Just because the items in these classified ads are free doesn’t mean they’re worth it: • Free: Piano with matching bench seat, very good condition, all keys work probably Source: Gettysburg Area Merchandiser • Free: 5 kitchen drawers, all matching naughty pine fronts Source: Topeka Capital-Journal • Free Vain Screening Source: Boston Globe • Free rent in exchange for elderly woman Source: 11points.com Submitted by James Hutchinson, Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania; Faith Adams, Topeka, Kansas; Annetta Boisselle, Melrose, Massachusetts
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We all make mistakes. Some
are just more public than others,
like these real newspaper typos: “Here the bridal couple stood,
facing the floral setting, and exchanged cows.” Modesto News-Herald (California) “It took many rabbits many years to write the Talmud.” Holland Evening Sentinel (Michigan) “Mrs. ____ fell down stairs at her home this morning, breaking her myhodudududududududosy, and suffered painful injuries.” Ohio paper “A headline in an item in the
Feb. 15th edition incorrectly stated ‘Stolen Groceries.’ It should have read: ‘Homicide.’” Enquirer-Bulletin From Just My Typo, by Drummond Moir
(Three Rivers Press)
Think the comments on Internet posts are tough? See what happened when the Washington Post asked its readers to write intentionally angry letters to actual headlines: Headline: 20,000 Pound Pavement to Help Homeless Response: “Are you people idiots? What the homeless need are homes, not ten tons of additional pavement!” Headline: Maryland Agrees to
Tobacco Settlement Response: “Well, that’s all we
need—an entire settlement of people devoted to their cancer sticks. What’s next, a drunk-driving commune?” Headline: C.C. United Se Une
Hoy a Campana Solidaria Pro
Centroamerica Response: “I was disgusted with
the sloppy spelling for [this] article. There were so many typos, I couldn’t understand a word.” From gcfl.net
File These Headlines Under: We Don't Even Want to Know. •Firefighters Use Jaws of Life to Free High School Girl from Locker •FDA Approves Third Silicone-Gel Breast Implant •Missing Woman Unwittingly Joins Search Party Looking for Herself •Woman’s “Stomach Bug” Actually Baby Sources: Ottawa Citizen (Canada), ctpost.com, Associated Press, Toronto Sun
Journalists and editors on deadline make the occasional error. Some are funnier than others: • NBC reported that American students rank internationally at: “26th math, 21th science, 17th reading.” • Britain’s Sky News showed the
importance of punctuation: “Top
stories: World leaders at Mandela tribute, Obama–Castro handshake and same-sex marriage date set.” • A retraction from Wired: “A previous version of this story incorrectly quoted Dropbox cofounder Drew Houston saying ‘anyone with nipples’ instead of ‘anyone with a pulse.’” Sources: jonathanturley.org, Washington Times, poynter.org
