Four fatals on this exercise. Let's review and learn:
Make sure you check your dates. One of you reported in your lede the robbery took place earlier today. In fact, it was yesterday. Be sure you double-check dates you've written against the information you're provided.
Make sure you check your names. One of you spelled the last name of Cortez as Cortex. Oddly enough, that's the second time this semester that this class has misspelled that name in that way. And again, it's precisely the sort of error spell check won't catch since you correctly spelled cortex. Be sure you double-check names for correct spellings.
Make sure you check titles. Like those of businesses you're writing about. One of you spelled the North Point Inn as Northpointe Inn. That's a fatal. Make sure the titles you use are accurate and consistent with the information you've gathered.
Make sure you check numbers. One of you wrote the robbery suspect was between 5 feet 6 inches and 6 feet tall. In fact, it was 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet. You incorrectly widened the pool of possible suspects, and that is a fatal.
Fatals rarely come in the form of a fundamental misunderstanding of a story's main points. The vast majority of the time they are far more insidious, coming in the form of routine facts and figures.
That's why you have to get into a mind-set of religiously checking every bit of "little" information. That's where goofs happen.
For those of you keeping score at home, after last week's exercises we've had a total of 15 people fact-fatal, none more than twice. I think that may be a record for least fatals ever in the first half of one of my classes.
And I still have six of you to catch. Like I've said, keep checking the little stuff. That's how a fatal sneaks up on you.
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