Where Have All the Editors Gone?

Please note: This rant isn't directed at any of my esteemed fellows on this site! It's a general concern over a much larger problem....
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I think I was in college when I first noticed it: the general quality of printed publications has been going downhill for quite some time now. This predates the internet, so I can't lay the blame that direction. No, I have to believe that either ignorance or laziness is at fault. Not a day goes by when I do not see a fracturing of spelling or grammar on some document or sign that is in the public's view. It's really quite sad, because my opinion of the business or the writer plummets precipitously when I see simple errors that should be caught long before the item hits the public eye.

Our local newspaper is full of examples on an almost daily basis. One recent caption on a photo of children walking through snow spoke of them "drudging" along. Homophones are misused routinely. It truly damages credibility when I think that there doesn't seem to be a competent person editing those pieces. It looks for all the world like someone is relying on a spell checker and not proofing by hand before sending the paper to the press.

Even worse were some of the errors that I have seen on printed materials from our local schools. My daughter managed to achieve straight A's one semester, and the school dutifully sent out their congratulatory bumper sticker. When I received it, I called the school to complain. First the secretary and then the principal simply could not understand my concern. Why, they wondered, would I be unhappy about receiving a token to recognize my child's achievement? The bumper sticker read, "My child is a honor student." I was sorely tempted to tell the school officials that "I's so happy my kid's gittin' a ed-ju-ma-ca-tion!!" Sadly, I had the strong feeling that the sarcasm would be completely lost on the audience.

Another day, I visited in the school office, and while waiting for my appointment, chanced to read the school district's mission statement posted on the wall. In this important document, on display in buildings across the town for the world to see, the district proudly touted their commitment to "excellance." When I pointed the error out to the secretary and then to the principal, I was told that I was being too particular. What a message they are sending to the student body!

Maybe I am being too particular. I just know that it's difficult for me to get past the poor grammar or the spelling errors to really give credance to the message. I feel that if the professional responsible doesn't care enough about his or her reputation, then perhaps I don't really want to do business with that person.

And yes, I know that all of us (myself included) allow the occasional error to slip out. I pray that I never slip up like that on a query letter or on a writing assignment, but I suspect that I do once in a while. The difference seems to be that I feel horribly embarrassed when I do something like that, and I am all the more careful to proofread my work before making it public.

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Leave me a comment, and I'll pop in to see your blog!
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