Jim Fingal was an intern assigned to fact-check an essay by John D’Agata. "Hi, Jim," D’Agata began. "I think maybe there’s some sort of miscommunication, because the 'article,' as you call it, is fine. It shouldn’t need a fact-checker." The exchange from their new book, "The Lifespan of a Fact," is excerpted in Harpers. More from Slate, the New Yorker, and Salon.
From the lighter side
How can you tell if you're a "real" journalist? You know, the kind who looks like Murrow, or at least Bogie. Hint: It's got nothing to do with where you went to college, or even where you work. The Stuff Journalists Like blog has a list right here. Who do you call when you have to make bail? Where are you most likely to eat a meal? Plus more suggestions in the comments, from the virtues of pica poles to grammatical errors in popular music.
The big guy's had it with smarty scientists suggesting that his life's work violates some silly natural laws. He explains in a Science Creative Quarterly post: "We collect and maintain data on what kids want and what kids deserve. Then we use our proprietary matching algorithm to reconcile the two." Distribution, payments, inventory, and marketing are all outsourced. "Our business model is a mash-up of Google, Amazon, PayPal, and Tupperware."
Having trouble finding the perfect gift for the journalist on your list? MediaBistro has come to your rescue with 30 suggested presents, some of them actually useful, and others ... well: "Surprise the journalist in your life with a stuffed animal made in their image!" "Need a pair of gloves that will also let you use your touchscreen devices with ease? Check out Agloves – they’re warm, fuzzy, and stretchy with conductive silver weaved throughout the entire glove."
What do the expressions "final outcome," "completely destroyed," and "ask the question" have in common? They all contain surplusage, which as Mark Twain noted in his famous criticism of James Fenimore Cooper's writing, ought to be eschewed. Now there's a web site devoted to the needs of surplusage eschewers everywhere. Unnecessary Journalism Phrases "was created to showcase linguistic crutches journalists employ." With links to the offenders.
Monday was the fifth birthday of the micro-blogging service that, among other things, has shortened the distance between news and its readers. Here's a collection of essays from the Poynter Institute, plus a The New York Times story and a video of Twitter testimonials from famous people, some splattered with paint.
In 1992, a storm washed 28,800 toy rubber ducks off a container ship in the north Pacific. Now, Donovan Hohn has written a book about their fate. Read the New York Times review.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then he got busy writing it up for publication. A brief bit of whimsy from the Whizbang blog.