now. Many of them fall under the general lack-of-attention-to-detail category, but the first one is a huge fundamental concern.

A quick recap of some of our fatals:

**** 

PROBLEM: We quote DaRoza as saying, "I'm not injured."

SOLUTION: This is a big problem, because DaRoza never said that to us. Yes, he said in the police report that he was unhurt, but we CAN NEVER quote someone who hasn't spoken to us. Plus, we CANNOT make up wording that approximates what we know he said, and then put that approximation in quotes.

Quotes can ONLY be used to represent EXACTLY what was said to us, or to cite something from a document EXACTLY as-is, with proper attribution included.

By creating quote approximating what was said by a source in a document, and then attributing it not to the document but to the individual, we've created a non-existent quote and inferred we had a conversation we never had.

In journalism, this is considered making up stuff, and making up stuff is an unpardonable sin in the industry. Doing either of these things will almost certainly get you fired, and make your chances of ever getting rehired by anyone else in journalism. It's that serious.

Now, do I think you intended to make things up? Not at all, no. But intentions don't matter; this comes across as making up facts and scenarios. For us to make it in this business, we MUST know the difference, and never make a mistake.

Again, let's be clear: quotes can only contain exactly what was said. And attribution must be credited precisely to how we got the info. We can NEVER get these wrong, ever.  

**** 
  
PROBLEM: We said the superintendent got a raise from $10,000 to $137,000, when in fact it was a raise of $10,000 (from $127,000) to $137,000.

SOLUTION: Take time to review material before we start writing to make sure we understand what we are about to write, and then after writing carefully review what we wrote to make sure what we wrote was what we intended to write and is, in fact, correct.

**** 

PROBLEM: Inside of a quote we spelled too as to. Any misspelling within a quote is a fatal.

SOLUTION: After we finish writing, we compare every word of every quote in our story against what we have in our notes and/or the book, to make sure what we wrote was exactly what we intended to write.

****

PROBLEM: We spelled the first name of Claire Sawyer as Clair, without the "e" at the end.

SOLUTION: You know this one: double-check all spellings of any noun (person, place or thing), statistical unit and quotes to make sure what you wrote is correct.

**** 

PROBLEM: We identified Claire Sawyer as Chris Sawyer.

SOLUTION: Same as above.

**** 

PROBLEM: We spelled the last name of Adler as Alder, with the L and D reversed. Two of us did this!

SOLUTION: You know this one. We just need to do it, every time, with no exceptions.

Plus, this is a situation where if we blindly clicked on every suggested change offered by spell check, we may have inserted an error into the story. That's because Adler isn't a word (it's just a name, which is something spell check generally doesn't recognize as a word); it would probably suggest we change it to Alder, which is a word (it's a noun meaning, a reddish type of wood from the genus Alnus).

If we weren't paying attention and just clicking on all recommended changes, then this may have happened to us. Given the rate of this mistake being made, I strongly suspect it happened at least once.

Just another reason why spell check is a supplement to, but not a substitute for, checking your work with your own eyes, line-by-line, noun-by-noun, number-by-number and and quote-by-quote. 

****

PROBLEM: We spelled the last name of a school board member as Vacante and Vancate.

SOLUTION: Properly proofreadfing the story using your own eyes would have revealed two spellings for one name, for which at least one has to be wrong. That should have prompted us to then double-check what the correct spelling was in the text, and that would have indicated both spellings were wrong.

****

PROBLEM: We spelled the name of the town as Grand Ledge and Grande Ledge.

SOLUTION: Same as above.

****

PROBLEM: We say Okemos Police responded to the robbery. Although the robbery was in Okemos, the responding police agency was the Ingham County Sheriff's Department.

SOLUTION: Don't assume; make sure you understand all the facts as they are before we start writing. We need to be precise with names. Be sure to double-check the spellings of ALL names-- whether of people or businesses or pets or towns or whatever -- both before and after writing.

**** 

PROBLEM: We referred to Terry DaRoza as a she. In the report, DaRoza is referred to as a he.

SOLUTION: Again, pay attention to details. Assume nothing and check everything.

**** 

PROBLEM: We said the second suspect fled in a Toyota Celica. But the report said the car was towed.

SOLUTION: Same as above.

**** 

PROBLEM: We said the robbery took place at 1:15 p.m. (the afternoon/midday), when in fact it was 1:15 a.m. (early morning/overnight hours).

SOLUTION: Again, same. Attention to detail, double-check everything.

**** 

Learning to write isn't journalism. Learning to organize information isn't all of journalism. Putting in a system of checking facts before, during and after writing and organizing information is what makes this kind of writing and organizing known as journalism.

The good news is, many of my previous classes had fatals binges, especially early in the semester when we're still reconciling balancing speed and accuracy. The fact is, most people in previous classes get two or three or four fatals in practice stories over the course of the semester, and still end up with a solid grade.

The bad news is, some of us have already used up our three or so fatals. We have to buckle up and start avoiding 'em here and there.

Still, while this is discouraging, let's not get discouraged. The whole point of these exercises -- and getting fatals, too -- is to learn by doing, reviewing what was done, learning what could be done better, and then applying those lessons the next time.

And that's what we're going to do here, by redoubling our efforts to carefully fact-check everything we write.

In a previous blog post, I offered a number of cut-and-pasted handouts on good fact-checking habits. I'm not in the business of handing things out just to be busy; those handouts included many tips we should be integrating into our routines, so we can become relatively fatal-free. You can link directly to those handouts right here.

Let's not let these bad times go to waste. Rather, let's use these mistakes as an opportunity to identify where we tend to trip up and how we can do better the next time, and as motivation to follow through with rigorous fact-checking from here on out. 

Missing: Fatals Recap

Fatals included ...

PROBLEM: When we meant to say deadbeat dads, we said deadbeat dates. That misspelling creates a change in meaning, and a change in meaning is a fatal.

SOLUTION: Check your work word-by-word with your own eyes after we finish writing to make sure what we wrote is correct and what you intended to write. And don't simply rely on spell check; spell check wouldn't have helped here because our misspelling of exclaimed created a correctly-spelled explained, which was an unintended word. Spell check is a supplement to, but not a substitute for, checking our stories line-by-line, item-by-item, quote-by-quote and word-by-word.

**** 

PROBLEM: We spelled the town's name as East Lasing when in fact it's East Lansing, with two N's.

SOLUTION: Same as above.

**** 

Something to note: we're seeing the exact same mistakes reappear. Rarely is it a huge error; it's almost always something small that is a simple case of failing to properly proof a story.

Early on in this class, I talked about how doing all the little routine things in journalism -- like thoroughly checking your work to make sure what you wrote was what you intended to write, and that it was accurate as compared to your notes and the facts -- was something that you could never take for granted. It's not.

And it has nothing to do with talent, just vigilance. In the same way American can have the best army in the world, it doesn't really matter if the one night the army takes the night off, Canada decides to invade us.

Or if we're trying to stay in shape, and instead of running our miles every day we start to cut corners and slack here and there. Eventually, the pounds will start showing.

The fact is, you could be the world's best journalist, and you still have to do all the little and annoying things -- like checking routine facts -- if you want to stay ahead of making mistakes. Because when you're processing thousands of words a day in a professional environment and on deadline, a mistake is always waiting to catch you at a lax moment and bite your ass.

It's why The New York Times has the best journalists in the world, yet they still have a copy desk.

So there's no big thing to learn from the fatals, other than if we want to do things the right way, we have to do things the right way completely and each and every time.

This job isn't about writing. It's about getting it right. We have to start making sure we're following all the steps, every time. No more short cuts. No more assumptions.

Each and every one of you is capable of doing this, and doing it well. But we need to do all the things we're supposed to do for that to happen.

Squirrels: Fewer Fatals, But Still ...

The good news is, we're having fewer fatals. The bad news is, we're still having some fatals. Here's samples of the latest:

PROBLEM: We identified Lansing Community College as East Lansing Community College.

SOLUTION: This will sound familiar: We need to be precise with names. Be sure to double-check the spellings of ALL names-- whether of people or businesses or pets or towns or whatever -- both before and after writing.

*** 

PROBLEM: We identified the campus as Michigan State University, when in fact it was Lansing Community College.

SOLUTION: Same as above. Don't assume; make sure you understand all the facts as they are before we start writing.

*** 

PROBLEM: When we meant to say furry critters (as in, small animals), we said furry fritters (small cakes made of batter). That misspelling creates a change in meaning, and a change in meaning is a fatal.

SOLUTION: Check your work word-by-word with your own eyes after we finish writing to make sure what we wrote is correct and what you intended to write. And don't simply rely on spell check; spell check wouldn't have helped here because our misspelling of exclaimed created a correctly-spelled explained, which was an unintended word. Spell check is a supplement to, but not a substitute for, checking our stories line-by-line, item-by-item, quote-by-quote and word-by-word.

*** 
  
Overall, I see you are starting to build in good fact-checking habits, and that's what we want. But do be warned: accuracy is not a matter of talent, but of vigilance. We have to keep doing all the right things, the right way, every time. Otherwise, we fall right back to where they are.

It's like staying in physical shape. As long as you run your five miles a day and do your 200 sit-ups, you stay in shape. But as soon as you start cutting corners -- maybe you just do 50 sit-ups, or skip a day of running here and there -- the flab comes right back.

You can be a great athlete, but if you're out of shape, you won't be great., Rigorously fact-checking and proof-reading our work is how we stay in journalistic shape. So don't let up.

I am sorry to say, however, we did have a couple of people who didn't turn in the assignment at all. Don't let this turn into a habit. Each practice story is only a small part of your final grade, but they can  add up quickly. Especially when combined with the two or three or four fatals that most people historically get over the course of a semester in this class.

And make sure you don't fatal in ANY way -- whether it's a fact fatal or a time fatal -- on the out-of-class stories. Those are such a big part of your final grade that a fatal could really cripple your final grade, or send you into a frenzy of extra-credit work to dig out of that hole.

So, you are warned. But the good news is, many of you are showing me that you're up for the challenge.

Robbery: Fatal Errors

Our fatals include:

PROBLEM: We said the clerk's name was just Michael Ernest when in fact it was Michael Ernest Layoux.

SOLUTION: We need to be precise with names. Be sure to double-check the spellings of ALL names-- whether of people or businesses or pets or towns or whatever -- both before and after writing.

***

PROBLEM: We spelled the town's name as Haslet when in fact it's Haslett, with two T's.

SOLUTION: Same as above.

*** 

PROBLEM: We spelled the last name of the clerk as both Weiss and Wiess, when in fact it is the latter.

SOLUTION: Double-check the spellings of all names, titles, addresses, etc. before writing to make sure you have the information correct in your head; double-check all that after you finish writing to make sure what you wrote down was correct; and when doing the latter look for inconsistencies that reveal an error: for example, spelling one last name two different ways. One obviously has to be wrong.

*** 

PROBLEM: We wrote a quote saying, "The only thing I could figure his that he wanted to shoot me ... " when in fact the quote was, "The only thing I could figure was that he wanted to shoot me ... " (italics mine).

SOLUTION: After finishing writing, carefully review all quotes in their entirety to make sure what we wrote is exactly what was said. Spell check wouldn't have helped here, since the misspellings created correctly-spelled but unintended words.

Plus, we need to remember that quotes must be EXACTLY what was said, EXACTLY the way it was said. Close enough isn't close enough, and the same meaning isn't good enough. If you stray away from the most literal quote, then switch it to a paraphrase. 

***

Is that being nit-picky? No; that's journalism. Giving people accurate information that has been carefully vetted is what we do. Early in the semester, I called journalism a "discipline of verification." This is what I meant.

Learning to write isn't journalism. Learning to organize information isn't all of journalism. Putting in a system of checking facts before, during and after writing and organizing information is what makes this kind of writing and organizing known as journalism.

Still, while this is discouraging, let's not get discouraged. The whole point of these exercises -- and getting fatals, too -- is to learn by doing, reviewing what was done, learning what could be done better, and then applying those lessons the next time.

And that's what we're going to do here, by redoubling our efforts to carefully fact-check everything we write.

Earlier this semester in a pair of blog posts, I posted an accuracy checklist and a list of ways to avoid inaccuracies. I would strongly suggest that you revisit those two blog posts, and begin incorporating its suggestions in your writing routines. You can link to the exact post right here.

I've said it before, and I'll say it a bazillion more times before the semester ends: journalism isn't about writing; it's about getting it right.   

Final Ledes: Watch Your Facts!

Fatal errors included ...

PROBLEM: In one lede we referred to Constance Wei as a congresswoman; in fact, only members of the U.S. Congress are congressmen or congresswomen. Members of state legislatures (like Wei) are not. If Wei was a U.S. representative then she would be a congresswoman, but as a state representative she's just a representative. This is akin to calling a governor a president, so it's a fatal error.

SOLUTION: I know what you meant to say, but it's not what you said. Please be sure to use the correct words correctly as to avoid saying something you didn't mean to say.

*** 

PROBLEM: In another lede we said Wei crashed into fellow Rep. Peter Mackey; in fact, Wei's car hit a vehicle driven by Michael Jeffrys while Wei spoke via phone to Mackey. That's a fatal.

SOLUTION: As we've said in earlier blog posts, it's critical that we spend time before we start writing to make sure we understand exactly how things went down, and after we finish writing we need to do more than proofread for spelling errors; we need to make sure that the facts as we wrote the story match the facts as indicated in our notes.  

***

PROBLEM: In one story we spelled the widow's name as the common spelling of Olivia; in fact, it was the uncommon Olivida.

SOLUTION: We need to be precise with names. Be sure to double-check the spellings of ALL names-- whether of people or businesses or pets -- both before and after writing. Don't assume a name is the common spelling; make sure it's right.

***

In this class, we have to make sure we double-check our facts and get it right. As we've said before, journalism isn't about writing; it's about getting it right. It doesn't matter how well something is written (and this is written well) if the audience can't trust the reliability of what's there.

In journalism, there's no such thing as a small error. For example, if we can't get a small thing right (like someone's title), why would the audience think we could get the big things right? Any fact error undermines our credibility and reliability, and in many ways the small ones are more damaging.

  

Let's make sure we're spending a good chunk of time making sure we understand the facts (like, who hit whom) before we start writing, and afterwards let's make sure we're devoting a serious amount of time to make sure we wrote what we intended to write (and make sure we didn't write that we hit who we were talking to, instead of who we actually hit).

A proper double-check would have caught it.

More Ledes: Watch Your Facts

During this semester, we will review serious fact errors -- known as a "fatal" -- in hopes of learning lessons on what kinds of mistakes are common, and what we need to watch for and avoid.

Let's start with this lede:

PROBLEM: We said the dead driver hit a dog, two trees and a fence. In fact, he swerved to avoid the dog before he hit the trees and fence.

SOLUTION: Before we start writing, take time to make sure we correctly understand how things went down. Then, after we finish, we don't simply proof for spelling errors; we go through the story and make sure what we wrote factually lines up with the actual narrative of events. Only then we hit the "send" button.

*** 

PROBLEM: We said college students came up with the African animal transplant idea, when in fact it was professors that came up with it.

SOLUTION: Same as above. 

*** 

PROBLEM: We spelled the name of the store at Quick Shoppe when in fact it was Quik Shoppe, with no "c" in Quik.

SOLUTION: Same as above. We need to be precise with names. Be sure to double-check the spellings of ALL names-- whether of people or businesses or pets -- both before and after writing. 

***

PROBLEM: In one lede we said, Husband-to-be Scot Forsythe was slain in his vehicle after attempting to dodge a dog a half-mile away from where he was to be married fifteen minutes later. But slain means, killed by someone else; Forsythe died accidentally on his own. Plus, Scott has two T's, not one.

SOLUTION: Make sure the words we use correctly represent the situation and do not create an unintended change in meaning. Plus, double-check spellings of names. Close isn't close enough; we have to be dead-on.

*** 


Is that being nit-picky? No; that's journalism. Giving people accurate information that has been carefully vetted is what we do. Early in the semester, I called journalism a "discipline of verification." This is what I meant.

Learning to write isn't journalism. Learning to organize information isn't all of journalism. Putting in a system of checking facts before, during and after writing and organizing information is what makes this kind of writing and organizing known as journalism.

Still, while this is discouraging, let's not get discouraged. The whole point of these exercises -- and getting fatals, too -- is to learn by doing, reviewing what was done, learning what could be done better, and then applying those lessons the next time.

And that's what we're going to do here, by redoubling our efforts to carefully fact-check everything we write.

Earlier this semester in a pair of blog posts, I posted an accuracy checklist and a list of ways to avoid inaccuracies. I would strongly suggest that you revisit those two blog posts, and begin incorporating its suggestions in your writing routines. You can link to the exact post right here.

I've said it before, and I'll say it a bazillion more times before the semester ends: journalism isn't about writing; it's about getting it right.  

More Ledes: Meeting Deadlines

One of us did a really solid job on this assignment. Crisp ledes, filled with the most important details, presented in a way to emphasize meaning and context.

Problem was, the time stamp on the email said it was received at 9:10 a.m. The deadline was 9 a.m. It was 10 minutes late. Just 10 minutes, right?

Wrong. When it comes to deadlines, there's no such thing as, just anything. That's an automatic 0.0.

Is there a journalistic value reason for that? You bet. An editor can work with a piece o' crap story, no matter how bad it is. They can fix it and clean it up sufficiently as long as they have it. But they can't work with nothing. Nor can you fill up a newspaper page or a TV script with nothing.

Think about it: have you ever watched the 11 o'clock news, when they've started the show by saying, "Our scripts aren't ready yet; come back in 10 minutes"? Me neither. That's because it simply isn't allowed to happen. And those who may be tardy with the occasional deadline are soon asked to find something else to do for a living.

It's a lesson I'd rather have you appreciate the severity of in this class, than on your first internship or job. Here, it's a shitty grade on one assignment. Out there, it's a derailment of your professional career. 

It's your responsibility to make sure you don't forget an assignment, as it is in the real world. It's your responsibility that you're not even one second late on your deadline, as it is in the real world. And as in the real world, it's your responsibility to make sure your assignment is routed to the right place, which in this case is omars@msu.edu.

Them's the breaks, folks. It sucks, but let's at least learn from these errors so we don't repeat 'em.

First Ledes: Use The Right Words!

Let's look at this lede:

      The Centers of Disease Control concluded from a study that the length of an average American wedding is dependent on factors other than just people growing apart after time.

We have a problems here: we listed the name of the organization as the Center of Disease Control. That is not the name; according to what we were given, it is the Centers (not Center) for (not of) Disease Control.

In journalism, we must get names precisely correct. No wiggle room. As noted in the syllabus:

Fact errors: Inaccurate information, misspelling a proper name, a misquotation or an error that changes the meaning of a story automatically drops a grade to a maximum of 1.0 (e.g., President “Barack Obamma” or “Department of Transport”).       

So, this is the first "fatal" of the semester. I'm not pointing this out to be a jerk; rather, it's to remind each and every one of us that journalism isn't about writing; it's about getting it right. That means we need to use names and facts precisely. That means we have to be sure to double-check our work to ensure that we used the right terms and facts, the right way.

In this assignment, each component was its own grade. So, instead of dropping the overall grade to a 1.0, it dropped it to a 3.0, with three components getting full credit. 

It wasn't our only fatal. In another exercise, we reported the fire department's pole-sliding was a centuries-old tradition (plural), when in fact it was a century-old tradition (singular). Yes, it changes the meaning from one hundred years to hundreds of years, so it is a fatal.

In an earlier blog post, we talked about using precise language, and using language correctly. This is an example of why; so we can convey the correct meaning, exactly as we intended and without risk of confusion.

A bigger problem we had was that one of us didn't do this assignment. The fastest way to struggle in this class is to miss assignments, since the final grade is based on a compilation of scores. And a low score is better than no score at all.

Proofreading: Three Checklists

Before we start doing stories, I think it's prudent to introduce everyone to these three fact-checking and proofreading lists I offer in my JRN 200 classes.

Please take a look at the suggestions here, and either work them into a regular routine that best works for you or make sure your existing routine is up to snuff.

*****

ACCURACY CHECKLIST FOR JOURNALISTS

Created by the Reynolds School for Business Journalism

Distributed by the Poynter Institute for Journalism

Instructions

After completing your story, use the down arrow on your keyboard to highlightand then complete each of these checks.

I. Facts

Check these first three items while your story is on the screen:

1. Run spell-check, review suggestions and correct any actual errors.
2. Click hyperlinks.
3. Call phone numbers.

Use a printout of the story for the remaining checks:

4. Put a ruler under each line as you read the text. Underline every fact, and then double-check each one, including:

a) Names and titles of people, places and companies - Also, does each second reference (Jones) have a first reference (Mary Jones)?

b) Numbers and calculations - Do the numbers add up? Is it millions or billions? Are the percentages correct?

c) Dates and ages - Watch references to “next month/last month” when the month is changing.

d) Quotes - Are quotes accurate and properly attributed? Have you fully captured what each person meant?

e) Superlatives - What’s your source that something is the biggest, oldest, etc.?

II. Grammar

5. Check each sentence for correct use of:

a) Subject-verb agreement - Also, are you consistent in your use of either the present or the past tense to tell the story?

b) Pronoun-noun agreement.

c) Plurals and possessives.

d) Punctuation.

III. Spelling

6. Read the story backwards, checking the spelling of each word. Use a dictionary.

IV. Fairness and context

7. Terms - Define or eliminate unfamiliar terms, such as acronyms and jargon.

8. Fairness - Have all stakeholders been contacted and given a chance to talk?

9. Missing - Does the story leave any important question unanswered?

10. Context - Does the reader have the context to understand the story?

V. Your own common errors (for example, if you have a habit of getting dates wrong, misspelling names, ect.) 

11. ____________________________________________

12.____________________________________________

VI. Final checks

13. Read the story aloud.

14. Have someone else read it.  

15. Accompanying elements - Run the previous checks on the story's headlines, captions, sidebars, photos, graphics, videos, interactive media and podcasts. Check for inconsistencies.

*****

CHECKLIST ON AVOIDING ACCURACY PROBLEMS 

Reporting isn't just about habits; it's also about a mindset that nothing is assumed and everything needs to be cross-checked for accuracy. This is a modified version of an editor's checklist on how to help reporters avoid inaccuracy problems by having the right skeptical mindset. I think there are some tips worth following. Let's take a look: 

Problem: Not detail-oriented. Plan to ask at least five extra questions not covered in your assignment that go into greater detail; keep asking clarifying questions.

Problem: Making assumptions. Reports should back up statements in story with evidence; reporters should take their time and not rush during interviews; reporters should self-edit religiously and ask themselves if they can back up what they are writing; reporters should ask sources follow-up questions; reporters should ask the obvious questions to make sure they're not assuming; reporters should ask, "How do you know that? and "how do I know that?" of themselves and sources.

Problem: Interviewing confusion. Reporters shouldn't be shy about asking sources to slow down or repeat something; reporters ask "can you elaborate?" or say, "I don't understand"; reporters can repeat the information back to the source in their own words and give the source the opportunity to correct them; reporters can go back over direct quotes with the source; reporters can make a recording of events or interviews that can be checked.

Problem: Relying on out-of-date information. Never type something before you've checked it; always ask sources for an updated title; do research ahead of time; check Web sites for the last time they were updated and if it's been more than one year, then the information might be old; check the date on press releases.

Problem: Time constraints. Plan ahead for a long day -- start doing research the night before or get up early to get all your reporting done on time; overestimate the time everything will take; start writing what you know while waiting for that last callback, it might also help you find out earlier what you don't know; don't multitask during the editing process; keep fact-checking.

Problem: Exaggerating/using more powerful words than your reporting shows. Use precise language; use self-discipline and resist the urge to overwrite or overstate the facts; always attribute it. If you can't attribute some part of your story, then perhaps your words are wrong; reporters should use balanced reporting and make sure that it's reflected in the writing of the story; reporters should put the facts in the proper context.

Problem: Relying on unreliable sources. Reporters can ask sources for another source or documents to back up what they tell you; reporters should vet sources' credibility during interviews. Does what they're saying make sense? Always ask, "How do you know that?" 

*****

Get Your Eagle Eye On: 10 Tips for Proofreading Your Own Work

A guest post by Leah McClellan of Peaceful Planet

The best blog post I read this morning—of many—is good. Very good, actually. It flows. It’s fresh. It has a rhythm that drew me in and made me want to read every word. The ideas are thought-provoking.

But how much more enjoyable would it have been if I didn’t have to reread certain sections to make sure I was getting the gist of things? How much better would the post be if I didn’t hesitate at it’s instead of its and there instead of they’re? How much intended meaning and power was lost over a lack of subject-verb agreement or commas that might have been better placed?

Tripping, stumbling, and hesitating over misspelled words or ill-placed punctuation is like watching a TV show with a shaky cable signal or trying to talk while a cell phone connection is breaking up—the reader is jostled right out of the story the writer is telling.

If the errors are too big or too many, I’m outta there.

This writer intentionally broke a lot of rules in his 1100-word article, and he broke them well. Sentence fragments clustered together as ideas to ponder, a long list of items without commas that symbolizes repetitive drivel, the same word repeated over and over in a few short sentences to pound in a point. Good stuff and well done, for the most part.

Some grammar and punctuation rules can—and should—be broken, when you know what the rules are and how to break them effectively. But the lack of solid proofreading in this piece is like cake without icing, pottery without glaze, or a fine piece of wood in need of a polish. The writer didn’t step back and get his Eagle Eye on.

“Come on,” you chortle. “It’s hard to proofread your own work. And who notices anyway?”

Believe it or not, lots of people notice unless they’re just scanning. And it’s quite possible that many of those scanners might linger on every word you write if typos and bloopers and unintentionally-broken punctuation or grammar rules weren’t making them stumble and wonder and lose their focus.

Typos and errors break up the “voice” that readers are trying to hear as they read your written words.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a freelancer, a blogger, a student, or anyone who writes for any reason. Most of us don’t have proofreaders or a skilled family member or friend to help us out on a regular basis. And if you’re submitting work to an agent or publisher or a big blog for consideration, why let typos and mistakes clutter and cloud the brilliant work you want them to read?

Any time you write something, you want readers to enjoy and appreciate your masterpiece. It’s your baby, an extension of yourself. Take good care of it.

Writing and editing is art. Proofreading is science.

So says Rushang Shah, President of Gramlee.com, an online editing service with editors behind the scenes constantly proofreading and copyediting. Rushang says that “all proofreading and copyediting involves the human element, and that’s why computers cannot replace a proofreader.”

Proofreading your own work can be challenging, it’s true. You already know the story, you already have a picture in your mind of what to expect and, as a result, you tend to skim over words and groups of words. Plus, you know your own voice and, even if there are errors in your writing, you don’t “hear” them or see them because you’re in a hurry, and your mind fills in the blanks as you skim over things. You might be daydreaming—even if you’re reading out loud.

If you have a system, though, proofreading can be like doing a quality check on an assembly line. It’s just busy work, really, and not very creative at all. But it’s so important.

Here are some tips to help you get your Eagle Eye on and proofread your own work like a pro.

1. Don’t proofread until you’re completely finished with the actual writing and editing. If you make major changes while proofreading, even if it’s just within sentences, you’re still in an artistic, creative mode, not a science mode.

2. Make sure you have no distractions or potential interruptions. Shut down email and social media, hide the cell phone, shut off the TV, radio, or music, and close the door. Print your document if you need to get away from the computer altogether.

3. Forget the content or story. Analyze sentence by sentence; don’t read in your usual way. Focus on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Work backwards, if that helps, or say the words and sentences out loud. Concentrate.

4. Make several passes for different types of errors. Try checking spelling and end punctuation on one pass, grammar and internal punctuation on another, and links or format on yet another pass. Develop a system.

5. Take notes. If you notice a format issue while checking spelling or if you need to look something up, make a quick note and come back to it so you don’t lose your focus.

6. If you do make a last-minute change to a few words, be sure to check the entire sentence or even paragraph over again. Many errors are the result of changes made without adjusting other, related words.

7. Check facts, dates, quotes, tables, references, text boxes, and anything repetitive or outside of the main text separately. Focus on one element or several related aspects of your writing at a time.

8. Monitor yourself. If you find yourself drifting off and thinking about something else, go back over that section again. Try slapping your hand or tapping a foot in a rhythm as you examine each word and sentence out loud.

9. Get familiar with your frequent mistakes. Even the most expreienced writer mixes up their, they’re, and there or too, two, and to. When I’m tried or writing fast, I right what I here in my mind and just get careless. Not a big deal. That’s what proofreading is for. You caught those errors, didn’t you?

10. Check format last. Every document has format, even an email, whether it’s paragraph spacing, text wrap, indentations, spaces above and below a bullet list or between subheadings and text, and so on. Leave this for the end because contents may shift during handling.

You already know better than to rely on spell-check, so I won’t belabor the point except to say that “wear form he untied stats” doesn’t bother spell-check but it might get an American in trouble at a customs checkpoint.

What if you don’t quite know what you’re looking for while proofreading?

Do you know basic comma rules, how to use a semi-colon, or when to use who orwhom? You might have an excellent sense of what things should look like or sound like, especially if you’re an avid reader, but if you don’t know basic grammar and punctuation rules, proofreading might be guesswork, at best, with doubtful results, at worst. Why not make your life easier and your writing better? Take some time to learn basic rules from some online resources I consult when I need help:

Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips

Purdue Online Writing Lab: General Writing Resources

Oxford Dictionaries: Better Writing

GrammarBook.com

You can also download a free copy of The Handy-Dandy Everybody’s Guide to Proofreading over at my blog, Peaceful Planet.

Don’t let mistakes tarnish your work of art, whether it’s a research paper, a blog post, a query letter, or business communication. And remember, proofreading is not the same as writing and editing. It’s not about creativity; it’s a science that needs a system. Follow these tips and create your own system, and you’ll have your Eagle Eye on in no time.

Leah McClellan is a freelance writer, copyeditor, proofreader, gardener, vegetarian, and animal lover who dreams of world peace and writes about communication atPeaceful Planet.