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Earthquake Coverage
- Thread starter Element9
- Start date
Searching the Twitter hashtag “#earthquake” mere seconds after the quake ended basically confirmed that we had just felt a temblor—as many tweeters from Canada and across the Northeast U.S. (including some news reporters) were all asking basically the same question: “Was that an #earthquake?” Radio can be fast with breaking news—but I seriously doubt it was that fast. Twitter was the place to be. Meanwhile, local TV news that evening gave us lots of homeowners (and reporters) standing around looking at driveway cracks that probably existed well before the ground moved on Wednesday.
As for this...
...don’t most broadcast reporters still follow AP style (albeit perhaps not as strictly as print reporters)? AP Stylebook: “The word temblor (not tremblor) is a synonym for earthquake.”
I have to side with Element9 on this one.
As for this...
RockTheGlobe said:
...don’t most broadcast reporters still follow AP style (albeit perhaps not as strictly as print reporters)? AP Stylebook: “The word temblor (not tremblor) is a synonym for earthquake.”
I have to side with Element9 on this one.
C
caveman-97
Guest
Did even one station play, "I feel the earth move under my feet" by
Carole King?
Carole King?
Mike Saffran said:
I bet you can stop 100 people on the street, ask them what a temblor is, and 98 won't have a clue. Temblor is a show-off word that has no business in mass communications. If you're a journalist, just call it an earthquake.
Or maybe "a little ripply, bouncy-bouncy, thingie." Don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but especially these days, wouldn't it help to use the correct word? What would ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR or hell, even Fox use? Listening to a politician in Louisiana numerous times using the word "appraised" when speaking of keeping citizens informed about "changing conditions on the beaches." He made his point, thick southern accent and all, but the word he should have used is "apprised." A writing teacher in college used to beat the snot out of us boneheads, "You can't fix a delicate Swiss watch with a pipe wrench. Words are tools. Use them properly and carefully, and your writing timepiece will always function properly." I'm no author, but the words of that college prof made a lasting impression on this particular bonehead.OldNumber7 said:
I have to say that I'm mightily sick of the dumbing down of prose in the news business. We're damn near "See Spot run." Try reading a newspaper from before 1950. Better yet, read something written before 1900. The eloquence of previous generations will stand in stark contrast to what's written today.
The misuse of language is abominable. Spellcheckers have cleaned up atrocious spelling (assuming it can recognize the word), but grammar checkers absolutely SUCK. Sometimes I MEAN to use passive tense, thank you very much. And computers have NO sense of the "musicality" or "flow" of language. And yes, I know I started a sentence with a conjunction.
As Mark Twain said, the difference between the right word and almost the right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
The misuse of language is abominable. Spellcheckers have cleaned up atrocious spelling (assuming it can recognize the word), but grammar checkers absolutely SUCK. Sometimes I MEAN to use passive tense, thank you very much. And computers have NO sense of the "musicality" or "flow" of language. And yes, I know I started a sentence with a conjunction.
As Mark Twain said, the difference between the right word and almost the right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
This has the makings of two threads. Re. the earthquake, I would never have known about it without the media - it's about the sixth time in my life I've been within the range of a minor earthquake and been totally unaware of it.
Then there's the matter of language. SirRoxalot writes "The misuse of language is abominable". Don't get me started - I couldn't agree more.
Among my pet peeves are "I could care less" when it should be "I couldn't care less"; then there's a media favorite when describing accidents: "a high rate of speed", which is like saying "a high speed of speed". In the written language many writer's dont seem to know the difference between when an apostrophe is in it's proper place and when its used incorrectly. An occasional typo or slip of the tongue or keyboard is one thing, but the more ungrammatically an opinion is expressed, the less I'm inclined to trust it. Another thing that seems to have entered the language is the double "is", as in "the trouble with this is, is that....". (Maybe it started with Bill Clinton's "depends what the definition of is is.") I think it's like a verbal tic which most of its users are unaware of, which maybe is why it doesn't grate on me like some of the other examples. Maybe another thread could be started on the topic of language.
Then there's the matter of language. SirRoxalot writes "The misuse of language is abominable". Don't get me started - I couldn't agree more.
Among my pet peeves are "I could care less" when it should be "I couldn't care less"; then there's a media favorite when describing accidents: "a high rate of speed", which is like saying "a high speed of speed". In the written language many writer's dont seem to know the difference between when an apostrophe is in it's proper place and when its used incorrectly. An occasional typo or slip of the tongue or keyboard is one thing, but the more ungrammatically an opinion is expressed, the less I'm inclined to trust it. Another thing that seems to have entered the language is the double "is", as in "the trouble with this is, is that....". (Maybe it started with Bill Clinton's "depends what the definition of is is.") I think it's like a verbal tic which most of its users are unaware of, which maybe is why it doesn't grate on me like some of the other examples. Maybe another thread could be started on the topic of language.
qman said:Everybody's wasting so much time on temblors and tremblors that you all missed Element's most glaring error! May I ask what the hell is an ENLARGED PROSTRATE? Is that what happened to Manute Bol?I don't know about you all but I have a PROSTATE gland!
Element9 said:
The word prostrate, like tremblors, was italicized in the initial post to indicate usage that was similarly incorrect. I kinda thought the nuance was clear, but...
See listener-in's previous post, particularly the sentence about "writer's" and the use of an apostrophe... I could be wrong but his nuance seems clear to me.
Whew! Heading to the attic to dig up my Strunk & White.
Nick Seneca
Nick Seneca
I'm still looking for a Funk & Wagnalls...
For those who might ask, William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White's "The Elements of Style," Fourth Edition, is a particularly useful reference for writing and editing. Thin and eminently readable, it's always in style. Strunk & White are advocates of "less is more" and "get to the point."Nick Gerard said:
Not a morning show on the Urban station in Cleveland and much more than a (great) punch line on the 60s TV show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In," it's one of the better dictionaries.SirRoxalot said:
So much GOOD stuff here. Reality check.
I am wondering why I ever went to school back in the day. It doesn't seem to matter anymore. Someone lowered the bar when I wasn't looking. (but is it noticed & frustrating)
I'm on board with Rox...what used to be......
That's all
HDBG
I am wondering why I ever went to school back in the day. It doesn't seem to matter anymore. Someone lowered the bar when I wasn't looking. (but is it noticed & frustrating)
I'm on board with Rox...what used to be......
That's all
HDBG
As long as we're on this rant...
The word it's is not a possessive... this is the ultimate "nails on blackboard" error (or perhaps "needle screeching across record" error given the venue) for me.
I once spent a non-trivial amount of time editing a "formal external document" (can't be more specific than that) changing, among other things, all of the improperly used "it's" to the proper "its."
When I returned the next morning, all of those errors had been put back in and I was told that I didn't know what I was doing.
I could place a significant amount of blame on what Bill (Gates) hath wrought-- spell checks that tell you a word is correct but not if it is correctly used, but I must also bring in the users of the language who simply don't care anymore.
Thus, I am thinking of switching to LOLcat for all of my future conversations...
The word it's is not a possessive... this is the ultimate "nails on blackboard" error (or perhaps "needle screeching across record" error given the venue) for me.
I once spent a non-trivial amount of time editing a "formal external document" (can't be more specific than that) changing, among other things, all of the improperly used "it's" to the proper "its."
When I returned the next morning, all of those errors had been put back in and I was told that I didn't know what I was doing.
I could place a significant amount of blame on what Bill (Gates) hath wrought-- spell checks that tell you a word is correct but not if it is correctly used, but I must also bring in the users of the language who simply don't care anymore.
Thus, I am thinking of switching to LOLcat for all of my future conversations...
Anyone who uses "it's" the wrong way is a looser. (Yes I know how I spelled loser. It's my nails on the chalkboard moment! Almost as bad as "guide wires" on a tower.)
I am absolutely APPALLED that this thread went from an earthquake (a what? when?) to an English lesson! ???
(Just kidding for you purists....and regular posters) (well kidding to a point)
But an interesting case. The "coverage" evolved from "what did radio do"...to "how did they do it".
There are some posts on "being the best" just by being "the best" here. And I, for one, believe that proper execution puts the "best above the rest"
Just saying.
HDBG
(Just kidding for you purists....and regular posters) (well kidding to a point
)But an interesting case. The "coverage" evolved from "what did radio do"...to "how did they do it".
There are some posts on "being the best" just by being "the best" here. And I, for one, believe that proper execution puts the "best above the rest"
Just saying.
HDBG
Just to keep on subject, I think it was a huge non-event. "Where were you when the earth shook?" Well, I, for one, did not feel a thing. And, it wasn't even a local event. If anyone gets a ratings bump for the day, it should be with an asterisk for being so lame. I think the Buffalo News was most sensible (although a day after the event). A couple of paragraphs on page one with a jump to an inside page. To me, that's all it was worth.
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