Ridiculous AP Gamer

Says the guy who started a thread to tsk-tsk a reporter who didn’t live up to his naive and unsophisticated understanding of objectivity...

 

what happened.

 

I don't give a s*** what its style is with under way. I still spell it under way.

 

What’s your point? He described what happened.

 

This is my point.

 

LOL if that’s your best response.

 

I just finished re-reading the great thread about writing from 10 years ago, and something Jones said seems awfully apropos here. Even worth entering my sig.

"You're either a servant of the truth or you're a novelist, which is just a fancypants word for a goddamn liar."

 

Nope. That has nothing to do with the issue here.

 

Regarding my earlier editing comment and the responses ...

Everyone's slashed editing staff, AP's and individual papers', have affected this, and not just in the writing that we're getting. Here's an example:

Having a skeleton crew in house and a design hub that's working on several papers have caused our deadlines to be moved back. Depending on how things are going, that means we have to have everything to the hub no later than 11 p.m. but sometimes earlier.

AP's slashed editing staff has meant that it takes longer to get gamers from the wire. Sometimes the 2nd-lede write-thrus that have quotes come 60-90 minutes after the first story moves. We don't have time to wait for those. We, too, loved the hometown ledes, but, if the team from our area lost, we didn't have time to wait for it. Grab the 1st-lede after the AP Now, and get it to the hub.

Everyone loses.

We love our AP guys here. They do great work. But once the stories are in the editing chain, they're out of their hands, and we are at the mercy of whatever bottleneck of games ending between 10 and 10:30 is happening.

 

AP could begin a White House story with "Donald Trump showed his ass again in an exchange with reporters . . ." and there would be more "woo-hoos" than criticisms on here. People want to read what they believe, and if it's what they believe then by default it's "the truth."

 

For someone that criticizes people's view of objectivity you seem to have no f-ing idea what it is @lcjjdnh. There is a big difference in some magazine or ad writing for restaurants vs. profiles of the place. You can describe the game using examples of what happened rather than use jargon. Saying something is mouth-watering or adjectives like this seems like an attempt at trying to sell someone something. For the AP gamer just say what they offer. The facts, be objective. Why not just use some examples of say Tyrod Taylor spiking passes. Say what happened. Some fans like defense and 10-3 games. Don't have to say it hurt your eyes.

Something like Tyrod Taylor's passes bounced five yards in front of Charles Clay and Zay Jones. Blake Bortles couldn't find ways to move the Jacksonville offense for much of the game. but one touchdown drive was enough in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 10-3 win....

Also the editing process is the bigger issue. If he wants to take chances let him. Take out a couple words and the lede suddenly isn't bad. But, as a writer that works somewhere that used to have a copy desk....much of our work isn't edited. Just send it up right away. So, if you want to take chances, read through and be critical of your own stuff, because today you have to save your own ass from an error or shoddy writing most of the time. Re-read your work.