Assignment 5

Part 1- Interview anyone who likes to pick up errors in the newspapers or other material they read, or interview anyone about how often they find mistakes in books, magazines, newspapers, or even on radio and television.

I interviewed 3 people to compare which mistakes they find and to see which medium they find the mistakes in most often.

Part 2- Write a 500 word article in the third person about the person you interviewed and the mistakes they find.

Three Waikerie locals commented on the mistakes they find in newspapers, books, magazines, on radio and television and how often they find them.

Sharon Lennell reads the Advertiser, the Sunday Mail, the Riverland Weekly, and the River News. She commented that in every newspaper there is at least one mistake and said they usually spell names wrong most often, especially with best players in the footy score sheets. She also said that in some recipes that are published in magazines or newspapers, they leave out various ingredients. In comparison Gladys Noll said that she doesn't find too many mistakes in newspapers, however she said the choice of words could be different. Mrs. Noll also said that grammar and spelling of names were also problems that she picked up. Pat Allen said she finds quite a few mistakes, particularly in The River News which she reads regularly. The mistakes Pat Allen finds are to do with punctuation, name spelling, and the date or year being "muddled up".

Mrs. Lennell said she finds plenty of mistakes in magazines. She enjoys reading the That's Life publication and said in the Secret Story section they word it differently and use American instead of Australian spelling for some words. Pat Allen said she doesn't buy magazines much but said in Lifeline, the television program times aren't always what they are supposed to be. For example, a channel's programs are listed for a certain program to be shown at a certain time on a certain day, and then on that day the channel broadcasts a different program in that timeslot. However, Pat Allen said she finds more mistakes in books, and sometimes finds two of the same pages printed in books.

With regard to radio and television, Sharon Lennell said she finds mistakes on both mediums all the time. She mentioned in particular the football radio commentators who call out the wrong names and predict goals before the players have even kicked for a goal. She said on television there is a lot of false advertising and said certain stations advertise TV shows on the wrong days. Mrs Noll said she listens to Bronwyn Wade on the Riverland Agricultural Horticultural radio program and also the ABC radio. Mrs Noll said that while the ABC radio does have some mistakes she said they weren't too bad. She also added that she enjoys watching the SBS World News on television.

All interviewees agreed that it's very frustrating for them when they find mistakes. Sharon Lennell remarked, "You expect people to get it right and then they don't." Pat Allen said that when she finds mistakes on television she doesn't know who to ring or blame... "Whether it's the station or the people who write the programs." When Gladys Noll finds mistakes she wonders if the writers or journalists have researched a topic properly and debates how accurate the story is. She added, "It frustrates me if different stories are told about the same topic."

Sharon Lennell and Gladys Noll thought it is worse to find mistakes in newspapers rather than on television or radio. Gladys Noll commented, " I think it is worse because they have to proofread it before it is printed. Television is different. With newspapers they can reread it. Whereas if you say something and two hours later are asked what you said, it is harder to remember." However, Pat Allen said because she doesn't read newspapers that often she finds it more annoying when she finds mistakes on television channels.

Part 3- Once you are happy with the article, print it out and see how many errors you can find. Highlight the text to show how you have fixed the errors.

I have done part 3 but I think it needs more improving so once I have edited it some more and have time I shall add it!