Reed says he watches TV and reads news online, but relies on the paper as his “primary source of information about what’s going on locally and internationally.” The Herald & Review is the only daily in Decatur. He’s got no other choice. So out comes the red pen…

“I’m doing it to make them aware of how they need to improve their proofreading and the quality of their journalism,” he says.

Of course, a careful reader like him is acutely aware of the likelihood of that happening at any newspaper in today’s economy. Reed starts talking about the falling share price of the paper’s owner, Lee Enterprises. He mentions the debt the company took on to purchase the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Falling advertising.

“With these kinds of financial pressures, I think we’re going to see less attention paid to quality and error checking,” he says.

That means more work for him.

“It is sort of a habit,” he says, “and it’s probably something I’ll continue to do.”

Correction of the Week

“This article was amended on Tuesday 20 January 2009. In our entry on Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon Days, we referred to a Prairie Ho Companion; we meant a Prairie Home Companion. This has been corrected.” – The Guardian (U.K.)

Phantom Source

“A story on residential schools payments that appeared in yesterday’s National Post, and was provided by the Canwest News Service, incorrectly attributed quotes to Brenda Reynolds. All of the quotes attributed to Ms. Reynolds, regarding deaths in British Columbia and recipients’ reactions to the payments, were made by Sharon Thira of the Indian Residential Schools Survival Society. Ms. Reynolds, a psychologist who works with former residential school students, did not make any comments for this story. Canwest News Service regrets the error.” – National Post (Canada)

Parting Shot

“FOLLOWING our article on 16 November which stated that Heather Mills had recently had a third boob job Heather Mills has asked us to point out that she has not had breast enlargement surgery. Furthermore, we wish to clarify that Ms Mills has not spent pounds 1million on a swimming pool and has not spent pounds 6million on other properties.” – Sunday Mirror (U.K.)

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