Ledes -- We Had Some Fatals

One of the less desirable parts of journalism is that fatals happen. When you process thousands of facts a day -- as you will when you work professionally, whether in print or broadcast or online or whatever -- something is bound to get past you.

The key is to learn from why you effed something up, and then applying those lessons going forward, so that when you do make a boo-boo, it truly is a rare circumstance.

So the two fatals we had in this assignment are not screw-ups; rather, they are learning opportunities. Especially for you guys, who have not been doing this for very long and have yet to recognize all the potential land mines out there.

If you fataled this assignment, don't feel bad. First, practice stories are just 1/2 of 1 percent of your final grade. We do a lot of 'em so we can identify where you need improvement and so you have a chance to work on things and buidl up a good fact-checking routine before we do the high-weight assignments.

Second, virtually everybody I've ever taught in JRN 200 has fataled. More than once. Especially in the first half of the semester. Many of those people went on to stellar final grades and kick-ass internships and even a few Emmy awards. Seriously.

So, don't freak out. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's look at what we can learn from:

One fatal lede was this one:

An ex-juvenile's participation ...

Let's stop right there. This is the exercise regarding the high school football player under house arrest. Is he an ex-juvenile delinquent? No, he is a juvenile delinquent. The "ex" is not correct and changes the fact to one that is in error.

This was another lede on the same exercise:

A high school student who was convicted of armed robbery ...

You had no information indicating he was convicted; only charged. You are charged when you are formally accused of a crime. You are convicted when you are then found guilty by a judge or jury.

Yes, it's legal mumbo-jumbo. But if you are unsure about what a term means or whether you are using terminology correctly, your best bet is to ask a knowing source so that you are sure you are saying what you mean to say, and that you understand what you are writing.

In the case of all in-class assignments, you may consider me to be all knowing sources and translator of all things technical. So don't be afraid to tap into me for that purpose.

There were a couple of other examples where I considered grading a fatal but decided there was just enough leeway to allow a positive grade.

In one instance, you said that jailbirds would be charged a $25 fine. Actually, it's a fee. In the most technical sense, a fine is a penalty assessed to convicts and a fee is a charge assessed to people who are arrested, whether they have been convicted yet or not. You could also make an argument that this is hair-splitting and fines and fees are assessed to people in the generic sense, so I let this pass.

Again, make sure you are using the correct words correctly.