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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

How it's done in the big leagues

An especially egregious example of editorial chicanery came to light today, involving The New York Post, operated by Rupert Murdoch (Mr Fox), "rewriting" an AP story under byline. This might be instructive for Courier readers.
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6 comments:

  1. mason lewisApril 25, 2007 at 3:23 PM

    The Courier's use of stories, with a hint of commentary thrown in, smacks of laziness but the big difference here is the Courier's appears on the op/ed page and the New York Post printed it as "news."

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  2. Steven AyresApril 25, 2007 at 3:40 PM

    That's true enough, Mason, in terms of what I've looked at on this blog, but I haven't been looking into wire stories in the Courier at all. I can't say with any authority that the editors mess around with imported news stories, nor can I say they don't. If this NYP example is a cautionary tale, maybe we should look more closely at the Courier's news stories as well.

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  3. mason lewisApril 25, 2007 at 3:54 PM

    I find that the Courier's AP versions are cleaner than AP itself, but at the same time often are made to fit leading to vital info ending up on the cutting-room floor.

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  4. Steven AyresApril 25, 2007 at 3:57 PM

    So you're doing or have done direct comparisons? If so, why?

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  5. mason lewisApril 25, 2007 at 4:07 PM

    I started looking when I would see a story in the Courier that had nothing to do with the headline. The headline piqued my interest. That said I started checking regularly, about once a week, mostly Sundays when I have the time. They do okay, but you can tell they definitely cut to fit. Unfortunately not all stories are written so you can do that.

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  6. Steven AyresApril 25, 2007 at 5:04 PM

    I appreciate your giving me a head's up when you find notable changes, including when the Courier makes a change for the better.

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