That’s the only way you can avoid running something like this graphic — cell-camera shots of which have been zooming around the internets over the past day or so.
(Pause for laughter.)
It’s from the USA Today weather page, of course. It ran last Friday, July 1. Click for a larger look. If you need a larger look.
Now, chances are about five percent of you don’t “get” what I’m talking about with that graphic illustration. But at least 95 percent of you do — in fact, you’re laughing like mad right now. Which proves my point.
You need to have a dirty mind to be in the business of mass communications. Or, at the very least, you need someone with a dirty mind on your staff. Because you do not want to give the sixth grader in all of us this kind of viral amusement.
We’ve seen things like this before, of course. Like last summer, when the New York Times illustrated a story on appendicitis with what appears to be a “pocket snake”:
Or in February, when an English newspaper used an unfortunate combination of words to refer to a quote from a school headmaster…
Or even when a drive-in movie theater tried to list two movies on a sign clearly made for only one.
You must have a dirty mind. Unless you want everyone in town laughing at you.
—
Thanks to Ernie Smith of the ShortFormBlog for bringing this to my attention last night.
And thanks to my anonymous tipster for the clean copy. You can barely read those lousy cell camera shots going around.
A copy editor friend of mine always says “It takes a dirty mind to make clean copy.”
Hilariously well put. One of the oldest editors I know always says her dirty mind helped her editing immensely. Hmm, immensely. Perhaps I should have picked a better word.
Since I edit mostly el-hi textbooks, it helps that I think like a 12 year old boy. On the one hand, my books are pretty much snicker-proof. On the other hand, I’m dying to work on something like Captain Underpants or Walter the Farting Dog. All this prim and properness is starting to build up pressure…
All the mentions of “stroke” just add to the glory.
Had an editor who always admonished us to think like 12 year old boys. He wouldn’t even allow the use of “erected” because of its vaguely dirty implications. This is precisely the reason why. :)
Even if your mind doesn’t “go there,” as an editor, you have to anticipate that others will.
Like I said on Poynter, if anyone seriously thinks any of this is suggestive, then they need therapy..and lots of it.
Stuff like this was being scrawled on the walls in high school boys’ rooms 40 years ago. And that tells you everything you need to know about the newspaper biz.
Reminds me of a headline during the Lacy Peterson murder trial. When Scott’s defense tried to blame his lover, a headline read “PETERSON FINGERS MISTRESS”
It reminds of a headline during the Lacy Peterson murder trial. When Scott’s defense tried to implicate his lover, a headline read “PETERSON FINGERS MISTRESS”
Subs have always been perverts. What?
The Skyway Drive-in is in my hometown! I’ve never been … and I didn’t know they were still open.
Headline seen once in the Cleveland Plain Dealer after USC defeated Oregon State: “Trojans Irritate Beavers”
(Sophomoric, yes, but someone had to do it.)
My heart goes out for the poor folks that did the graphic…
I do hope they’re not… penalized.
Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph about 10 years ago, on a story on the autos page about Humvees: “Hummers give lasting satisfaction”
i remember a photo of a theater marquee a few years ago where they were showing, in this particular order “Mr. Jones,” “Knocked Up” and “Bridget Jones.”
My dirty mind has saved the papers I’ve worked for a number of times (though I did have one big miss one time).
You have to be careful with words and phrases that have double meanings. For example, recently we almost had a headline: “Local horse to get shot at Derby.” That’s an easy one, but we also almost had a cutline on a photo about a veterinary hospital where a dog was about to be operated on, and the cutline said the dog was being “put to sleep.” I said it had to be changed because that connotes euthanasia, which definitely wasn’t happening in the photo.
I always go by the policy that if it can be taken the wrong way, it will be.
I imagine it took some balls and hard work to get this graphic done.
Many many years ago a friend of mine had the job of putting up the big multi-sheet movie posters at one of the big cinemas here in Sydney, Australia.
When, I think, “Grand Torino” starring Clint Eastwood was released, he was just about fed up with the job anyway, so he put the L and the I in “Clint” just that tad too close together.
Management, after almost a WEEK !!!, didn’t see the funny side…. We all did !!!
Sometimes, editors can’t help. In the San Francisco Bay Area about 10 years ago, there was a particularly grisly case where four people were murdered, dismembered, stuffed into multiple suitcases and thrown in the American river. They washed ashore all over the delta, in multiple counties and jurisdiction. The local radio reporter, when asked how authorities were responding, replied, “well, quite frankly, right now they’re just trying to get their heads together.”
There was an ad in our paper for some kind of prostate remedy, featuring a photo of a grinning man who appeared to be strangling a woman. This led to all kinds of speculation about the message we were supposed to take away from the ad.
You’re a douchebag. Go get laid.
Years ago, we ran a story about Zimbabwe’s then-president, one Canaan Banana, sexually assaulting his bodyguard… (drum roll) … “Policeman raped by Banana”.
There was a small community theater in Quakertown, PA (Bucks County) that had a sign for “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, and tried to advertise a kids’ show below it – but it came out looking like there was a kiddie matinee of Best Little!
several years ago the Detroit Lions yet another game they had been leading in. The sports page had a huge photo of one Detroit player, in defeat, on his knees with another standing directly in front of him with one hand on his helmet. The headline was “Lions Blow Another One” – there is no way that was an accident.
Ages ago, I was working on a sports page led by a somewhat naive editor. A linotype operator (I said AGES ago) came out shaking his head, holding some copy, saying “I’m not supposed to question editorial, but I don’t think you want this.” A column about a Detroit pitcher had been marked up by the editor and sent back to be set. All was fine until he wrote a subhead above the part of the story where it noted that the pitcher was particularly tough against the New York Yankees. The subhead read: “Yanks His Meat” It was changed.
Used to work for USATODAY.com during the Clinton years. Wrote a headline that made it to the Net.
“Judge allows discharge of Gay seaman.”