I agree.  Also, a neophyte reporter would have an editor.  This seems  
like an attempt to sensationalize.  Our local newspaper has  
definitely gone yellow.

And why they didn't put "sic" after the subject/verb error in the  
first sentence?  When you set out to mock someone one, you should  
make sure you are mock-proof.

Susan


On Jun 19, 2009, at 2:45 PM, Spruiell, William C wrote:

> I had the same reaction to the [sic]- barrage, and am baffled about  
> the paper's possible motivations. The reporter could be new to the  
> business, but who would put a neophyte on a story like this one? --  
> Bill Spruiell
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of  
> Dick Veit
> Sent: Fri 6/19/2009 1:35 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Surface grammar errors
>
> The paper's excessive use of *sic *is disturbing. In *Writing,  
> Reading, and
> Research* (eighth edition in press)*,* I caution students to use  
> *sic* with
> an error "only if you feel it necessary to identify it as your  
> source's
> error, not your error in copying the passage... This device should  
> be used
> only rarely. Avoid using *sic* to belittle a source with whom you  
> disagree."
>
>
> Papers typically correct minor errors in letters without fuss and  
> transform
> some expressions (such as *US* to *U.S.*) to conform with their own  
> style
> guidelines. Inserting *sic *a dozen or more times into the letter
> gratuitously embarrasses the writer and completely distracts the  
> reader from
> his message.
>
> Dick Veit
>
> On Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 11:09 AM, Robert Yates <[log in to unmask]>  
> wrote:
> Dear colleagues,
>
>>
>> Today, the Las Vegas Sun reproduced a letter written by the  
>> husband of
>> the wife with whom Senator Ensign was having an affair.  The husband
>> sent the letter to a reporter at Fox News.
>>
>> The entire letter is here:
>> http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jun/19/text-husbands-letter/
>>
>> There are all kinds of reasons to find the letter interesting, but  
>> I'm
>> struck by the number of sic's. The Sun notes it did not correct  
>> any of
>> the grammar and spelling.  I assume the letter was proofread and the
>> writer is a college graduate.   Here are some examples from the  
>> letter:
>>
>> . . .
>>
>> The unethical behavior and immoral choice of Senator Ensign has been
>> confronted by me and others on a number of occasions over this past
>> year. In fact one of the confrontations took place in February  
>> 2008 at
>> his home in Washington DC (sic) with a group of his peers. One of the
>> attendee's (sic) was Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma as well as  
>> several
>> other men who are close to the Senator.
>>
>> . . . .
>>
>> Today, Senator Ensign's responsibility and stature have increased  
>> within
>> the US (sic) Senate. His is currently the head of "Policy" for the
>> Republican Party, the number four position within the Parties (sic)
>> leadership team. We on the other hand are completely ruined and  
>> left to
>> deal with the aftermath of very evil and completely unjustifiable  
>> acts
>> by one of our countries (sic) top leaders.
>>
>> *****
>>
>> It looks to me that the good people at the Sun expect US Senate to be
>> U.S. Senate.  I'm struck by the green grocer 's and the plural for  
>> the
>> apostrophe.
>>
>> OK, we should not be just in the business of teaching surface grammar
>> error, but the number of such errors in a very important document
>> written by someone with a college education is interesting.
>>
>> Bob Yates, University of Central Missouri
>>
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>>
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