Kate Middleton jelly bean story prompts amusing Independent prank url

Posted by Axegrinder on 19 April 2011 at 10:38
Tags: The Independent, Uncategorized, sub-editors

Newsdesk demands for ever more stories about Kate Middleton and the Royal Wedding may be pushing hacks to breaking point.

As evidence, I cite this piece in The Independent from Monday about a jellybean resembling Kate Middleton which is being sold on Ebay.

Check out the url. Was it penned by whichever online news functionary was tasked with following up the story from the Telegraph in pursuit of a cheap traffic boost? Or is it the work of some outside prankster?

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/utter-PR-fiction-but-people-love-this-shit-so-fuck-it-lets-just-print-it-2269573.html

11.20am update: I see from comments below that - for reasons that are far beyond me - this fun url probably didn’t come from inside the Independent. Although it does come up when you do a search for ‘jelly bean’ on the Independent website. Any ho, it makes a good point.

Update#2: SEO specialist Malcolm Coles has explained more about all this. Apparently  you can change their urls to anything you want provided you keep in the “unique identifier number”.

Unfortunate headline double-meaning of the week - Gloucestershire Echo

Posted by Axegrinder on 4 February 2011 at 14:03
Tags: sub-editors

With hindsight, the subs on the Gloucestershire Echo probably realised they could have come up with a different headline for this story about Cheltenham Ladies’ College.

I had to read it once or twice before realising that smutty-minded folk might get the wrong end of the stick with this one.

Heinadg helnadg heuladg…production balls-up of the day

Posted by Axegrinder on 22 November 2010 at 12:51
Tags: Regional Newspapers, sub-editors

Another exhibit for Axegrinder’s dark museum of production howlers - this time from Northcliffe’s ThisisGloucestershire website. It’s got the lot: dummy headline copy, pic up the wrong way round and mistakes-a-plenty in the caption.

Sadly, this has been a year of regional press production cock-ups. And it can be no coincidence that it has also been the year of sub-editor redundancies and the creation of remote subbing factories - particularly at Northcliffe.

Here is the link to the story, which hopefully will be fixed soon (writing at 12.50pm) has now been fixed.

Among several comments are Kath from Cheltenham writing at 8.57am: “TiG, This is the second time in less than a week that you have shown a nonsensical headline like the one above. When your last proof reader left did he turn the lights out??“

Gjhgkjhchkjhvbkj…More gibberish, this time from the Daily Mail

Posted by Axegrinder on 15 June 2010 at 06:10
Tags: Daily Mail, sub-editors

First a stretched Johnston Press weekly publishes dummy copy on its front page, then dummy copy appears in a Financial Times leader column and now this from the Daily Mail sports section yesterday.

What is going on? Axegrinder can only surmise that the nation’s sub editors have begun a silent revolt. “Replace us with machines will you? Well see how well your papers sell without headlines.”

Either that, or perhaps the content management systems are trying to hasten the demise of sub-editors by sabotaging headlines after they have gone to press? Or perhaps we are witnessing the rise of the machines as they seek to undermine humankind by depriving us of the witty and clever newspaper headlines which make our daily lives bearable?

Thelondonpaper subs taste the whisky of victory

Posted by Axegrinder on 9 September 2009 at 09:05
Tags: Headlline of the month, sub-editors

Some good news for journalists at News International’s doomed free London daily thelondonpaper - which is set to close later this month.

The craft on display on the subbing team has been recognised by the judges of Press Gazette’s revived headline of the month competition. And a bottle of Jura single malt whisky is on its way to them courtesy of our sponsors - and to Francis Harvey, who nominated them.

The final shortlist included:

SHE DOES MORE HARMAN GOOD, the Daily Mirror - on deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman’s short stint in charge of the country this summer.

LONG ARM OF THE DRAW, The Sun - for the story which revealed how a retired art teacher ensured her mugger was tracked down by police after she drew a portrait of him.

WE KICKED THEIR ASHES, The Sun - on England’s cricket victory over Australia.

Thelondonpaper’s subs won out, with extra marks for performance in the face of adversity, for:

WEISZ AFTER THE EVENT, after actress Rachael Weisz won rave reviews for her performance in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse.

The deadline for entries to headline of the month is 22 September.

The sub who writes the winning headline, and the person who nominates them, will both receive a bottle of single malt whisky. The winners also go into the headline of the year draw, with the winner receiving an exclusive holiday on the Isle of Jura.

How not to win headline of the month and a bottle of Jura whisky

Posted by Axegrinder on 10 August 2009 at 16:35
Tags: sub-editors

This example of the sub-editors’ once proud craft, from Wales Online, won’t be making it into the reckoning for Press Gazette’s relaunched headline of the month competition.

If you think you can do better - why not enter headline of the month?

The winning entry each month, and the person who nominates them, will receive a bottle of Jura single malt whisky - and they will also enter into the running to win an exclusive weekend away on the Isle of Jura.

The deadline for entries to this month’s competition is 17 August.

It’s the subs who catch the malignant tuna

Posted by Axegrinder on 8 March 2009 at 20:09
Tags: sub-editors

With so many people foolishly questioning the need for newspaper sub-editors, a regional press sub writes to Axegrinder with a list of recent howlers from reporters. Apparently, the subs keep a list, which runs to several A4 pages. 

The top four are: 

Church of the Six of Hearts (Sacred Heart. 

Cats sprayed and muted (spayed and neutered) 

Malignant tuna (tumour), as the cause of death in an inquest report.

Vagina (Virginia)

Some of the rest:

Duke box

Window pain

Golf war syndrome

Fowl language

Plumb brandy

Polar neck jumper

Tea earn

Cleft pallet