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Opera, 'Pro-Life', not 'Anti-Abortion'
Reuters ^
| 03/05/04
| Dan Whitcomb
Posted on 03/05/2004 6:27:26 AM PST by Maigret
Opera 'Pro-Life', Not 'Anti-Abortion'
Dan Whitcomb
A Los Angeles Times music critic who wrote that a Richard Strauss opera was "pro-life" -- meaning a celebration of life -- was stunned to pick up the paper and find his review changed by a literal-minded copy editor to read "anti-abortion."
Music critic Mark Swed said the copy editor was adhering to a strict Times policy banning the phrase "pro-life" as offensive to people who support abortion, and didn't seem to realize that the epic Strauss opera "Die Frau Ohne Schatten" had nothing to do with that politically charged issue.
"Its about children who aren't born yet screaming to be born -- not abortion," Swed said. "Somebody who didn't quite get it got a little bit too politically correct ... and we had a little breakdown in communications."
The Times ran a correction the following day, Feb. 25, irking Swed further because it suggested that the mistake was his. The paper then issued a second correction making clear that he was not responsible. But the second note violated another Times policy -- this one against identifying the person at fault -- which prompted a memo from Jamie Gold, the paper's readers representative. That memo, which first surfaced on the L.A. Observed Web site, admonished reporters: "Corrections will not assign blame"
Swed said he was satisfied with the second correction and gratified that top-level editors moved quickly when the mistake was discovered.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: correctness; lat; latimes; mediabias; opera; political; thearts
Just in case you thought they couldn't get any more ridiculous.
1
posted on
03/05/2004 6:27:27 AM PST
by
Maigret
To: Maigret
So, in the LA Times world, it is okay to be "pro-choice" but not "pro-life." Disgusting.
2
posted on
03/05/2004 6:31:07 AM PST
by
stylin_geek
(Koffi: 0, G.W. Bush: (I lost count))
To: Maigret
I live in '1984' now it would seem.
To: Maigret
talk about proving up orwell.
forbid the term and the concept dies with it.
Why are newspapers still around. This stuff makes papers meaningless.
To: longtermmemmory
I head this story on Rush yesterday. It is sooo Orwellian! I can picture the ardent, pimple-faced little communist using spell-check to 'cleanse' the article. Makes me wanna puke!
5
posted on
03/05/2004 6:46:44 AM PST
by
johnny7
(“C'mon! You sons 'o bitches wanna live forever!?”)
To: Maigret
A comedy of politically-correct errors.
To: Maigret
All the people responsible for the correction of the first correction have now been sacked.
7
posted on
03/05/2004 6:33:51 PM PST
by
avg_freeper
(Gunga galunga. Gunga, gunga galunga)
To: avg_freeper
We rented Holy Grail a couple of weeks ago because my oldest son had never seen it. One of my favorite movies, but imagine my shock and surprise when I finally noticed the "moose bit my sister" line. I thought I'd die laughing! I had no idea where that had come from.
8
posted on
03/05/2004 6:49:30 PM PST
by
Dianna
To: Maigret
Its about children who are not born yet screaming to be born--not abortion", Swed said. Huh? Methinks the proofreader who labeled Strauss' work anti-abortion will be fired for stumbling on the truth.
To: Constitutionalist Conservative; Maigret
As a journalist, a couple of things about this strike me as 'odd'.
For a start, an Opera review where the sub-editor would pick up on the 'pro-life' comment for headline purposes?
Secondly, I've worked in a few newsrooms, and on contentious issues have been consulted before my opinion has been 'sanitised'
Thirdly, why wasn't this solved in the newsroom? I mean...two written and printed apologies? Sounds more like a conflict of personalities than anything else.
I mean! This was an opera review - not the breaking of a major front page scandal.
10
posted on
03/05/2004 8:06:55 PM PST
by
Happygal
(Le gách dea ghuí)
To: Happygal
If you're a lib, you're like a truffle-sniffing pig when it comes to your favorite issues. You can find them no matter how deep they're buried. Even if they're phantom truffles, as in this case.
11
posted on
03/05/2004 8:38:24 PM PST
by
livius
To: livius
If you're a lib, you're like a truffle-sniffing pig when it comes to your favorite issuesThe mental image this conjures is priceless!
12
posted on
03/05/2004 8:43:54 PM PST
by
Maigret
To: livius
''If you're a lib'' I take it you are referring to the article, and not me. Just for clarification.
13
posted on
03/05/2004 8:47:45 PM PST
by
Happygal
(Le gách dea ghuí)
To: Maigret
A bastion of journalistic integrity, the LA Times
14
posted on
03/06/2004 11:31:09 PM PST
by
Roberts
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