Who's Been Dumbed - The Cricketer, The Journalist or The Editor?

You've got to wonder if proofreading skills are utilised by journalists at all nowadays. If you get dropped from a team you have been "dumped", not dumbed. I think the journalist just dumbed-down his writing skills.

Who's the dumb one - the cricketer or the journalist?

Disappointing Sports Journalist

Very disappointed to hear the following on News Radio when I woke up and an hour and a half later on the way to work;
"Adelaide Utd and Perth Glory played out a 1-0 draw yesterday..."

Where has the professionalism gone in journalism? Surely somebody could've tapped the sports reader, who was obviously without a sporting bone in his body, on the shoulder and corrected the script.

posted from Bloggeroid

Google Bias, Much?

Google bias, much? Two chances to spell Microsoft properly and failed miserably.
And Google Shrugged – The Insane Fundamentalist Dream of Boycotting Google

Incorrect or Sensationalist Headline?

Bit of confusion for one journalist it would seem. I can understand the confusion as airlines treat you as an adult when you turn 12 and so does the cinema. Teenage years are certainly 13-19 inclusive but girls become women, generally, about the the age of 13-14 years. These women become adults at the age of 18. So when one reads a headline regarding the kidnapping of a teenage girl you'd expect her to be between, say, 13 to 16 years of age. Nineteen is not a girl anymore.

Teenager - yes. Girl - no. Woman - yes.

Have we done away with editors to save a few dollars or are they just not doing their jobs anymore? Or was the journalist looking to sensationalise the story to generate interest?

Not Quite In The Same League As "Hot Enough To Boil A Monkey's Bum"

As you know, I like to point out journalistic errors. They're even funnier because the journalist has made the error and it may have been an oversight on behalf of a sub-editor and/or editor to allow it to pass. I found a rather strange expression, although it has to be said that it's not in the same league as Monty Python's "Hot enough to boil a monkey's bum in here, your majesty" from the Bruce skit, in an article the other day.

"Dead Ears"

It begs the question, "'What are dead ears'"? Perhaps the journalist meant "deaf ears".

News Report : Consumers Renting Rather Than Buying

Interesting article from the Herald Sun - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/money/money-matters/consumer-renting-rather-than-buying/story-fn312ws8-1226062406288

The first note is that frugality is fueling rentals of appliances. I have an issue with this. Anyone that knows anything about being frugal would realise that renting, in the long run (total cost of ownership) is more expensive than buying. I think that it has more to do with credit becoming more difficult to obtain and consumers not having the disposable income that they'd like to.

As the cost of living has increased there is evidence that companies hiring/renting equipment instead of selling it are increasing their profitability. Certainly the department stores are finding trading more difficult as consumers are more and more keeping their wallets in their pockets. People are far more discerning with regards to purchasing these days.

How can a newspaper article expect to be taken seriously when it bases it's argument on a misperception? Journalists need to get the facts straight.

Journalistic Skills Sadly Lacking

Great news story surrounding a British climber who survived a fall of around 300m in Scotland. Pity the journalistic skills are sadly lacking. Does the guy have a name or not? Is he 35 or 36 years old? Or was the piece written before the photo was taken and he became known and he, Adam Potter, had a birthday in the interim and the editor is therefore at fault?

In any case, the highest mountain in the UK is Ben Nevis and not Sgurr Choinnich Mor so there's no forgiving that fluff.

Why Would Cops Bother With Tasers?

So many reports about cops assaulting criminals with tasers these days. I think that I've just found out why we should not be arming our law enforcement agencies with tasers, batons, capsicum spray, etc. They are obviously wasted instruments for controlling non law-abiding citizens. The gun is the best, and probably only required, tool for a police officer.

The news article this morning was - Man shot dead by police in pub robbery officers only armed with guns

Notice how by this evening it has changed to Surveillance operation turns deadly: plainclothes officers shoot robber? Even the link is redirected.

Maybe somebody considered that the headline wasn't too intelligent and required change. Perhaps the police union had something to say. It wasn't the best bit of journalism.

I was surprised that the news article made much regarding the fact that the police officers
didn't carry any weapon other than a gun. They dealt with three robbers armed with a machete.
Does anybody, in their right mind, honestly think that capsicum spray would be good enough to subdue the criminals? Gotta say, cops armed with guns and not afraid to use them is probaby the best deterrent. What other weapon would have been useful in this situation? And didn't the cops, off-duty cops too, do their job properly?

Surely we should be commending these fine officers for carrying out their duty efficiently and protecting innocent citizens. We shouldn't even be trying to enter into a debate about what weapons the police should be carrying. Unless we're talking about getting rid of the rest and arming them with guns only. What business has anybody running around and assaulting/robbing people with a machete?

Police 1 : Crims 0