Double dumb@$$ at the New York Times

July 30, 2007
By Billy Dennis

Forgive me for chortling at this correction from the high-and-mighty New York Times:

An article on Thursday about the arraignment of three men in the shooting of two New York police officers, one of whom died, misstated the schedule set by a judge for a trial in the case. The trial is expected to begin by February, not by “Feb. 30.” The error occurred when an editor saw the symbol “— 30 —” typed at the bottom of the reporter’s article and combined it with the last word, “February.” It is actually a notation that journalists have used through the years to denote the end of an article.

Consider for a moment that this happened to an editor at the New York Times. Only the best and brightest in the field are supposed to be able to get jobs at the New York Times.

First, this editor at the New York Times didn’t know what “30″ at the end of a news article meant. I learned that, I think, on my first day in Professor Mike Foster’s beginning newswriting class at Illinois Central College.

Second, this editor at the New York Times deliberately inserted “Feb. 30″ into an article. I think I was in the 1st Grade when I learned that February didn’t have 30 days.

Five bucks says this guy went to Columbia University. Abe Rosenthal must be rolling over in his grave. But then, Abe went to a public college.

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8 Responses to “ Double dumb@$$ at the New York Times ”

  1. Fly overs and leap years « Illinois Reason on July 30, 2007 at 4:04 pm

    [...] Billy Dennis also jumps on the NYT for being, well, stupid. Keep in mind while reading this that February is the shortest month of the year. Now, while even Pres. Bush has on occasion thought it had 30 days, most of us remember it’s only got 28 days, except in years when the summer Olympics are played and presidents are elected (and even then only 29 days at that). [...]

  2. Thanx4News on July 30, 2007 at 4:13 pm

    Wow… condemning an entire newspaper for a typo. Maybe theres a Pulitzer there for you (or the blog equivalent).

  3. Eyebrows McGee on July 31, 2007 at 6:26 am

    Billy just wants to show his venerability. Nobody uses -30- anymore, and only cranky old reprobates teach it. Went out when e-mail came in and teletype became obsolete.

  4. anonymous on July 31, 2007 at 7:59 am

    So you are upset the Times made an error. What does that say for your typos?

  5. Billy Dennis on July 31, 2007 at 8:57 am

    Eyebrows: Thpt!

    Everyone else: Thpt! OBVIOUSLY (to all axcept the irony impaired) the fact that the Times is the top newspaper in America is what makes this tps so entertaining. And while I have typos I DO know that February doesn’t have 30 days.

  6. Eyebrows McGee on July 31, 2007 at 10:23 am

    Personally I always have to stop and think about how many days there are in February and recite the rhyme or count on my knuckles to figure out how many days are in any given month. So I’ve never really found the giggle-inducing humor in “zOMG, he thought there were 31 days in June!” even though I know other people find it absolutely hysterical. How many days are in a month is HARD, people! It’s HARD!

  7. Billy Dennis on July 31, 2007 at 10:26 am

    Well … you did attend Catholic schools.

    *ahem*

  8. Eyebrows McGee on July 31, 2007 at 10:35 am

    Did not. Public educated until college.