Bad News Writing: The Tautology Version

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

SEriously, who writes and edits the shit they have in newspapers on on major news websites? Right now, on CNN.com, in a story about troubled singer Randy Travis:

[QUOTE=CNN]
In a genre largely led by artists who can achieve chart-topping tunes and high-grossing concert tours, …
[/QUOTE]

Er… you don’t say? This genre of music is largely led by musicians with popular songs and concerts, huh? And here I thought the most famous musicians were generally the ones with unpopular songs and concerts nobody went to.

2

You’re thinking of hipster musicians.

3

I agree with you that editing standards are abysmal.

However, I’m not sure your quote is tautology. It seems to me more stating the obvious.

4

Right. There are genres led by artists who aren’t chart-toppers going on sell-out tours–in fact, even more so now that some artists are distributing their own material online. “Leading” a genre doesn’t necessarily mean one is “famous” in the traditional way.