We Regret the Error, Robert Smethurst

A journalist is not born, he or she is made. Everyone starts at the bottom and works their way up from there; that is why Craig Silverman's beleif of the best way to learn how to avoid errors, a journalist must make them is hitting the nail right on the head.

One weekend, a very long time ago, my Dad and I went out to a ranch owned by a family that we knew. The family's wooden fence had rotted away, making it easy for the cows to escape the front pasture. The fence we went to help build was all wood, with two beams stretching in between the posts, making for a very rugged, wild west look. It was on this day that my Dad taught me how to use a hammer.

I was not very good at it at first, more often than not I'd miss the nail and smack the wood instead, and if I was really lucky, I'd protect the wooden beam from dents and nicks with my thumb. I started getting the hang of it after a while though, and soon I was swinging my hammer with the best of them.

Writing well is a learned behavior. Sometimes a writer will make a mistake; miss the nail so to speak. Those blemishes in the written work help to focus and teach. It hurts when the hammer hits a thumb, just like it can hurt sometimes to learn that what seemed really well written was actually riddled with mistakes. But it is when the writer learns from those mistakes, that that writer grows, becomes better, finds a voice, and learns the ins and outs of our very complicated language.

Some times mistakes can be small, and could be avoided by proofreading very carefully. Take an Intercamp article on MacEwan keeping the U-pass, in the sentence, "Student will vote yes or no on whether they agree to have the mandatory U-Pass for a second three-year run." Notice the missing 's' on students.

Not just students make mistakes though, professional news papers like the Metro do as well. Like in an article on St. Patrick's Day, where someone forgot the period after 'St': "Think of Ireland and you probably think of St Patrick’s Day and drinking Guinness."

Who can forget the basic rules of comma usage; even the experienced writers have trouble remembering where they go. Take an article from 24-Hour Edmonton, where an article was run talking about baby names that was riddled with errors: "Ethan, Liam and Jacob topped the list for boys, while Olivia, Isabella and Ava were the most popular girls names."

While even the most experienced of writers and journalists have troubles keeping their writing accurate. The more the hammer is swung the more on target the swings are, and after a while, the craftsman will master his craft.

Pictures used:

Picture 1: Unknown Author.
Picture2: by Artie Romero and Rebekah Failla