Good, Bad, and Ugly

The wrong word…

Sheriff officers search house-to-house as they look for survivors or those who may of been killed after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri  May 23, 2011. At least 89 people have died in a monster tornado that left a path of destruction nearly a mile wide through the heart of of the city and directly hit the small Midwestern city’s main hospital. REUTERS

Looking at the pictures of the tornado destruction in Joplin, MO, I noticed several captions. Could you please inform your writer that “have” is a verb but “of” is not. “Of” is a preposition in case they no longer teach that in journalism school.

His photo caption stating that many “… may of been killed…” is a disgusting example of the decline in journalistic standards which permeates the news media these days.

I can’t believe your writer used this word in this manner, and I find it even more difficult to believe that some other editor or reviewer let this slide by as if this is perfectly normal usage.

If this is standard practice at Reuters, then my respect for this news service has certainly been diminished.

V.C.H.

Snow in how many states?

Major winter storm wallops Northeast

The National Weather Service reported snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 states — only Florida was spared — and much of the South was still battling icy conditions that made roads dangerous and led to several traffic deaths.

I read this article and my question is, if there are 50 states 48 should have snow not 49? Unless there is snow in Hawaii too.

L.M.D.

There was. Hawaii had seven inches of snow atop Mauna Kea.

Several readers asked about this point, and a sentence specifically about Hawaii wouldn’t have hurt the story: GBU Editor

Tian Tian, a giant panda at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park plays in the snow in Washington in this photograph released to Reuters on January 12, 2011. REUTERS/Mehgan Murphy/Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park/Handout

Unseasonably cold?

Unseasonable cold to hit next week

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Unseasonably cold weather should settle over key heating fuel consuming regions of the United States next week in the wake of heavy snow expected this weekend, weather forecasters predicted Thursday.

It’s WINTER. Cold can be “extreme”, “historic”, “-er than usual”, or just plain “very”, but the one thing it absolutely IS is SEASONABLE.

C’mon folks. you’re /Reuters/ fer goodness’ sake…

J.T.W.

Unseasonable wasn’t the word we wanted in that headline and lede: GBU Editor

A snow-covered George Washington University police van is seen on a street in Washington February 7, 2010. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

Hyping the blizzard?

Blizzard paralyzes U.S. mid-Atlantic; two killed

I just wanted to pass on my annoyance at your misleading headline this morning about the storm that hit the mid-Atlantic. The way your headline is written makes it sound as if two people froze to death, were buried/stranded under some type of hazardous snow drift, or saw their car slide on frozen roads into a bunch of others, etc.

I understand the news-grabbing impact that media outlets want to make, but as what I consider to be one of the most trusted and respected global wires in the world, you might want to put a little more thought into how you’re trying to draw in readers and/or convey the drama of a newsworthy situation. Maggie

Sorry, I think the headline was valid. Our story explains that Virginia state police reported two people were killed when they were struck by a tractor-trailer after stopping to help a stranded motorist. That certainly counts as storm-related in my book.

As I sit here in DC surrounded by snow drifts taller than I am, I’d say the story is pretty newsworthy by itself, without needing to be hyped: GBU Editor

Snow falls on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol as a blizzard blankets Washington, February 6, 2010. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Tropical wave?

NHC watches tropical wave approach Caribbean

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A tropical wave about 200 miles east of the Windward Islands has a small chance — less than 30 percent — of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center forecast Monday.

I guess I have too much time on my hands, but I thought you would like to know that waves don’t cause cyclones. I think it is a typo in your story….

Philip M.

Thanks, but tropical wave is also a weather term, and our wording was straight from the National Hurricane Center’s report: GBU Editor

People carry their belongings through the flood water to the nearest dry land caused by cyclone Aila in Shatkhira June 4, 2009.REUTERS/Andrew Biraj