Hundreds of papers use AP unedited

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Sat Apr 20, 2002 4:05 pm

At Adirondack Mountain Spirits in Ausable, the earthquake rattled liquor bottles off the shelves.
"It was just a mess," said owner Dayle Richards. "Even if they didn't break, they were covered with other debris." (AP)***Today's earthquake in upstate New York was fairly minor. Don't think it didn't take some doing for AP to find the required products-falling-off-the-shelf report.***

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Sat Apr 20, 2002 5:30 pm

I'm on vacation, staying with my folks in upstate NY. My mother's report, confirmed by an uncle and aunt: This quake felt more violent than the last major (for NY state) quake in 1983, but was quieter than the one 19 years ago, WHICH SOUNDED LIKE A TRAIN.Was relieved that TV newscasters stuck with seismology readings and left out the sound effects. Also am glad mom isn't a reporter.I didn't hear anything this morning, 200 miles from the epicenter, but don't want to be awakened that way again.Am now off to a liquor store, where I'll be sure to check for damage in case AP is working on a folo.

byliner · **Posted:** Sat Apr 20, 2002 5:51 pm

***Today's earthquake in upstate New York was fairly minor. Don't think it didn't take some doing for AP to find the required products-falling-off-the-shelf report.***[/QB][/QUOTE]I remember the 1983 earthquake waking me at 6:20 a.m. I thought it was the furnace starting up, but then I remembered the building had natural gas heat!

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Mon Apr 22, 2002 3:43 pm

Since I live in Lake Placid, I can tell you first-hand that the quake did rattle products from their customary places. Two--not one, but two--shampoo bottles fell into my tub. The can of shaving cream was right on the edge. Another 0.1 on the Richter scale and it would have fallen in, too.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Mon Apr 22, 2002 4:06 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by ADKbrown:
Since I live in Lake Placid, I can tell you first-hand that the quake did rattle products from their customary places. Two--not one, but two--shampoo bottles fell into my tub. The can of shaving cream was right on the edge. Another 0.1 on the Richter scale and it would have fallen in, too.<hr></blockquote>Thank God you survived. What a harrowing, unusual experience.

SusanV · **Posted:** Mon Apr 22, 2002 4:56 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by ADKbrown:
Since I live in Lake Placid, I can tell you first-hand that the quake did rattle products from their customary places. Two--not one, but two--shampoo bottles fell into my tub. The can of shaving cream was right on the edge. Another 0.1 on the Richter scale and it would have fallen in, too.<hr></blockquote>[Not on your toes, I hope! BTW, 't'aint the Richter scale anymore and hasn't been for several years now. Somewhere I have an AP missive explaining why. Faxable to anyone who wants it.]

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Mon Apr 22, 2002 7:03 pm

Yeah, I knew that about the Richter scale, but I didn't know the current terminology and was too damn lazy to look it up.

SusanV · **Posted:** Mon Apr 22, 2002 10:28 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by ADKbrown:
Yeah, I knew that about the Richter scale, but I didn't know the current terminology and was too damn lazy to look it up.<hr></blockquote>We just use magnitude 5.1 or whatever.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue Apr 30, 2002 11:40 pm

Resembling a nightmarish beast rearing its head from a crimson sea, this monstrous object is actually an innocuous pillar of gas and dust. (AP caption)***Now, what's more amazing? That we got a picture of the Cone F. Nebula or that it might--might--look like a "nightmarish beast" in the imagination of an AP caption writer?

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Wed May 01, 2002 10:11 am

I'm not sure "innocuous" is the best adjective to describe a humongous pillar of gas that will melt your skin if you come within 100 million miles of it.[ May 01, 2002: Message edited by: ADKbrown ]

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Thu May 02, 2002 4:39 pm

Ashcroft said as many as 700,000 Americans have their identities stolen each year. (AP)***And they're getting damn tired of it.***

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue May 07, 2002 8:10 pm

By SCOTT SONNER
Associated Press Writer
RENO, Nev. (AP)--The 21-year-old college student wanted in the string of pipe bombs left in mailboxes across the Midwest was arrested Tuesday outside Reno, the FBI said.
Luke J. Helder of Pine Island, Minn., was taken into custody without incident after dropping at least one gun out a car window, said Alan Davidson, spokesman for the Nevada Highway Patrol.
"It is him," said Gayle Jacobs, an FBI spokeswoman in Las Vegas.***Scott apparently honed his skill for choosing just the right idiotic quote for the third paragraph by doing weather and space-shuttle stories.***

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue May 14, 2002 3:47 am

By DIANE SCARPONI
Associated Press Writer
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- Feathers may be flying at Yale University later this month during a three-day scholarly conference.
Organizers of the conference hope the discussion will be free-ranging and that controversial panelists won't chicken out.
They also pray the whole event doesn't lay an egg.
It's hard to avoid puns when talking about the May 17-19 conference, titled "The Chicken: Its Biological, Social, Cultural and Industrial History from Neolithic Middens to McNuggets."***Actually, Diane, it's not all that hard. But even if it is, it's your job to do it.***[ May 14, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]

tommangan · **Posted:** Tue May 14, 2002 10:10 am

Musta been written on a weekend when all the real editors were away, eh? I mean, what editor not currently in a coma would fail to notice how excruciatingly terrible that lede was?

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue May 14, 2002 3:12 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by tom mangan:
[QB]Musta been written on a weekend when all the real editors were away, eh?
QB]<hr></blockquote>Real editors?

pampellfw · **Joined:** Thu Apr 25, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 38

I wouldn't say it was excruciatingly terrible. It does make me think that the reporter was trying WAY too hard, probably recently out of j-school. On the other hand, how ELSE do you write a fascinating lead on a story like this? Who would bother to read a story like this with a factual lead, unless he or she is a chicken farmer or chicken biologist? What I can't figure out is why AP bothered to assign someone to write it in the first place. :roll:

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Wed May 15, 2002 4:59 pm

Let's not assume that readers absolutely have to be patronized. They do not automatically avoid a news story because it concerns a serious subject and is written in a serious way. There's plenty to write about the chicken conference without having to get cute.And if you're going to get cute, make sure it's really cute, not stupid cute.

tommangan · **Posted:** Thu May 16, 2002 12:40 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by blanp:
Real editors?<hr></blockquote>I was generously assuming they must have SOME.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Wed May 22, 2002 4:00 pm

LOS ANGELES (AP)--He has remained famous far longer than the 15 minutes he promised everyone else, so much so that it's hard to travel far these days in Los Angeles without being confronted by a gigantic portrait of Andy Warhol.***I have a crisp $5 bill for the first AP reporter to write about Andy Warhol without mentioning the 15 minutes. Also, please note: You can't travel far these days in Los Angeles without being confronted by a gigantic portrait of Andy Warhol because of all the billboards advertising an upcoming exhibit. You could put my picture up on those billboards and it would be hard to travel far in Los Angeles without confronting it, and I haven't had my 15 minutes yet. (Sorry).***

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Sat May 25, 2002 12:46 am

India Warns It Is Losing Patience
Sat May 25,12:10 AM ET
By BETH DUFF-BROWN, Associated Press Writer NEW DELHI, India (AP) - India warned the United States, Britain and Russia on Friday that it was losing patience with Pakistan in the impasse over Kashmir ... The international community scrambled to avert a potential war between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors ....***For one thing, "international community" is a meaningless term. For another, no one is trying to avert a potential war. They might be trying to avert a war. Don't get me started on "scrambled."***[ May 25, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]

tim · **Posted:** Tue May 28, 2002 2:03 pm

By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The San Francisco Giants are clearly more comfortable at sea level.
Barry Bonds hit his 585th career homer, Reggie Sanders had a go-ahead, two-run shit and Benito Santiago doubled three times as the Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-3 Monday. *** Poor, poor Anne. The "i" is close to the "o" on the old keyboard, though. At least the AP ran a corrected version within a few minutes. ***

Testy Copy Editors

Hundreds of papers use AP unedited

Who is online

What They're Saying

Useful Links