Can you say tacky?

1.From “Would-be robbery victim fights back”:

“State police said the man sprayed Mr. O'Neil with pepper spray and attempted to grab the the deposit bags.

Mr. O'Neil fought back. State police said he struck the assailant, who then began to run away. Mr. O'Neil gave chase but the unknown man was picked up by someone in a silver or gray vehicle described by police as a "hatchback-type SUV." The vehicle fled the scene.”

So I know that I’m not perfect.  I have a hard time wrapping my head around directions like a breaking news crime story is “filed quickly, and free of errors” (Jerz).  But I’m obviously not the only one with problems in this department.  According to AP Style, titles such as Mr. or Dr. are to be left off.  I could see slipping once, but three times as in this story is quite a lot for a professional.  Also, the mistake with “the” is a little bad, especially being that once plugged into Microsoft Word, the problem becomes apparent because it is jaggedly underlined in red. 

2.From “Plea deal reached in Jeannette enslavement, kidnap case”:

“The Tribune-Review does not name alleged victims of sexual assault.”

I’m sure that most people know that these days, we have issues with confidentiality.  It is an invasion of privacy to name a victim of sexual assault because being assaulted, especially in a sexual manner, would be embarrassing. 

April Minerd also found a few mistakes in these articles.   Check out her blog.

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