Well apparently this has been a hot news item here in Utah, but for those of my readers who live far, far away I'll let you in on the "scoop." Monday morning the Daily Universe had to recall all copies (well not all because some people kept their originals as "collector's items") of the paper and issue a reprint because of a hapless "spell check" error. The caption front and center was meant to describe how "the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles" sustained a new apostle, however what it actually discussed was the Quorum of the Twelve Apostates--who funnily enough look just like the apostles.
The Daily Universe is sticking to their story that spell check incorrectly fixed a misspelling of apostles, but this skeptic doesn't buy it. How were they trying to spell apostles, "apostatles"? I think it more likely to have begun as a joke, the writer assumed the next person, or surely the person after that, would catch it. Either that or it was an editing test and they all failed. If the Daily Universe had proper editors, a fact I have long disbelieved, it would have been caught and the University could have saved some money and kept from looking incredibly sheepish.
And while I'm at it, I'll share my defense for the Oxford comma. This is a lifelong battle that I feel compelled to undertake. Consider the following:
In the first sentence, the one with the Oxford comma, the prize winner is thanking three people/groups of people: her parents, the Pope, and Mother Theresa. In the second sentence this is not the case. Instead, the prize winner's words become a confession: her parents are, in fact, the Pope and Mother Theresa. Now that would be shocking.
So what have we all learned? Spell check does not solve all our problems, but editors do. The Oxford comma is a crucial and beloved punctuation mark that can help us all avoid heretical, and embarrassing, statements.
Ahhh, don't you feel better--and smarter?
Warning: Somehow the Daily Universe seems to have been remarkably successful in keeping the above picture off the internet. I, myself, cannot reveal my sources or how I intercepted the picture I'm posting (I am not one of those with a collector's copy). I must therefore respectfully request that it not be disseminated indiscriminately because I'm going to blame you if I get kicked out of BYU two weeks before graduation.
The Daily Universe is sticking to their story that spell check incorrectly fixed a misspelling of apostles, but this skeptic doesn't buy it. How were they trying to spell apostles, "apostatles"? I think it more likely to have begun as a joke, the writer assumed the next person, or surely the person after that, would catch it. Either that or it was an editing test and they all failed. If the Daily Universe had proper editors, a fact I have long disbelieved, it would have been caught and the University could have saved some money and kept from looking incredibly sheepish.
And while I'm at it, I'll share my defense for the Oxford comma. This is a lifelong battle that I feel compelled to undertake. Consider the following:
After winning the Nobel Peace Prize, she thanked her parents, the Pope, and Mother Theresa.Do you see it?
After winning the Nobel Peace Prize, she thanked her parents, the Pope and Mother Theresa.
In the first sentence, the one with the Oxford comma, the prize winner is thanking three people/groups of people: her parents, the Pope, and Mother Theresa. In the second sentence this is not the case. Instead, the prize winner's words become a confession: her parents are, in fact, the Pope and Mother Theresa. Now that would be shocking.
So what have we all learned? Spell check does not solve all our problems, but editors do. The Oxford comma is a crucial and beloved punctuation mark that can help us all avoid heretical, and embarrassing, statements.
Ahhh, don't you feel better--and smarter?
Warning: Somehow the Daily Universe seems to have been remarkably successful in keeping the above picture off the internet. I, myself, cannot reveal my sources or how I intercepted the picture I'm posting (I am not one of those with a collector's copy). I must therefore respectfully request that it not be disseminated indiscriminately because I'm going to blame you if I get kicked out of BYU two weeks before graduation.
2 comments:
AHAHAHHAA!! The Twelve Apostates....
Ah, the stories I could tell of trying to be a proper editor at the DU. I remember the time that the number of on-campus G-spots was tallied up and listed in an article on parking...until an editor caught it.
This story makes me laugh, and I do think it was a hapless mistake, nothing more. Mind you, whether it happened intentionally or not, it should have been caught.
And now you're grandstanding on the Oxford comma. Fair enough; it's not too far of a stretch to make. I for one have a healthy appreciation of both AP and Chicago, although now that I write exclusively on the Web, some might say I no longer have ANY standards. :)
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