Blogslot copy-editing blogger Bill Walsh today posted the new cover of Time magazine:
The phrase Time was looking for, of course, was only-child. It’s a compound adjective.
You know who else needs copy editors? Cake decorators. And baseball jersey manufacturers. And T-shirt designers.
Charles Apple is a freelance visual journalist and instructor. A longtime news artist and designer, he is the former graphics director of the Virginian-Pilot and the Des Moines Register. He teaches design and graphics workshops and seminars and spends way too much time online. Read more ...
The opinions and views expressed are those of Charles Apple and commenters and do not necessarily state or reflect the views of the American Copy Editors Society, its members, sponsors or affiliated groups.
Wow. At first glance, that deck is an indictment of children in general as being selfish, spoiled and lonely. Amazing what a little square of black ink can do to a message.
I disagree that this is confusing. But it should have been redone. The main hed refers to one child, and the subheds refer to “they.”
That won’t confuse anyone, either. But those things together = need to rewrite.
Also, you know who else needs copy editors? Newspapers.
http://www.wenalway.com/forum/index.php?topic=16.msg6266#msg6266
This gave me the laugh of the day! And it’s an example of exactly why I love grammar, punctuation, etc. It’s never dull.
Thanks