"It seems a bit strange to me that the media carefully warn about and label any content that involves sex, violence or strong language — but there's no similar labelling system for, say, sloppy journalism and other questionable content."
'I'm always looking for the Hows and the Whys and the Whats,' said Muskrat, 'That is why I speak as I do. You've heard of Muskrat's Much-in-Little, of course?'
'No,' said the child. 'What is it?'
- The Mouse and his Child. Russell Hoban.
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Friday 20 August 2010
Warning Stickers for Newspapers
Clever Tom Scott has come up with a great idea.
"It seems a bit strange to me that the media carefully warn about and label any content that involves sex, violence or strong language — but there's no similar labelling system for, say, sloppy journalism and other questionable content."
If you go to his website you can print out a sheet of stickers which you can then, he suggests, put them on articles in newspaper left on trains or in other public places.
"It seems a bit strange to me that the media carefully warn about and label any content that involves sex, violence or strong language — but there's no similar labelling system for, say, sloppy journalism and other questionable content."
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Ah. But is there a sticker for the UK's Guardian (affectionately known as the Gruniad because of its spelling errors) which managed in 1961 to report in detail the arrival of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary General of the UN, in the Congo when, in fact, his plane came down and he was already dead. Spelling errors and just about everything else pale into insignificance. It engraved itself on my mind at the time and I never again bought that paper.
ReplyDeleteWell Geeb. We obviously need one for spelling errors as well as 'stories with no foundation'. Even Granny O'Grimm has more truth in her story...
ReplyDeleteThese are great. I was going to suggest an electronic version for blogs...........No mine would be pasted over after a couple of visits.
ReplyDeleteHa ha. I'm sure you exaggerate Adrian.
ReplyDeleteIn pursuing healthier relations between the sexes, it might be helpful if women wore similar stickers on their foreheads.
ReplyDeleteFor example
"WARNING: Insanity-inducing conversationalist."
or
"WARNING: Useless in the kitchen"
etc. etc.
No response to this comment is required Katherine.
"WARNING "Always needs to have the last word"
I could use a whole slough, er, slew, er, sloo, er, bunch of them.
ReplyDeleteGosh, YP, we all look at the world differently, don't we? I would never have thought of that.
ReplyDeleteRobert, on his website, he has a special version for Americans, apparently.