# I guess pro journalists suck at spellchecker too. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315 "2014-02-01T23:44:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/1 "2014-02-01T23:44:15Z")
> **[Man Arrested for Allegedly Threatening George W. Bush](https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-arrested-allegedly-threatening-george-bush/story?id=22328542)** > > Man arrested after allegedly making threats against George W. Bush. > [@](#): > > An upstate New York man who police say appeared to be fixated on Barbara Bush has been charged with threatening her father, former President George W. Bush, after he was found in Manhattan, heavily armed in his car, according to a federal criminal complaint. > > Benjamin Smith allegedly yelled “Bush will get his,” after he was arrested Friday in midtown Manhattan, where he was found in his car with a rifle, machete, gasoline and two boxes of **ammonization** , according to the complaint. Look out he’s got a organic chemical process! It kind of amuses me when professionals end up with absurd substitutions to obscure words. Makes me feel a bit less jackassy about mine. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/2 "2014-02-02T15:53:05Z")
There’s a lot more wrong with that quote than just a spelling error. Reading that was painful. But in this age of insta-news, “better to be first than to be right” seems to be the new mindset. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/3 "2014-02-02T16:07:19Z")
It could be worse. > **[Chinese New Year: BBC subtitle blunder reads 'Welcome to the year of](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/chinese-new-year-bbc-blunder-welcome-to-the-year-of-the-whores-9102117.html)** > > BBC News' subtitle system got lost in translation, declaring this the year of the whores rather than year of the horse during its Chinese New Year coverage ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/4 "2014-02-02T17:29:02Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > There’s a lot more wrong with that quote than just a spelling error. Reading that was painful. Yes, if George W. Bush were heavily armed in a car in Manhattan, I’d think twice about threatening him, no matter how much ammonization i had on me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/5 "2014-02-02T17:30:36Z")
I think newspapers (and even more so online news sources) consider copy editors are a luxury. (BTW, I was always amused to see in the movie Never Been Kissed that Drew Barrymore’s character, a copy editor for the Chicago Sun-Times, has a private office with a window and a nice view and a personal assistant.) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/6 "2014-02-02T17:39:00Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It could be worse. > > [Chinese New Year: BBC subtitle blunder reads 'Welcome to the year of the whores' | The Independent | The Independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/chinese-new-year-bbc-blunder-welcome-to-the-year-of-the-whores-9102117.html) And the article itself could use some proofreading. > [@](#): > > Unfortunately the BBC News’ subtitle system didn’t understand the memo quite right, and instead declared this the ‘year of the whores\*\*,’ too much the embarrassment of the channel.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/7 "2014-02-02T19:46:54Z")
Spell checker, fact checker, who has time these days! ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/8 "2014-02-02T20:01:47Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It could be worse. > > [Chinese New Year: BBC subtitle blunder reads 'Welcome to the year of the whores' | The Independent | The Independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/chinese-new-year-bbc-blunder-welcome-to-the-year-of-the-whores-9102117.html) > [@](#): > > This isn’t the first time the BBC’s subtitles have had somewhat of a malfunction, the Archbishop of Canterbury has been referred to as the > **“Arch bitch of Canterbury”** , while during coverage of the Queen Mother’s funeral there was a call for “a moment’s violence”. Bolding mine - That’s really funny. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/9 "2014-02-02T20:47:49Z")
For the record, the OP’s title is missing a comma. Just sayin’. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/10 "2014-02-03T01:03:12Z")
Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/11 "2014-02-03T01:25:32Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > For the record, the OP’s title is missing a comma. Just sayin’. 😃 and it should either be …spellchecking… or …using a spellchecker… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/12 "2014-02-03T03:25:35Z")
> [@](#): > > An upstate New York man who police say appeared to be fixated on Barbara Bush has been charged with threatening her father, former President George W. Bush “He’s my father!” WHAP “He’s my son!” WHAP “He’s my father _and_ my son!” Nevermind, it’s just Texas. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/13 "2014-02-03T03:56:05Z")
😃 (of course, for those following at home: one of George W’s twins IS named Barbara) > [@Mangetout](#): > > It could be worse. > > [Chinese New Year: BBC subtitle blunder reads 'Welcome to the year of the whores' | The Independent | The Independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/chinese-new-year-bbc-blunder-welcome-to-the-year-of-the-whores-9102117.html) Well, I would indeed bide the Year Of The Whores a VERY hearty welcome! ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/14 "2014-02-03T04:01:12Z")
> [@Foggy](#): > > Bolding mine - That’s really funny. I’m still giggling at the moment of violence. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/15 "2014-02-08T20:49:08Z")
Wait, what? “Fixated on Barbara Bush?!” \<_shudder_\> Now I’ve heard everything. Until the next thing, should be along in \<_looks at watch_\> five minutes or so. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/16 "2014-02-09T06:42:35Z")
This recent article discussing the Shepard tone/scale spells it “Shepherd” 7 times. [The Illusion That Makes It Sound Like a Pitch Is Constantly Rising - The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/the-illusion-that-makes-it-sound-like-a-pitch-is-constantly-rising/283417/) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/17 "2014-02-09T14:37:32Z")
A lot of major news sites don’t even bother to run spellcheckers. I saw one major site yesterday had “January” misspelled. If they can’t even be bothered to run a spellchecker on an article, can you trust the actual content at all? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/18 "2014-02-09T15:16:43Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think newspapers (and even more so online news sources) consider copy editors are a luxury. Not a luxury. A commodity. The once-great _Hartford Courant_ \*\*has \*\*copyeditors… in Chicago. They’re okay at all that Englishing stuff, but they don’t know streets from towns from parks from public figures, so absurdities abound. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/19 "2014-02-09T15:32:15Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Yes, if George W. Bush were heavily armed in a car in Manhattan, I’d think twice about threatening him, no matter how much ammonization i had on me. A friend of mine once had a neighbor who was a Special Agent of the U.S. Secret Service. This was years before 9/11. He wasn’t on the Presidential Productive Detail. One day he showed us what was in the trunk of his company car. :eek: One does not want to fuck with the USSS. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315/20 "2014-02-09T16:19:41Z")
From today’s [Christian Science Monitor](http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0209/Drought-striken-California-welcomes-weekend-storm). When what used to be one of the finest news sources in the country can’t get a headline right… “Drought-Striken California Welcomes Weekend Storm” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-pro-journalists-suck-at-spellchecker-too/680315.md?page=2)