Front page refer
Well, there goes another of my silly rules at the local newspaper.
Right there on the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is a reference (or refer in the jargon) to a story inside: “BOEHNER TELLS REID TO F— OFF.”
Page 4A story
Now, I’m no prude and have used a profanity or two in my time, but when I was editor I overruled the AP Stylebook on this one. “If a full quote that contains an obscenity, profanity or vulgarity cannot be dropped but there is no compelling reason for the offensive language, replace the letters of the offensive word with hyphens, using only an initial letter,” the Stylebook advises.
My reasoning was that we were editing a family newspaper and every freaking member of the damn family already knew precisely what letters were excised. “This is no game show,” I would exclaim, “and Vanna White ain’t the editor.” If the word were necessary to the context of the story and the ability to convey the news value, then use the word, not some flimsy hyphens. That’s like wrapping a nude in Saran Wrap and calling it decent.
I instructed editors to eliminate the word and substitute in parens the word “expletive.” Hell, everyone still knew what it meant, but at least we weren’t fooling ourselves … as much.
Over on page 4A the headline (hed in the jargon) writer had to cozy up to the whole point of the story by printing: “Boehner to Reid: an anatomically impossible order.”
Well, I confess I wasn’t a purist on this point. I did not stop Jim Day when he penned this editorial cartoon:
Besides, I’m always offended when I pass that bank of slots and hear them shouting: “Wheel … of … Fortune,” over and over and bleeping over.
Frustration has set in for Boehner and Reid because they realize they have been sidelined by Obama and his cadre, that doesn’t include members of the Congress as both Senate and House are all but defunct. Reid earlier called Boehner a dictator and, to Reid’s surprise, Boehner told him to go fuck himself, basically it was tit for tat that devolved to common street language. Earlier I said that Boehner was fortunate the old Searchligh pugilist didn’t flatten him, that was in jest, of course, but one has to consider that Harry Reid is so besotted with his power and influence that he cannot imagine that anyone would be disgruntled with him. There’s also the possibility that his mental acuity is not what it was, articles in today’s flimsy, i.e., the LVRJ and it’s piggy back, the Sun, reports that his primary staffer relates that Harry spends a lot of time reminiscing about his days in Searchlight, does that sound like a man capable of being deeply involved in possibly the most troubling of modern times for the nation. We should all have noticed by now that Harry Reid reads his remarks while at the lectern, what’s up with that? Perhaps he should carry a note with a prepared response to remarks from Boehner. And, by the way, censoring vulgar words in and on the news is a bit passe, bleeping them isn’t necessary, they seldom fall on dainty eyes or ears.
Interesting story in NYTimes today about the increasing use of vulgarities by womens’ magazines.
Adding insult to injury, if you notice, the refer is a misquote.
Who cares what the NYTimes says, it’s a vulgarity put to press on a daily basis. I bet the old pugilist wishes he was faster on the uptake, he probably thinks he should have said “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”. That’s kind of an older generation thing, of course, but there doesn’t appear to be much left in his praised legal skills, most lawyers have an answer before opposing counsel finishes a sentence. Not to worry, one of Harry’s staffers will conjure up a speech for him to give about returning civility to the hallowed halls of the Congress.
I strongly agree with you on this one. The hyphen game tends to insult the intelligence of the readers. I like the way that head avoided the question of how or whether to use that word. My hat’s off to that copy editor.
[...] pointed out in January that the Las Vegas newspaper had evolved in its policies concerning the use of profanities in the [...]