A big surprise to me on this assignment were the number of fatals I came across. Really, it was a shocking amount. Let's go over where the problems were so we can learn from each other and avoid these mistakes going forward:
* We used incorrect words. When we meant to say cannons (a weapon), we said canons (ideas and thoughts). That misspelling changes a meaning, so it's a fatal.
In another case, we said Section (area) Bill when we meant Senate (a legislative body) Bill; that's a formal title we're misspelling and misidentifying, which is also a fatal.
In yet another, we referred to residence (a home) when we meant residents (people). Again, that changes the meaning of a sentence, so it's a fatal.
We need to check our work with our eyes and not just spell check; spell check won't catch a word that is unintended but correctly-spelled, like here. And we need to make sure we understand the words we are using, and that the word is in its correct form.
* We used incorrect information. On a local construction project, instead of using the cost number for a project in Lansing we used the cost number for a similar project in Washington, D.C. and linked to the latter. We need to pay attention to detail and make sure we know what we're suing, information-wise.
* We used wrong names. In one story we had two different names each spelled two different ways. Obviously, one way has to be wrong. We need to make sure we're properly proofing our work and making sure that names are spelled correctly and consistently on each reference.
Just like in JRN 200, it's not the big stuff tripping us up; it's the little stuff. But in journalism, there's no such thing as a small error. If we can't get the little things right, readers are fair to ask, why should they believe we didn't mess up with the big stuff?
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