I am no longer shocked at how bad professional journalists are anymore, but I am frequently amused. In reading the Sun-Times this morning, I came across this enormously informative report:

 

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has been credited with one of the most successful HIV prevention campaigns in the world, said Monday that abstinence was more effective than condoms

 

Really? Not having sex is better at preventing std's than having sex with a condom? Wow, that IS news. No wonder Uganda has one of the most successful HIV prevention campaigns, they have state-of-the-art research giving them up-to-the-minute data like this. Uganda surely also has one of the most successful obesity-prevention campaigns as well, due no doubt to the research their scientists did that showed that not eating is better than eating in order to lose weight.

Thank You, Uganda.

 

And this miraculously moronic quote, from the story about the capture of Anson Paape:

 

"I'm glad he was caught," said Randy Wooten, a social studies teacher at York Community High School where Murray would have been a senior in the fall.

 

This must be opposed to the thousands of people in the community who are NOT glad he was caught. They are wishing he would remain at large, in hopes that he would come to their house and shoot their kid in the head. Oh, those wacky Elmhurstians.

Oh, those wacky Elmhurstians.

stop the stereotyping!

 

crimson was right.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, the bladness of newspaper quotes is the reason Jayson Blair and co went months and months making them up without anyone noticing. Most of the time they aren't even needed, but those crazy editors want them anyway.

In journalism you are taught to quote only when you can't say something better yourself - and only if it adds something new to the story. Otherwise, paraphrase/leave it out.