At least I didn't cry...
I thought the biggest feat for today would be getting through all the job fair interviews at the J-school; I was so wrong.
I was on my way to my first interview with The State, when one of the SJMC staff stopped me and said my story was in The Gamecock. I was suprised because the last story I submitted to the News editor wasn't even used. And when I looked, it was the last story I submitted.
It ran two days late and with a glaring error.
I wrote about I-Comm week at the J-school. Not the biggest breaking story ever, but one that mattered to me because this school matters to me and I knew how much time the professors put into the week-long event.
When I saw the error, I was horrified. The story listed an event that took place last year. How can people show up for an event that isn't even taking place? I was really angry, and the mistake has followed me all day.
Even Dean Bierbaurer has stopped me....and it is never good for a Dean to stop you and know your name because of an error.
I know the error was not part of my original story and it was inserted after the fact and out of my control. It just really hurts that my name ran beside a story that didn't even have basic facts correct.
In one interview, the editor asked me what was the biggest mistake I had ever made...and I just handed him the paper from today. It wasn't my mistake, but it did have my name beside of it. I can only laugh about it, and usually I cry when I get really upset. So I didn't cry, I learned that my writing will not always be my writing..even with my byline and that this is just a learning experience. It could be worse, I could have made the error on my own.
I was on my way to my first interview with The State, when one of the SJMC staff stopped me and said my story was in The Gamecock. I was suprised because the last story I submitted to the News editor wasn't even used. And when I looked, it was the last story I submitted.
It ran two days late and with a glaring error.
I wrote about I-Comm week at the J-school. Not the biggest breaking story ever, but one that mattered to me because this school matters to me and I knew how much time the professors put into the week-long event.
When I saw the error, I was horrified. The story listed an event that took place last year. How can people show up for an event that isn't even taking place? I was really angry, and the mistake has followed me all day.
Even Dean Bierbaurer has stopped me....and it is never good for a Dean to stop you and know your name because of an error.
I know the error was not part of my original story and it was inserted after the fact and out of my control. It just really hurts that my name ran beside a story that didn't even have basic facts correct.
In one interview, the editor asked me what was the biggest mistake I had ever made...and I just handed him the paper from today. It wasn't my mistake, but it did have my name beside of it. I can only laugh about it, and usually I cry when I get really upset. So I didn't cry, I learned that my writing will not always be my writing..even with my byline and that this is just a learning experience. It could be worse, I could have made the error on my own.
posted by Julia Sellers at 3:50 PM
3 Comments:
Julia:
Every editor should be required to read this and understand how much hurt such things can cause.
Doug
Julia:
I understand your frustration and disappointment with the error edited into your work. It might help to remember that such incidents, thank goodness, are rare, and editors generally catch many more errors than they make. I hope it's The Gamecock's practice to correct the record and offer their readers an explanation for the error. An apology to you would be fitting, as well.
Cheers,
Professor Wiggins
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