Alt Ledes: Spell Check Is Not Perfickt

Spell check is a useful tool to use to quickly identify some spelling errors, but not all. For example, it will not alert you to when you incorrectly spell a word that creates an incorrect word that is correctly spelled. Like here:


Sara Howard will no longer be walking down the isle this morning after hearing of her fiance's fatal car accident, 15 minutes before their ceremony was to begin.

The problem here? You meant to say aisle, but you misspelled it as isle.

And that's a bigger problem than just a simple misspelling.

That's because the misspelling creates a different word. Aisle means a passageway between two seating sections. An isle is a small an island.

So, what you are saying is that Sara was no longer going to walk down a small island.

And that, unfortunately, is a fatal fact error. And a fact error is a fatal.

So let me be clear: SPELL CHECK IS A COMPLEMENT TO -- BUT NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR -- CHECKING YOUR STORY LINE-BY-LINE AND WORD-BY-WORD YOURSELF.

Please be sure to BOTH spell check AND eyeball your story before you turn it in. Each and every time. 

Alt Ledes: Use Words Correctly; Use Correct Words

Language is important in journalism because people read what we write for understanding. Using a word incorrectly or using an incorrect word can create confusion at best, and an unintended meaning and fact error at worst.

Take for example, this lede:

In an attempt to trim city expenses, local officials announced that offendants will be charged $25 for mug shot and fingerprint services.

Structurally, it's a nice lede. But what the hell is an offendant? Now, there is the word defendant, which is someone accused of something. And offender, which is someone who did something. You kinda merged those two words to invent a new word.

I appreciate your eagerness to expand the English language, but if we are to be understandable we should use word that have already been invented and are well-known, okay?

School/Squirrels: Fatals Suck

Sorry to say we had three fatals on these exercises. Here the one that was with the schools exercise. it is:

The East Lansing School Board proposed the band after receiving complaints from parents from both the home and away districts.

Now, you meant to say ban, not band. But in this case, the misspelling creates a new word that's correctly spelled, and changes meaning. The district did not propose a band.

And it's a harsh reminder that you need to eyeball your story in addition to running spell check. Spell check will not catch words that as a misspelling creates a new and unintended word that is spelled correctly.

We had two with the squirrels story. In one, you misspelled the last name of the LCC dietitican as Ruffenbock, instead of the correct Ruffenboch. That is a fatal. Please make sure you are double-checking the spellings of all names and titles to make sure what you wrote matches up with what you have in your notes (or, in this case, your textbook).

Please make sure you are double-checking the spellings of all names and titles to make sure what you wrote matches up with what you have in your notes (or, in this case, your textbook).

In the other fatal, you referred to the school two different ways: as Lake Lansing Community College, and just Lansing Community College. Not only could this fatal have been caught by comparing it against your notes, it also could have been caught by thoroughly reviewing your written work before turning it in and discovering you had two different titles for the same thing. One has to be wrong, right?

I'm sorry we had some fatals. But it's not unexpected in the first few writing assignments. Not at all. You're still getting comfortable with balancing two competing needs: meeting your deadline and being accurate. Those are two tough things to combine. But that's the job.

And that's why we have practice stories: so you have opportunities to build and refine good writing and fact-checking habits and to find an ideal balance between the two, in situations that are relatively low-weight when it comes to your final grade.

What I've typically seen is a spate of fatals in the first half of any term, and then a sudden and steep decrease in the second half. I've had people who just about fataled every writing assignment in the first half who were perfect in the second. We're working fatals out of your system right now.

So while it's frustrating, don't get frustrated. Work on your good habits. Do away with the bad ones. Balance the clock and accuracy. Refer to the fact-checking checklist handout I distributed earlier this term.  Take advantage of extra credit opportunities to make your fatals go away (and you will have such opportunities).

Let's not fret over this. Let's learn from this, and apply those lessons going forward. That's why we do practice stories. 

Practice Ledes: Spell Check Is Not Perfect

While spell check is an important tool you should use each and every time you write, it is not a perfect tool. For example, it won't catch a word that you misspell that creates a new word that is correctly spelled. Like here:

Thanks to a prompt police force, a terrified mother was reunited with her six-month-old daughter 40 minutes after a convenience store robber speed away with her car, with the baby inside.

You meant sped, right? But what you wrote was speed. And spell check wasn't going to catch it because speed was correctly spelled, if not intended.

Spell check is a complement to -- but not a substitute for -- checking your story line-by-line with your own eyeballs, and even reading things aloud to see if there's some sort of easy-to-make but hard-to-spot goof like this one, that would be immediately apparent when spoken out loud.

Bicyclist: Why Spell Check Isn't Enough (Again)

Missing: Spell Check Won't Help You ...

... if your misspelled word creates a new word that's incorrect in use but correct in spelling.

Like when you wrote that, many kids runway from problems they are having at home.

Uh, didja mean, "run away?"

Luckily for this person, this was not a fatal since it wasn't inside a quote and it didn't change the meaning of what you said (since something that is completely non-sensical doesn't change a meaning; it just confuses the crap out of a reader).

Don't trust spell check as a sole means of proofing your work. Use spell check and review your story line-by-line to make sure you have the correct word usage and good grammar and have no inconsistencies that may tip off a fatal, and check your story fact-by-fact to make sure you don't have any errors anywhere in the use of names or titles or numbers or statistics.

Do all of that. Not just one or two of the steps. Every time. No exceptions.

Controversial: Don't Just Write What You See

In this exercise, many of you wrote that the new rule would go into affect -- with an a -- immediately. What you meant to say was effect, with an e.

So, why did you do what you did?

Because the info you were given spelled it incorrectly. But since it wasn't in a quote, it was up to you to identify an incorrect spelling and make it right.

Bicyclist -- More Spell Check Non-Catches

The spell check was cool with one of you referring to a gull bladder.

I'm pretty sure you meant gall bladder, and not the bladder of a sea-faring bird.

Again, spell check is an aid to -- but not a substitute for -- rigorously reviewing your copy. Line by line, word by word, fact by fact.

Yes, unfortunately this was a fatal. No, this wasn't the first time spell check screwed over a member of one of my JRN 200 classes regarding the exact same phrase, on this exact same assignment.

For those of you keeping score at home, we now have nine confirmed members in Omar's Fatals Club. For the other five of you, your membership application is on its way.

Alt Ledes -- Spell Check Won't Save You!

One of you referred to the robbed convenience store as a "convenient" store. Another said it was a "convince" store.

In another instance, someone noted a "critique" from ranchers and scientists. Did you mean criticism?

Again, spell check will not catch instances where you correctly spell an incorrect word.

Murder -- Spell Check Didn't Help . . .

. . . when you wrote this (emphasis added) . . .

. . . or whether he just got in THERE way.

. . . or this . . .

. . . he had a scarf on the LOVER part, cowboy style.

(Uh, I'm pretty sure that gets an "R" movie rating right there)

Again, be sure you're actually reading your finished work, and not just taking spell check's word for it.

Bicyclist -- More Spell Check Non-Catches

The spell check was cool with you referring to a gull bladder.

I'm pretty sure you meant gall bladder, and not the bladder of a sea-faring bird.

Spell check is an aid to - but not a substitute for -- rigorously reviewing your copy. Line by line, word by word, fact by fact.

Robbery -- Spell Check Hates You!

Not completely. But I need to remind you, spell check will not catch words that you accidentally use that are spelled correctly.

Like when you said the robber ran through the class. I assume you meant glass.

Or when you said police said is was okay. I assume you want it was okay.

Yes, you should use spell check. But that's not a substitute for reading your copy word-for-word.

Spell cheek wouldn't have caught this

Faking a pregnancy has LEAD to the arrest of a local woman . . .

. . . or this . . .

. . . after receiving $10,000 in MEDIAL expenses . . .

Don't trust spell check alone! It will not tell you when you correctly spelled a word that you improperly used.