People in the news business take their professions seriously. But sometimes errors sneak through. A column I found belonging to my father that was never published contained, among other things, the following:

“News gatherers and editors are inclined to take their jobs seriously. But there is that leveler of journalism–the typographical error. Someone with more time than I have figured out that it is possible to have no fewer than 4,367,428 typographical errors on a full-size newspaper page. And this didn’t include errors in fact or grammar.

The Little Sin

“Over the years, we have done our best to prevent errors. But despite all effort, most newspapers contribute an occasional flub. For example, I read this item in a nearby newspaper. ‘Mrs. Brown was seen downtown Saturday with her little sin, Ronald’.”

Classified Ads

The classifieds contribute their share too, Dad wrote. He cited the following: “For Sale, Bulldog, will eat anything, very fond of children.” Then a newspaper printed this gem: “For Sale, dining room table by lady with mahogany legs.”

Right There in Black and White Forever

Everyone makes mistakes, Dad noted. The problem with the news business is that the mistake stays there in black and white (or on video) forever. The error can’t be pretended out of existence or excused away. It’s there. “Politicians say they have been misquoted. Business people say they were misunderstood. Doctors (or their insurance companies) buy their mistakes. A newspaper editor cannot be misunderstood, excused, buried or lied out of existence. The error is there.”

Telephone Calls, Killer Chickens, More

Here are a few typos of note, Dad said. “Mrs. Armstrong decided to come to Oak Grove to visit the Crall family after visiting with Mrs. Crall on the telephone for about a year.” A headline read, “Alvin Renfro Choked by Chicken.” Another story, involving a city’s streets, read, “The pot holes on Lexington Avenue will be filled with city employees.” Another story said, “The Social Security Administration asks dead woman to prove she’s dead.” If that sounds strange, the opening sentence in the letter Social Security sent to the woman said, “We’ve received a report you may be deceased. Please come in with proof of your identity.”

Yellowstone Bridge

Dad wrote about a photo of a bridge on the Yellowstone River that was closed due to flood damage. The lines beneath the photo said: “Repair work continues, but at noon today officials said the bride still was unfit for service.”

Outdoor Elimination

A television moment Dad captured was an advertisement for a new kind of outdoor gas lights. The commentator noted, “When placed on the patio, they make outdoor elimination more gracious.”

But Journalism Is Serious

Dad noted, “Well, that’s the fun side to an editor’s life, but there’s a serious side, too. Good editors look upon journalism as an honor and responsibility–not just a way to make a living… The problem we face today is that too many ‘business organizations’ are buying up newspapers. Not enough are being purchased by journalists. We are a vanishing breed in this era of bigness and corporate structure.”

Press Only Profession in Constitution

He continued: “It wasn’t by accident that our founding fathers looked over all types of professional activity and chose the press as the only one in the Constitution. I still love this quotation from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: ‘It is required of a man that he share the passion and action of his time, at peril of being judged not to have lived’.” Certainly journalism calls upon its practitioners to put that quote into practice. (This quote was on the editorial page of Dad’s newspaper as long as he was publisher.)