Who’s on first?
The Portland Press Herald has a new version of the old Abbott and Costello gag.
A LinkedIn post by Executive Editor Carolyn Fox purports to be a job ad for someone to write for the daily newsletter – which she says “has lots of room for improvement.”
Not surprising – the 53-word post from the top editor contains four grammatical issues – in the span of just 53 words.
So maybe the ad was supposed to solicit a copy editor?
Houston we seem to have a problem. Or actually that would be Denver we seem to have a problem, since the parent company of the Portland Press Herald is based in Colorado.
Maybe that’s the problem – that the copy editors for Maine’s biggest newspaper are located 2,068 miles away?
Nah, can’t be. Can it?
Very possibly, judging from the obvious.
After all, Carolyn’s brief post:
✔️ Failed to include the word “a” in front of “voice,” making it “we’re seeking voice.”
✔️ Misspelled “judgment” as “judgement,” making it “sharp news judgement,” a spelling variation only the British would understand.
✔️ Forgot to make possessive the word “newsletters” before the word “editor,” making it “newsletters editor.” (Or maybe “newsletter” is supposed to be singular, which actually would be more grammatically correct. Or here’s a third option – maybe it’s supposed to be oddly plural.)
✔️ Called for a writer with “a strong pull toward reader engagement.” Should be “push” not “pull.” One can’t “pull toward,” unless you’re the Portland Press Herald of course.
In the error-filled post, Carolyn wrote that the newsletter is “a popular product with lots of room for improvement.”
Gotta hand it to the top editor to publicly acknowledge the newsletter’s (possessive) shortcomings…
But the newsletter ain’t the only thing with “lots of room for improvement.”
Who’s on first?
Where is the Crackerjack Portland Press Herald Rapid Response Team when it’s needed? Or how about the Fact Checking Team?
Maybe investigating to see why the copy desk is asleep since it’s obvious that the executive editor is.
“The Maine Trust for Local News prides itself on high standards of professionalism and journalism that makes a difference for our readers,” according to the job ad on journalismjobs.com.
“High standards of professionalism.”
Roger that.
For all the grammar mavens out there just dying to see the evidence of incompetence itself, here’s Fox’s full post for all to see – including the four grammatical malaprops:
We at the Maine Trust for Local News are looking for new voice to rethink our daily newsletter, a popular product with lots of room for improvement.
Sharp news judgement and a strong pull toward reader engagement is a must.
Reach out to our wonderful newsletters editor Nina Mahaleris
at [email protected] with
questions.
That would be the same Nina Mahaleris who Fox in her post said has “lots of room for improvement.” Nina must really appreciate the Fox accolade.
Scorecard update:
✓ Maine Wire: 146,000 Facebook followers (22,000 increase in past month)
✓ Portland Press Herald: 93,000 Facebook followers (1,000 increase in past month)
