More crap subbies to lose their jobs

Couldn't help noticing this headline. Wanganui Chronicle subbies are to lose their jobs. I thought I'd find out how good they were, given the paper is one of the oldest in the country.

So I checked this story as it was the top of the web page. There are at least FIVE subbing mistakes. First story I looked at.

Sub-editing is not really taken seriously in this country.

Man dies aged 65- but it is not known how old he was

Hat tip Whale Oil

So, NZPA writes a story, the journo doesn't find out how old he was, the outsourced Herald subs find out and presumably have his age correct then.. well.. they read the first and last sentence before doing the headline. There is nowhere in the story that mentions his age - apart, of course, from not knowing what that age was.

Update They've done it again today - in the headline this time! they've spelled official as "offical".

Update 2 I took pity on them and had a chat to the online editor. They've now changed it. Quickly. If you want a sub, feel free to call me. I know how to spell a little - and I even know how to use a spell check.

Subbing II

I had only glanced at the front page of the Herald online and caught the news on the cancellation of the Cook Strait ferries - and this was the first sentence.

Cook Straight ferries have been cancelled this morning after swells of up to four metres.

Update They've updated the story this afternoon. They've rewritten the offending sentence, but left the offending word in.

This morning, Cook Straight ferries were cancelled after swells of up to four metres.

What's wrong with these journalists?

Subbing errors

There are far too many subbing errors in the newspapers lately. So many in such major stories - even the Press editorial had one last week. I'm going to run a regular series on sub-editing cockups. I'm not going to have to look very hard. I've only read one story today.

Here's the first one, from Audrey Young's Winston Peters article today:

However there is a distinction between whether someone gives to a party, whether someone gives to a person and whether someone gives to there expenses.